Sports & Recreation

2024 TAFWA Book Award Winner

The first comprehensive biography of the preeminent voice of New York sports

For close to half a century after World War II, Marty Glickman was the voice of New York sports. His distinctive style of broadcasting, on television and especially on the radio, garnered for him legions of fans who would not miss his play-by-play accounts. From the 1940s through the 1990s, he was as iconic a sports figure in town as the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle, the Knicks’ Walt Frazier, or the Jets’ Joe Namath. His vocabulary and method of broadcasting left an indelible mark on the industry, and many of today’s most famous sportscasters were Glickman disciples. To this very day, many fans who grew up listening to his coverage of Knicks basketball and Giants football games, among the myriad of events that Glickman covered, recall fondly, and can still recite, his descriptions of actions in arenas and stadiums. In Marty Glickman, Jeffrey S. Gurock showcases the life of this important contributor to American popular culture.

In addition to the stories of how he became a master of American sports airwaves, Marty Glickman has also been remembered as a Jewish athlete who, a decade before he sat in front of a microphone, was cynically barred from running in a signature track event in the 1936 Olympics by anti-Semitic American Olympic officials. This lively biography details this traumatic event and explores not only how he coped for decades with that painful rejection but also examines how he dealt with other anti-Semitic and cultural obstacles that threatened to stymie his career. Glickman’s story underscores the complexities that faced his generation of American Jews as these children of immigrants emerged from their ethnic cocoons and strove to succeed in America amid challenges to their professional and social advancement. Marty Glickman is a story of adversity and triumph, of sports and minority group struggles, told within the context of the prejudicial barriers that were common to thousands, if not millions, of fellow Jews of his generation as they aimed to make it in America.

The Thrilling and Emotional Memoir from Endurance Horse Racing Legend Sanoma Blakeley

Chasing Dreams: The True Story of the Youngest Female Tevis Cup Champion is the incredible, action-packed memoir of Sanoma Blakeley’s 2019 Tevis Cup championship, won while riding her beloved horse Goober, and the tale of how she became the youngest woman to ever become a Tevis Cup champion. Beginning her endurance riding career at the age of seven, Blakeley writes about the years of training and teamwork required to win the most challenging and famous 100-mile horse race in the world aboard a horse she had originally acquired for free off of Craigslist.

Blakeley places readers on the ride with her so that they can experience the thrill of the most exciting horse endurance race in existence. Blakeley and Goober survive narrow mountain trails winding through the Sierra-Nevadas, containing over 19,000 feet of elevation gain; three steep, grueling canyons; crossing the shoulder-high American River; riding at night with only the light of the moon to guide them; temperatures that soared over 115 degrees; and, most excitingly, the final neck-and-neck sprint to the finish against a four-time Tevis Cup champion and world class competitor after 100 miles of some of the most rugged mountain trails in the world.

When Blakeley and Goober cross the finish line just a few feet ahead of their competition and Blakeley becomes the youngest woman in history to win the Tevis Cup, a lifetime of hard work that began when the author started training as a small child and who had long dreamed of winning the Tevis Cup was finally rewarded. Chasing Dreams contains action, heartwarming twists, and an epic ending that will leave readers in tears.

From the legendary Ebbets Field in the heart of Brooklyn to the amenity-packed Houston Astrodome to the "retro" Oriole Park at Camden Yards, stadiums have taken many shapes and served different purposes throughout the history of American sports culture. In the early twentieth century, a new generation of stadiums arrived, located in the city center, easily accessible to the public, and offering affordable tickets that drew mixed crowds of men and women from different backgrounds. But in the successive decades, planners and architects turned sharply away from this approach.

In Modern Coliseum, Benjamin D. Lisle tracks changes in stadium design and culture since World War II. These engineered marvels channeled postwar national ambitions while replacing aging ballparks typically embedded in dense urban settings. They were stadiums designed for the "affluent society"—brightly colored, technologically expressive, and geared to the car-driving, consumerist suburbanite. The modern stadium thus redefined one of the city's more rambunctious and diverse public spaces.

Modern Coliseum offers a cultural history of this iconic but overlooked architectural form. Lisle grounds his analysis in extensive research among the archives of teams, owners, architects, and cities, examining how design, construction, and operational choices were made. Through this approach, we see modernism on the ground, as it was imagined, designed, built, and experienced as both an architectural and a social phenomenon. With Lisle's compelling analysis supplemented by over seventy-five images documenting the transformation of the American stadium over time, Modern Coliseum will be of interest to a variety of readers, from urban and architectural historians to sports fans.

