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Olympics: A Very Peculiar History
Get a head start on the most important athletic event in the world with The Olympics, A Very Peculiar History! From its beginnings in Ancient Greek antiquity, right up to its arrival in Great Britain, the home of so many modern sports and favoured pastimes, the Olympic Games have always been a grand and exciting spectacle. Sometimes it's hard to believe that the first recorded Olympic running race was held nearly 3,000 years ago. Even so, precious little has changed since. The athletes may now be fully-clothed, but that doesn't stop their speed and skills improving. New Olympic world records are beaten all the time. The Olympics, A Very Peculiar History gives an overview of the strange, the unbelievable and the downright bizarre events that have occurred over the many years this esteemed competition has seen. The book features amazing athlete statistics, biographies and records, and well as quirky stories, fascinating facts from the world of the Olympics.
- GenresHistory
192 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2011
14 people want to read
About the author
David Arscott
75 books1 followerDavid John Arscott was a British author, local historian and publisher from Sussex.
Arscott wrote more than 40 books about Sussex, as well as several volumes of the Salariya Book Company's Very Peculiar History series and a number of works of fiction. His 1984 novel The Frozen City has been translated into Japanese. His first venture into political satire, Lady Thatcher's Wink, was published in 2016. As an author, his books are largely held in libraries worldwide.
Arscott worked as a journalist from 1959, first with the Investors Chronicle and the Evening Standard in London and then for the English language paper The Daily Journal in Caracas, Venezuela. Returning to England, he reported for the Dorset Evening Echo. After taking an English degree at Hertford College, Oxford, he joined BBC Radio Brighton as a news producer, switching to general programme production and presentation shortly before the station expanded to become BBC Radio Sussex.
His publishing company, Pomegranate Press, founded in 1992, offered a self-publishing service to other authors. It initially specialised in books with a Sussex theme but later expanded to include the Pomegranate Practicals nutshell guides, fiction and a range of non-fiction titles.
He was also involved in media training with Curtin and Co, working with colleagues in the UK and abroad to coach individuals and groups in improving their skills in front of the microphone and the camera.
Arscott wrote more than 40 books about Sussex, as well as several volumes of the Salariya Book Company's Very Peculiar History series and a number of works of fiction. His 1984 novel The Frozen City has been translated into Japanese. His first venture into political satire, Lady Thatcher's Wink, was published in 2016. As an author, his books are largely held in libraries worldwide.
Arscott worked as a journalist from 1959, first with the Investors Chronicle and the Evening Standard in London and then for the English language paper The Daily Journal in Caracas, Venezuela. Returning to England, he reported for the Dorset Evening Echo. After taking an English degree at Hertford College, Oxford, he joined BBC Radio Brighton as a news producer, switching to general programme production and presentation shortly before the station expanded to become BBC Radio Sussex.
His publishing company, Pomegranate Press, founded in 1992, offered a self-publishing service to other authors. It initially specialised in books with a Sussex theme but later expanded to include the Pomegranate Practicals nutshell guides, fiction and a range of non-fiction titles.
He was also involved in media training with Curtin and Co, working with colleagues in the UK and abroad to coach individuals and groups in improving their skills in front of the microphone and the camera.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 29, 2012
‘The Olympics A Very Peculiar History’ by David Arscott, provides a brilliant resource for the classroom in the run up to the Olympics. Most classes will probably be doing something centred on the games and this compact non-fiction book gives us a vast amount of information about everything related to the Olympics.
It introduces the topic with its Greek beginnings, and goes on to mention famous Olympians, women’s right to participate in the games, the Paralympics and some of the most famous/controversial moments of the games. Children will learn a lot about the political platform the games provide such as the 1936 Berlin games under Hitler’s regime and the 1968 Mexico City games which were most memorable for the famous Black Power salute done by two of its athletes in support of black people’s rights.
The book uses a humorous tone to its writing making it very child friendly. Like a lot of non-fiction books it provides a useful contents, glossary and index. The book is easy to read making use of lots of subheadings and timelines. As it has recently been published, it mentions London’s hat-trick in being the only city in the world to host the Olympics three times making it very pertinent to the children of today.
It introduces the topic with its Greek beginnings, and goes on to mention famous Olympians, women’s right to participate in the games, the Paralympics and some of the most famous/controversial moments of the games. Children will learn a lot about the political platform the games provide such as the 1936 Berlin games under Hitler’s regime and the 1968 Mexico City games which were most memorable for the famous Black Power salute done by two of its athletes in support of black people’s rights.
The book uses a humorous tone to its writing making it very child friendly. Like a lot of non-fiction books it provides a useful contents, glossary and index. The book is easy to read making use of lots of subheadings and timelines. As it has recently been published, it mentions London’s hat-trick in being the only city in the world to host the Olympics three times making it very pertinent to the children of today.
June 23, 2017
6/10
September 24, 2012
Excerpt -- An Olympian Shrug
The American marksman Sidney Hinds was competing in the 1924 free rifle team event in Paris when a disgruntled Belgian competitor flung his loaded weapon to the ground and a bullet lodged in Hinds's foot. He shrugged this handicap aside by scoring a perfect 50 in the final, and his team picked up the gold.
The American marksman Sidney Hinds was competing in the 1924 free rifle team event in Paris when a disgruntled Belgian competitor flung his loaded weapon to the ground and a bullet lodged in Hinds's foot. He shrugged this handicap aside by scoring a perfect 50 in the final, and his team picked up the gold.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews