Cover for GUTTMANN: The Olympics: A History of the Modern Games (2d ed.). Click for larger image

The Olympics

A History of the Modern Games (2d ed.)

This second edition of Guttmann's critically acclaimed history discusses the intended and actual effects of the modern Olympic Games, from 1896 to 2000, recounting the memorable and significant athletic events of the Olympics in terms of their social and political impact.

"Here is a book that is as readable as it is profound, casting a majestic sweep over the Games from 1896."--G. E. Murray, Sporting Traditions

"A wonderfully insightful, judicious, and interpretative essay."--Steve Gietschier, Sporting News

"Guttmann, one of the finest historians of sport in the United States and Europe, and a recognized authority on the Olympics, has produced a sound, readable narrative that will appeal to scholars as well as to general readers."--Randy Roberts, coauthor of Winning Is the Only Thing: Sports in America since 1945

ADVANCE PRAISE for 1st edition "Guttmann, one of the finest historians of sport in the United States and Europe, and a recognized authority on the Olympics, has produced a sound, readable narrative that will appeal to scholars as well as to general readers."--Randy Roberts, coauthor of Winning Is the Only Thing: Sports in America since 1945

Allen Guttmann, a professor of English at Amherst College, is the author of Women's Sports, Games and Empires, From Ritual to Record: The Nature of Modern Sports, and other books. He received the first President's Award for Sports Studies from the International Olympic Committee.

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