De Arte Venandi cum Avibus was written shortly before the year 1250 by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Sicily and Jerusalem, in whose court, with its remarkably cosmopolitan and highly intellectual life, may be found the real beginning of the Italian Renaissance. In spite of its title, it is far more than a dissertation on hunting. There is a lengthy introduction dealing with the anatomy of birds, an intensely interesting description of avian habits, and the excursions of migratory birds.

Indeed, this ancient book has long been recognized as the first zoological treatise written in the critical spirit of modern science. The sumptuous volume now in hand is, however, the first translation into English of the complete text, originally divided into a prologue and size books. Together, the translators and editors, have at last made available this classic work and have adorned it with notes, comments, bibliographies, and glossary. They have produced a work of great value to zoologists—especially the ornithologist—and also to everyone interested in the history of science and in medieval art and letters.

An in-depth look at the history of the Chicago Bulls franchise, featuring profiles, photography, box scores, and more from the archives of the Chicago Tribune.

The Chicago Bulls, one of the NBA’s most storied and valuable franchises, have been building their highly decorated legacy for six decades. To this day, the Bulls are one of the most popular teams the world over. Six championships and the eternal legacy of Michael Jordan—the greatest player of all time—will do that, and Bulls fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bulls, 2nd Edition is a decade-by-decade look at the pride of Chicago’s West Side, updated since its original publication in 2016 to include the last several years of history. Curated by the Chicago Tribune sports department, this book documents every era in the team’s history through the newspaper’s original reporting, in-depth analysis, interviews, and archival photos. Comprehensive timelines, rankings of top players by position, and profiles on key coaches, Hall of Famers, and MVPs provide an entertaining, blow-by-blow look at the team’s greatest successes and most dramatic moments.

A beautiful collector's item, The Chicago Tribune Book of the Chicago Bulls is a tour through basketball history produced by the award-winning journalists who have been documenting their home team since the beginning.

A provocative, must-read investigation that both appreciates the importance of—and punctures the hype around—big-time contemporary American athletics

In an increasingly secular, fragmented, and distracted culture, nothing brings Americans together quite like sports. On Sundays in September, more families worship at the altar of the NFL than at any church. This appeal, which cuts across all demographic and ideological lines, makes sports perhaps the last unifying mass ritual of our era, with huge numbers of people all focused on the same thing at the same moment. That timeless, live quality—impervious to DVR, evoking ancient religious rites—makes sports very powerful, and very lucrative. And the media spectacle around them is only getting bigger, brighter, and noisier—from hot take journalism formats to the creeping infestation of advertising to social media celebrity schemes.

More importantly, sports are sold as an oasis of community to a nation deeply divided: They are escapist, apolitical, the only tie that binds. In fact, precisely because they appear allegedly “above politics,” sports are able to smuggle potent messages about inequality, patriotism, labor, and race to massive audiences. And as the wider culture works through shifting gender roles and masculine power, those anxieties are also found in the experiences of female sports journalists, athletes, and fans, and through the coverage of violence by and against male bodies. Sports, rather than being the one thing everyone can agree on, perfectly encapsulate the roiling tensions of modern American life.

Michael Serazio maps and critiques the cultural production of today’s lucrative, ubiquitous sports landscape. Through dozens of in-depth interviews with leaders in sports media and journalism, as well as in the business and marketing of sports, The Power of Sports goes behind the scenes and tells a story of technological disruption, commercial greed, economic disparity, military hawkishness, and ideals of manhood. In the end, despite what our myths of escapism suggest, Serazio holds up a mirror to sports and reveals the lived realities of the nation staring back at us.

When professional baseball returned to Brooklyn in 2001, fans were jubilant and the media swarmed. After losing the Brooklyn Dodgers to California 44 years ago, Brooklyn baseball fans could once again claim a team of their own: the Cyclones, a Class A affiliate of the New York Mets.
The Brooklyn Cyclones: Hardball Dreams and the New Coney Island recounts that first season of the Cyclones. From the construction of the incredible Keyspan Park at Coney Island to their improbable successes on the field, Ben Osborne tells the story of the Cyclones' delicate first year of operation. We see the story up close and personal through the eyes of two very different young men. The first is Anthony Otero, who was raised in a Coney Island housing project and loves baseball, but has never seen a game in person until the Cyclones land in his neighborhood. The second is Brett Kay, a young man from California who has never been to New York, until he becomes the catcher for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
From the plans of politicians like Rudy Giuliani and Howard Golden, to the poverty of Coney Island's citizens, The Brooklyn Cyclones reveals the stories behind the headlines to show that the reality of creating a new sports team often involves broken promises and shattered dreams. Osborne includes chapters on the Cyclones' rivalry with the Staten Island Yankees, the Cyclones' chances of capturing the New York-Penn League title, and an epilogue updating Kay's, Otero's, and the Cyclones' progress through the 2003 season.
Ultimately, Ben Osborne shows how, for these two young men, the Brooklyn Cyclones created dreams the same way the Brooklyn Dodgers allowed the boys of Flatbush to dream about one day playing in the Big Leagues.

