This one‐stop overview of sport in Britain from its origins to the present day includes scores of A‐to‐Z entries on sports, organisations, events, and the impact of sport on greater society and culture. In addition to entries on all the usual ‐ and some unusual ‐ sports, there are references on the BBC, the Calcutta Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Grand National, the London Marathon, the Manx Grand Prix, the media, and famous stadia such as Crystal Palace, Wimbledon and Wembley. The average entry length is about 450 words, although the major entries such as cricket are considerably longer.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book is the entries which deal with sport‐related topics, rather than the specific sports themselves. There is a long, thoughtful essay on “Drugs” which describes various doping techniques and their impact on athletes and which also considers the effect that drugs have on sports as wide‐ranging as horse racing and cycling. While it is noted that testing systems recommended by the medical profession have improved, it appears that those athletes who want to cheat their competitors will always find ways of staying ahead of the regulations. However, your reviewer cannot support the argument which is advanced by the author of this entry that there is “little difference between athletes receiving nutritional information on what diet might give them the most energy and athletes getting advice on what drugs could improve their performance”. While one may be able to understand the theory behind this point of view, this is a situation where the spirit of the law must be observed even if the detail cannot be expressed accurately in the drafting of the law.
Features of the book also include an introduction, a chronology and an adequate index. Most entries include a bibliography, although it is amusing to note that these frequently offer us John Arlott’s 1975 Oxford Companion. There are also indications of hasty production of further reading items, such as the inclusion of Dervla Murphy’s Full Tilt under cycling ‐ a book of travel adventure rather than of cycling as a sport! There are some illustrations, mainly reproductions of prints and photographs.
The authors are well qualified for their task. Richard Cox, founder and past chairman of the British Society of Sports History, is director of sport at UMIST. Grant Jarvie is professor and director of the Scottish Centre for Sports Studies, University of Stirling and Wray Vamplew from De Montfort University is professor and director of the International Centre for Sports History and Culture.
What is the market for this book? In terms of library use, it will not replace larger tomes on specific sports which will be available in larger reference collections, but it might well find a place in smaller, non‐specialist libraries. However, it should be noted that the hardback edition is priced at £44.95.
