Here is another volume in the Robinson Mammoth Book series, described on the cover as the most comprehensive sports encyclopedia in the world. Without an introduction of any sort identifying the scope, market aimed for or the method of compilation, it is not really possible to evaluate the extent to which it can be considered to meet specific objectives. Certainly, as an encyclopedia of sport it does not compare favourably with the Oxford Companion to Sport or the recently published Encyclopedia of World Sports.
Altogether, 184 sports from aikido to yachting are represented in the volume including some rather obscure ones such as takrow and tejo. Individual entries vary in length from ten full pages on cricket to no more than a paragraph for drag racing and only four lines on “biddy basketball”. The fuller entries typically have an introductory paragraph, followed by subsections on the history of the sport, venues, rules, equipment, scoring and clothing. The authority with which the entry has been written is variable, not only between individual sports but even sub‐sections within a particular sport. The simple description would suit a school child or member of the public requiring only the basic detail of a sport, but falls far short of what might be expected from a student studying A‐level sport or engaged in higher education. Unfortunately, there is no guidance offered as to where someone might go for further information on the subject. Its saving grace is the cheap price tag of £8.99 which makes it affordable to the small library and even the individual pocket.