MARTIAL ARTS TRANSPORT US TO THE REALMS OF LEGENDS

Every day in dojos and training halls, fantastic stories of history’s martial arts heroes are told. Tales of men and women who overpower wild beasts, walk unharmed through a barrage of swords, or single-handedly defeat scores of attackers—they all captivate our imagination and our sense of marvel.

Whether presented orally, on screen, or by written word, these legends remain a key element of our collective martial arts culture and naturally inspire wonder about where the facts end and the fiction begins.

No stories are more gripping than those surrounding the founders and great masters of modern-day martial arts.

This book looks at twelve of the greatest martial arts legends of all time, retelling their common historical lore, examining the known facts, suggesting possible reasons for their longevity, and discussing the key functions that these legends have served martial artists both historically and today.

Bodhidharma: A Zen Monk’s Journey to the East

Zhang Sanfeng: The Founding of Internal Martial Arts

Morihei Ueshiba: The Quest for Ultimate Peace

Ng Mui & Yan Yongchun: The Dual Founders of Wing Chun

Nai Khanom Tom: The Hero of Ayutthaya Fights for Freedom

Choi Hong-Hi: Leading Korea from the Ashes of War

Miyamoto Musashi: A Swordsman Meets His Greatest Foe

Helio Gracie: Grapplers from the East and West Meet

Bruce Lee: Fighting for the Freedom to Teach Kung Fu

Bui Thi Xuan: The Swordswoman and the Tiger

Gogen Yamaguchi: Returning from the Gulag

Masutatsu Oyama: Taking on the Wild

“Vivid . . . profound . . . plausible . . . be inspired.”

—Shotokan Karate Portal

Buddha Can Improve Your Sports Performance and Life

“No other person has had more influence on my thirty-six years of coaching than Jerry Lynch.”—Missy Foote, Head women's lacrosse coach, Middlebury College

#1 New Release in Coaching Hockey, Tennis, and Eastern Philosophy

The Competitive Buddha is about mastery, leadership, spirituality, and the Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality. Discover how people from all parts of the world have brought together the Buddha and athletics for greater fun, enjoyment, and pleasure during their performances.

Connect spirituality to sports.  Learn what you need to keep, what you need to discard, and what you need to add to your mental, emotional, and spiritual skill set as an athlete, coach, leader, parent, CEO, or any other performer in life. Understand how Buddhism can help you to be better prepared for sports and life, and how sports and life can teach you about Buddhism.

On the court, field, and beyond. Dr. Lynch is an avid runner and biker and he has coached athletes at the high school and AAU level. He earned his doctorate in psychology at Penn State University and has done extensive post-doctoral work in the area of philosophy, Taoist and Buddhist thought, comparative religions, leadership development, and performance enhancement. Dr. Jerry Lynch demonstrates how certain timeless core Buddha values inspire you to embrace and navigate unchartered waters and understand the Buddha-mind and the Kobe Bryant Mamba Mentality.

Become a master coach of your own life. When it comes to leadership and coaching, The Competitive Buddha teaches how the best coaches today use the ancient methods for our modern times. Learn specific strategies and techniques for implementing this special way to guide and lead.

The Competitive Buddha teaches:

• Leadership Skills
• How to use Buddhism as an approach to competition
• How to master athletics and life

Readers who enjoyed Win the Day, Mamba Mentality, or Relentless Optimism will love The Competitive Buddha.

Quiver: The Art of Life through Bowcraft pairs immersive storytelling with striking visuals from a father–daughter journey documenting the lives and craft of the world’s most renowned traditional bow carvers.

