From Publishers Weekly
Aymar ( Cruising Is Fun ) has assembled an anthology about equally divided between fiction and nonfiction, covering 34 sports (although not basketball) in 48 selections. He begins with the funeral games for Patroklos described by Homer in the Iliad and ends with "Beyond the Divide," about wilderness walking, by Colin Fletcher, of 1988. There is fine reportage by Richard Harding Davis, Norman Mailer, George Plimpton and Maury Allen; there are autobiographical excerpts from racing driver Stirling Moss, hockey goalie Ken Dryen, swimmer Diane Nyad and soccer star Pele; there are short stories by Ring Lardner, Jack London and Rudyard Kipling; there are excerpts from novels by Sir Walter Scott, Lew Wallace, James Dickey and Alan Sillitoe. Sports fans will find much material to enjoy here and will lament the absence of a personal favorite. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Editor Aymar has fashioned an anthology of sports literature representing 34 categories of amateur and professional games, ranging from chariot racing to mountain climbing. Drawing together excerpts from both literary and popular works of fact and fiction, he presents an eclectic mix of genres, eras, and styles. Among the entries are Dick Francis on horseracing; Norman Mailer on boxing; James Dickey on canoeing; Jack London on surfing; Zane Grey on baseball; and Diana Nyad on swimming. A common thread throughout this anthology is an emphasis upon the event rather than the participants. As a sampling of the diversity in the literature of sports through the ages, this work is appropriate for both public and academic collections.- William H. Hoffman, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., Fla.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"The sporting life in all its myriad glories can be found in this exhilarating, one-of-a-kind collection. Mr. Aymar has covered the field of challenge and competition as no one has ever done before."

-- Donald Honig, author of Baseball: The Illustrated History of America's Game


Review
"The sporting life in all its myriad glories can be found in this exhilarating, one-of-a-kind collection. Mr. Aymar has covered the field of challenge and competition as no one has ever done before."

-- Donald Honig, author of Baseball: The Illustrated History of America's Game


Book Description
A monumental anthology covering the literature of sports, from the funeral games of Homer to the American World Series today, Men in Sports includes Mary Renault's telling of an exciting day at the Olympic Games of 520 B.C., Stirling Moss's thousand-mile auto race, Ring Lardner's Horseshoes, James Dickey's harrowing account of canoes capsizing in the rapids, George Plimpton's The Five-Play Quarterback, Pele at soccer, Colin Fletcher's wilderness walking, Norman Mailer's coverage of the Paterson-Liston fight, Sydney Franklin's decision to become a bull-fighter, Dick Francis's horse-racing story The Day of the Losers, the climax of Trevanian's mountain-climbing classic Descent from the Eiger, John McPhee's tennis coverage of Arthur Ashe vs. Clark Graebner at Forest Hills, and Alan Sillitoe's The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.There are unusual selections featuring many other sports, including archery, ballooning, bicycling, billiards, boating, fishing, golf, hockey, hunting, jai alai, polo, rowing, scuba diving, skiing, surf-riding, swimming, track, wrestling, and yachting. Men in Sports is an omnibus anthology offering hours of fascinating, exciting reading for sports enthusiasts of all ages.Brandt Aymar has compiled eight previous anthologies, including The Personality of the Cat, Men at Sea, and Men in the Air. He is the author of several boating books, including Cruising Is Fun and The Complete Cruiser, and is the coauthor of A Pictorial History of the World's Great Trials from Socrates to Jean Harris. He lives in West Islip on Long Island."The sporting life in all its myriad glories can be found in this exhilarating, one-of-a-kind collection. Mr. Aymar has covered the field of challenge and competition as no one has ever done before."-- Donald Honig, author of Baseball: The Illustrated History of America's Game


From the Inside Flap
A monumental anthology covering the literature of sports, from the funeral games of Homer to the American World Series today, Men in Sports includes Mary Renault's telling of an exciting day at the Olympic Games of 520 B.C., Stirling Moss's thousand-mile auto race, Ring Lardner's Horseshoes, James Dickey's harrowing account of canoes capsizing in the rapids, George Plimpton's The Five-Play Quarterback, Pele at soccer, Colin Fletcher's wilderness walking, Norman Mailer's coverage of the Paterson-Liston fight, Sydney Franklin's decision to become a bull-fighter, Dick Francis's horse-racing story The Day of the Losers, the climax of Trevanian's mountain-climbing classic Descent from the Eiger, John McPhee's tennis coverage of Arthur Ashe vs. Clark Graebner at Forest Hills, and Alan Sillitoe's The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.

There are unusual selections featuring many other sports, including archery, ballooning, bicycling, billiards, boating, fishing, golf, hockey, hunting, jai alai, polo, rowing, scuba diving, skiing, surf-riding, swimming, track, wrestling, and yachting. Men in Sports is an omnibus anthology offering hours of fascinating, exciting reading for sports enthusiasts of all ages.


From the Back Cover
"The sporting life in all its myriad glories can be found in this exhilarating, one-of-a-kind collection. Mr. Aymar has covered the field of challenge and competition as no one has ever done before."-- Donald Honig, author of Baseball: The Illustrated History of America's Game


About the Author
Brandt Aymar has compiled eight previous anthologies, including The Personality of the Cat, Men at Sea, and Men in the Air. He is the author of several boating books, including Cruising Is Fun and The Complete Cruiser, and is the coauthor of A Pictorial History of the World's Great Trials from Socrates to Jean Harris. He lives in West Islip on Long Island.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A monumental anthology covering the literature of sports, from the funeral games of Homer to the American World Series today, Men in Sports includes Mary Renault's telling of an exciting day at the Olympic Games of 520 B.C., Stirling Moss's thousand-mile auto race, Ring Lardner's Horseshoes, James Dickey's harrowing account of canoes capsizing in the rapids, George Plimpton's The Five-Play Quarterback, Pele at soccer, Colin Fletcher's wilderness walking, Norman Mailer's coverage of the Paterson-Liston fight, Sydney Franklin's decision to become a bull-fighter, Dick Francis's horse-racing story The Day of the Losers, the climax of Trevanian's mountain-climbing classic Descent from the Eiger, John McPhee's tennis coverage of Arthur Ashe vs. Clark Graebner at Forest Hills, and Alan Sillitoe's The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.