UI Press | William J. Baker | Sports in the Western World

Sports in the Western World

"A complete sports history from Paleolithic times to the present. . . . Eye opening are the chapters on the Middle Ages. . . . But there's something revealing on almost every page of this fine effort."--Publisher's Weekly

"Lively narrative. . . . [I]ts virtues are rich detail, extended coverage, and a fluid writing style."--Historian

"Every . . . sporting even, from amateur Olympics to professional media hypes [is] presented in this thorough, well-composed chronicle."--Best Sellers

"[This] ambitious book examines the impulses behind the games that man has always played. . . . Entertaining throughout."--Kliatt

"An elegant book, which examines the rise of competitive sport in Western society from ancient times to the present. . . . The focus is on athletes, sporting patrons, spectators, and opinion makers. . . . Highly recommended."--Choice

William J. Baker is professor of history at the University of Maine. He is also the author of Jesse Owens: An American Life and editor of Sports in Modern America, Sports and the Humanities, and Sport in Africa: Essays in Social History