Known as bowyers, the subjects featured in Quiver are carrying forward the legacy of primitive archery — a skill that has shaped human history for millennia and is now experiencing a quiet resurgence. Over the course of a year, author Todd N. Howard and photographer Ela Harper traveled to ten countries across four continents where they visited 14 bowyers in their workshops. There, they carved a bow alongside each of them over several days while documenting their process, personal history, and way of life of each bowmaker. Quiver is the culmination of this journey.

Pairing stunning photography with original and personal narratives, including a foreword by Paul Comstock, co-author of The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Quiver: The Art of Life through Bowcraft tells stories of cultural history, artisan craft, and human ingenuity, woven together with the universal thread of survival and connection.

"The Stylish Life Sailing" is a high-end photo book dedicated to the enduring allure of sailing culture. Through a carefully curated selection of atmospheric imagery, the book captures the romance, freedom, and craftsmanship that have defined sailing for generations. From classic wooden yachts and iconic regattas to quiet anchorages and life on deck, the photographs reveal sailing in its most authentic form. Natural light, sea-worn textures, and analog aesthetics evoke an era when navigation was guided by wind, intuition, and experience — and when time seemed to slow on the open water.

More than a celebration of boats, "The Stylish Life Sailing" tells a visual story of exploration, elegance, and a deep connection to nature. It is a tribute to maritime heritage and timeless style—and a must-have coffee-table book for sailors, dreamers, and lovers of the sea.

This stunning volume explores the world’s premier ski destinations, legendary champions, and the sophisticated lifestyle surrounding the sport. Readers immerse themselves in striking photography of breathtaking landscapes, elegant resorts, skiwear, and high-end gear. It features insider access to luxury chalets, fine dining hotspots, and iconic après-ski scenes, as well as exclusive interviews with athletes, hoteliers, and designers shaping the culture of modern skiing. 

The book thoughtfully connects the sport’s nostalgic roots with today’s innovations and trends, offering a curated look at the people, places, and traditions defining skiing as the ultimate symbol of refined adventure. Designed for connoisseurs of art, travel, and style, 

The SKI Book is the definitive statement for mountain lovers and luxury enthusiasts alike.

WITH A FOREWORD BY MUHAMMAD ALI

A sumptuous, officially endorsed collection containing a hardback book and rare removable facsimile documents, housed in a stylish slipcase.

The Official Treasures of Muhammad Ali opens Ali's personal archive to showcase 200 photographs and 25 items of Ali's own private memorabilia, alongside fascinating text.

Study Ali's early fight contracts, read his personal letters, browse famous fight programmes and admire the removable fight posters.

This glorious collection spans Ali's entire life, from his early days growing up in Kentucky through to his Olympic success, his early professional bouts and his world title fight with Sonny Liston - as well as the legendary comeback fights: the "Rumble in the Jungle" and the "Thrilla in Manila".

The Official Treasures of Muhammad Ali is an essential for any sports fan and a unique celebration of the life of one who was, quite simply, "The Greatest".

This fantastic collection of F1 facts, stats and stories is back for a great new edition!

World Formula One Records 2027 offers lively, fun and fascinating facts, stats, stories and trivia from the high-octane world of F1. Featuring the best teams, star drivers and most famous circuits, the book also has all-time records, from 1950 onwards.

This new edition has the low-down on teams such as Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull; drivers such as Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Ayrton Senna; and tracks like Silverstone, Monaco and Suzuka; plus all-time wins, points, titles, pole positions and much, much more.

This wonderful annual brings the most exciting sport on the planet to life!

The best-selling collection of football facts, stats and stories is back for another fantastic new edition!

World Football Records 2027 offers lively, fun and fascinating facts and stats from the world of international football. Focusing on all the major world and continental tournaments, national team records, exceptional matches and the stars who made it all possible, this exhaustively researched annual tells the stories of these key moments and the players and coaches behind them.

This new edition includes updated stats and facts for all recent major tournaments, awards and international teams. You'll also find the latest record-breaking achievements of more than 35 featured nations from around the world, including a sidebar with key stats, as well as updates and records for most of the other 170+ FIFA members.

Experience the legendary history of Formula 1 in this definitive illustrated book.

Foreword by Ross Brawn.

Fully revised and updated, Formula 1: The Official History is an electrifying account of the F1 phenomenon, telling the complete story of one of the world's most popular, thrilling, and glamorous sports. Bringing together a superbly written account of the history of the sport and an exceptional selection of stunning images from across eight decades of F1 racing, the book charts the FIA Formula One World Championship, decade by decade, from its first race at Silverstone in May 1950 right through to the present day.

Each chapter tells the fascinating stories behind the greatest drivers and teams, important personnel, famous and infamous incidents, as well as key changes to the rules on design, safety and competitiveness. These tales are accompanied by more than 250 exceptional photographs featuring icons past and present, including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen. Accessible and entertaining for any F1 fan, this is the definitive visual history of the sport.

Long before the Hollywood lights – this is the true, full-throttle story behind the Ford–Ferrari war that defined a racing era.

Ford versus Ferrari goes far beyond the dramatized 2019 film to deliver the definitive, richly detailed account of the personalities, machines, politics, and motivations that clashed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. With an insider’s grasp and a historian’s eye, John Starkey uncovers the real drama behind the corporate rivalry that reshaped motorsport.

From Henry Ford II’s failed bid to buy Ferrari to the last-minute technical fixes and pitlane tensions, this book unpacks how the GT40 emerged as both a symbol and a weapon in Ford’s quest to dominate endurance racing. Along the way, readers will meet the figures at the heart of the story – Ken Miles, Carroll Shelby, Enzo Ferrari, and many more – in all their complexity.

Master the ancient art of fire-making and explore primitive cooking techniques with timeless articles from The Backwoodsman magazine.

As a child, Charlie Richie Jr. watched his father start friction fires, build solar-powered ovens, carve his own utensils—and fall in love with the Old Ways of Living. In 1979, Charlie Sr. was inspired to create The Backwoodsman magazine, with a mission to preserve and share timeless outdoor skills that will forever be relevant.

In The Backwoodsman: Fire, Charlie Jr. collects 25 of the magazine’s best fire- and cooking-related articles, written by seasoned craftspeople. Discover several traditional and modern fire-making methods—from bow drills and flint-and-steel sets to emergency kits built from everyday items. Plus, learn how to create fire in any condition, including wet weather or low-resource environments. But fire is just the beginning. This guide jumps into backwoods cooking and bushcraft ingenuity. The selections often feature how-to plans and instructions—complete with illustrations—and they focus on wilderness cooking with a variety of braziers, ovens, and smokers made from natural and repurposed materials.

A testament to human ingenuity and the enduring importance of traditional craftsmanship, this book ensures that critical survival techniques and “the art of making” remain accessible to future generations. It offers personal empowerment, creativity, and deep environmental engagement.

If you’re an avid outdoorsperson who might find yourself in an overnight survival situation, this is an essential book. If you can’t walk through the woods without seeing every stick as tinder, kindling, or part of your next campfire, you’ll love this rugged collection of fire-making and wilderness-cooking articles for beginners and hands-on adventurers.

Inside you’ll find:

• 25 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s best fire-related articles
• Instructions for creating clay ovens, garbage-can smokers, fireless cookers, and more—no modern cookware needed
• Technical illustrations that aid in understanding each step-by-step process

Master essential bushcraft skills, build traditional tools, and embrace self-reliance with some of The Backwoodsman magazine’s timeless articles.

As a child, Charlie Richie Jr. watched his father build bows and arrows, canoes, and various types of trappings—and fall in love with the Old Ways of Living. In 1979, Charlie Sr. was inspired to create The Backwoodsman magazine, with a mission to preserve and share timeless outdoor skills that will forever be relevant.

In The Backwoodsman: Bushcraft, Charlie Jr. collects 25 of the magazine’s best bushcraft-related articles, written by seasoned craftspeople. The selections often feature how-to plans and instructions—complete with illustrations—and they focus on creating tools, clothing, and equipment with only natural materials, plus some that reuse existing materials.

A testament to human ingenuity and the enduring importance of traditional craftsmanship in an increasingly technological world, this book ensures that critical survival techniques and “the art of making” remain accessible to future generations. It offers personal empowerment, creativity, and deep environmental engagement.

If you’re an avid outdoorsperson who might find yourself in an overnight survival situation, this is an essential book. If you’ve always been interested in how Indigenous peoples constructed everyday items or if you can’t walk through the woods without seeing every stick as a tool, a trap, or tinder, you’ll love this rugged collection of bushcraft articles for beginners and hands-on adventurers.

Inside you’ll find:

• 25 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s best bushcraft-related articles
• Instructions for creating hunting tools, watercraft, clothing, and candles
• Technical illustrations that aid in understanding each step-by-step process

Hike, Bike, or Ride on America’s Premier Rail-Trails with This Official Guide

All across the country, unused railroad corridors have been converted into public multiuse trails. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy recognizes the best of them through its Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Selections are based on scenic value, amount of use, amenities, historical significance, excellence in management and maintenance, community connections, and geographic distribution. These Hall of Fame rail-trails are found in 29 states and in nearly every environment—from downtown urban corridors to pathways stretching across wide-open prairie, along coastlines and through mountain ranges.

In Rail-Trail Hall of Fame, the experts from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy present the 33 best rail-trails—from Massachusetts’ Minuteman Commuter Bikeway to Mississippi’s Longleaf Trace to Oregon’s Springwater Corridor. You’ll appreciate the detailed maps for each trail, plus driving directions to trailheads. Quick, at-a-glance icons indicate which activities each trail can accommodate, from biking to fishing to snowmobiling. Best of all, the succinct descriptions are written by rail-trail experts, so you know it’s information that you can rely on! As an added bonus, this official guide takes a look at the fascinating railroad history behind each trail.

These rail-trails represent pioneers of the movement; they inspired trail development across the nation, or they’ve revolutionized how trails impact communities along their routes. Whether you’re on feet, wheels, or skis, you’ll love the variety in this collection!

STATES REPRESENTED
Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Read the deeply moving and impeccably researched account of the events surrounding the plane crash that killed the 1961 US figure skating team.

Only once has the United States lost an entire national team to disaster: 1961, when all eighteen members of the US figure skating team died in the crash of Sabena Flight 548. Sixteen family members, coaches, and friends died with them. Frozen in Time takes you, for the first time ever, inside the lives of these skaters, revealing their friendships and romances, rivalries, sacrifices, and triumphs.

The skaters you’ll read about were the top finishers at the 1961 US National Championships. Winning a medal at Nationals earned each skater passage aboard Sabena Flight 548, a state-of-the-art Boeing 707. The plane would take them to Brussels, where they planned to board a new plane for Prague, host city of the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships. Some of the skaters brought parents or older siblings as chaperones. Coaches and judges also boarded the plane, and some of them brought spouses and children. When the plane crashed in a Belgian field on February 15, entire families were shattered, and the American skating program suffered a staggering blow that threatened to cripple it for many years.

Frozen in Time takes you on a journey to experience the highly competitive US National and North American championships of that fateful year. This story takes place in the final days of what now seems like an antique era, when the world was black and white, when figure skating was not a well-publicized sport. The book portrays strong, accomplished women leading unconventional lives on a national stage in a conservative era. The story of the Owen and Westerfeld women—along with all the dedicated athletes—transcends the world of sport and touches the human heart. It is one of the most powerful and tragic stories in the history of American sports.

“. . . a reverential tribute. Skating enthusiasts will want to add this to the shelf.”
—Publishers Weekly

Build a variety of shelters from natural materials while taking a nostalgic look at some of The Backwoodsman magazine’s timeless articles.

As a young child, Charlie Richie Jr. used to watch his father build tepees, debris shelters, and various forms of lean-tos—and fall in love with the Old Ways of Living. In 1979, Charlie Sr. was inspired to create <The Backwoodsman magazine, with a mission to preserve and share timeless outdoor skills that will forever be relevant.

In The Backwoodsman: Shelters, Charlie Jr. collects 25 of the magazine’s best shelter-related articles, written by seasoned craftspeople. The selections often feature how-to plans and instructions—complete with illustrations—and they focus on building shelters with only natural materials, plus some that reuse existing materials.

A testament to human ingenuity and the enduring importance of traditional craftsmanship in an increasingly technological world, this book ensures that critical survival techniques and “the art of making” remain accessible to future generations. It offers personal empowerment, creativity, and deep environmental engagement.

If you’re an avid outdoorsperson who might find yourself in an overnight survival situation, this is an essential book. If you’ve always been interested in how Indigenous peoples constructed shelters or if you can’t walk past a pile of lumber—or even leaves—without imagining a fort- or cabin-build, you’ll love this rugged collection of shelter articles for beginners and hands-on adventurers.

Inside you’ll find:

• 25 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s best shelter-related articles
• Instructions for building emergency, temporary, and permanent shelters
• Technical illustrations that aid in understanding each step-by-step process

The biggest, most comprehensive, reference guide to the waves on “Planet Surf”

The World Stormrider Surf Guide explores every dynamic surf zone known to man, from world-famous beaches to obscure reefs on the fringes of the known surf world. With completely revised and updated text, as well as painstakingly researched maps, this mammoth book is the largest collection of surf-spot information ever compiled. Each zone includes detailed analysis of the surf spots and swell forecasting, plus the lowdown on when to go, weather, accommodations, food, culture, hazards, the local scene and much more. A unique set of symbols and statistics make vital surf information instantly accessible. As an added bonus, The World Stormrider Surf Guide includes a global gallery of professional surf photographs. With over 260 detailed maps and 600 superb photos, this mammoth book is an essential tool and the ultimate surf travel resource for all globe-trotting waveriders.

Learn timeless primitive-camping skills while taking a nostalgic look at 28 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s practical and enduring articles.

As a young child, Charlie Richie Jr. used to watch his father build shelters, craft tools, and practice traditional outdoor skills—and fall in love with the Old Ways of Living. In 1979, Charlie Richie Sr. was inspired to create The Backwoodsman magazine, with a mission to preserve and share self-reliant skills that will forever be relevant.

In The Backwoodsman: Primitive Camping, Charlie Jr. collects 28 of the magazine’s best articles focused on setting up and staying comfortably in a primitive camp. Written by experienced outdoorsmen, these selections feature hands-on projects and how-to instructions—often accompanied by diagrams and illustrations—for shelters, tools, camp comfort, and more.

A testament to human ingenuity and the enduring value of traditional craftsmanship in an increasingly technological world, this book ensures that essential outdoor skills and “the art of making” remain accessible to future generations. It offers personal empowerment, creativity, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

If you’re an avid outdoorsperson preparing for off-grid adventures—or simply drawn to traditional skills and self-reliant living—this is an essential book. If you enjoy building, carving, cooking over an open fire, or imagining a functional camp made with simple materials, you’ll appreciate this rugged collection of primitive-camping knowledge for beginners and hands-on adventurers.

Inside you’ll find:

• 28 of The Backwoodsman magazine’s best primitive-camping articles
• Instructions for shelters, camp setup, cooking, tools, and other outdoor skills
• Illustrations and diagrams that support step-by-step learning

Your Informative (and Entertaining!) Guide to Fly Fishing

Fly fishing is a wonderful way to catch fish, and it is much simpler than you might think. More and more people are using this thrilling technique to catch trout, bluegill, sailfish, and more. You can count yourself among them. It just takes the right equipment, a little bit of know-how, and some practice. If you’ve never tried because you heard it’s “too hard,” then you are missing out! In Thrasher’s Fly Fishing Guide, professional fly fisher Susan Thrasher provides an all-in-one resource to get you on the water and fly fishing with success.

Inside You’ll Find:

• Introduction to the basics, including terminology and equipment
• Discussion of various methods, from dry fly fishing to Euro nymphing
• Personal stories and anecdotes to entertain and encourage
• Advanced tips, such as fly fishing from a kayak and understanding various fly line designs
• Recommendations on lodging, guides, and nearby activities for destination trips

Whether you’ve never hooked a fish or have spent your whole life casting a fly to that elusive brown trout, you’ll enjoy Thrasher’s engaging writing style, and you’ll appreciate her step-by-step approach that can take you from “never tried” to “let’s go again tomorrow!”

Learn basic and advanced techniques for using GPS to enhance your favorite outdoor activities, from hiking to fishing.

Hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, anglers—outdoor adventurers of all kinds—will find Outdoor Navigation with GPS an essential tool for making the most out of your backcountry trips.

Along with an explanation of the fundamentals of traditional navigation, author Stephen W. Hinch shows GPS users everything from basic GPS navigation skills to advanced techniques such as creating custom maps and even how to select the most appropriate receiver. This comprehensive book includes more than 100 helpful diagrams and illustrations, and the new edition features details about the latest receivers from the top manufacturers. With years of experience as a GPS instructor, Stephen answers the most common GPS questions in a jargon-free, easy-to-follow style.

You will learn:

• Basics of how GPS technology works
• Essentials of wilderness navigation
• How to create and navigate to waypoints
• Advantages and limitations of GPS-enabled mobile phones
• Latitude and longitude, UTM coordinates, position formats, and map datums
• How to use GPS with Google Earth and Google Maps
• How to find your way if your GPS unit fails
• How to get started with fun activities like geocaching and orienteering

Outdoor Navigation with GPS is useful for hiking, geocaching, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, backpacking, outdoor photography, mountain biking, and more!

Peak Performance: the intersection of martial arts, science, and personal growth.

Karate Science: Dynamic Mind by JD Swanson, Ph.D., is a groundbreaking exploration of the mental side of martial arts, blending traditional karate philosophy with the latest insights from neuroscience, biology, and social psychology. Written for martial artists seeking to deepen their understanding beyond physical technique, this book reveals how the mind and body work together through the perspectives of biology, philosophy, and cognitive psychology, to create peak performance, both in the dōjō and in everyday life. Swanson draws on decades of experience as a Shotokan practitioner, scientist, and educator to offer practical tools for mastering focus, resilience, and decision-making under pressure.

Structured in four sections—The Philosopher, The Biological Mechanic, The Social Psychologist, and The Integrator—this book connects the wisdom of the Dōjō Kun, Nijū Kun and other philosophical principles used in martial arts with modern research on the brain and how we bring thought to action, and cognitive and social psychology. Readers will discover how to train not just their bodies, but also their minds, using visualization, mindfulness, and adaptive strategies to excel in martial arts and beyond. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned black belt, you’ll find actionable advice for learning, mastering, perceiving, strategizing, and making decisions when, and wherever, it matters most.

• Integrates karate philosophy with neuroscience, biology, and psychology
• Explains the Dōjō Kun and Nijū Kun in depth, with practical modern applications
• Breaks down how the brain, nerves, senses, and muscles work together for movement and reaction
• Teaches mental skills: visualization, mindfulness, stress management, and focus
• Provides frameworks for learning, mastery, perception, strategy, and decision-making
• Applies lessons from the dōjō to leadership, teamwork, and daily life

Karate Science: Dynamic Mind is more than a manual for martial artists—it’s a toolkit for anyone who wants to cultivate a dynamic, adaptable mind. Swanson’s clear explanations, real-world examples, and step-by-step frameworks make this an essential resource for instructors, students, and anyone interested in the intersection of martial arts, science, and personal growth.

Learn the basics of rock climbing and how to lead with gear from an experienced rock-climbing instructor.

It is one of the world’s most exhilarating sports, and this book can help get you going! Traditional Lead Climbing teaches you the rock-climbing basics, and it’s the first and only guidebook intended to teach you how to lead with gear! Written by Heidi Pesterfield, a rock-climbing instructor for more than 17 years, the book is filled with step-by-step directions that you can trust.

Unlike other types of climbing, such as sport and direct-aid climbing, “trad” climbing relies on placing your own gear as you climb from the ground. It’s also one of the more dangerous climbing activities, where expert guidance is a must. Heidi’s invaluable book provides essential details about everything from equipment to rope management to climbing techniques. This guide helps you learn how to safely tie in to the “sharp end” of the rope and lead both single and multipitch trad routes.

Dozens of close-up photos, along with fun yet informative drawings, show situations that climbers might encounter and how to deal with them. Plus, in addition to covering the basics, Traditional Lead Climbing offers sidebars that showcase the experience, wisdom, and advice of a number of world-class climbers. Regardless of your climbing background—bouldering, sport climbing, top-roping, or mountaineering—you will learn how to

• Transition from the gym to the great outdoors
• Place protection on lead
• Build multidirectional anchors
• Navigate routes and climb cracks
• Explore the multipitch adventure
• Employ basic self-rescue techniques

“If you want the knowledge and nerve to take the sharp end of the rope—buy this book. When your jams meltdown and you yell out ‘falling!’—Heidi’s beta will help you live to tell the tale.”
—Timmy O’Neill,
world-renowned climber and
host of the award-winning film
Return2Sender

Laugh and learn kayaking skills, from basic to advanced, through detailed text and more than 400 humorous illustrations!

If you want to learn how to paddle—and laugh out loud while doing so—William Nealy’s classic illustrated kayaking-skills manual remains dead-on hilarious. Kayak demonstrates important paddling techniques through humorous illustrations, along with detailed explanations from the renowned kayaker.

This book is perfect for beginners and more experienced paddlers, from hardcore hippy hairboaters who used to catch air in their block-long Dancers to insane youngsters clattering tiny plastic boats down steep creeks with more rocks than water. You’ll get to know everything from kayak and rapids anatomy to paddling techniques to river rescue methods.

Inside you’ll find

• Over 400 illustrations that break down even the most complex kayaking skills
• Carefully crafted information to reflect the latest in paddling technology
• How-to descriptions that make even difficult whitewater techniques understandable

William Nealy is back and more useful and entertaining than ever. You may break a rib laughing, but with him holding your hand, you’ll be less likely to break a bone while boofing an insane rapid or even an entire waterfall!

"Flex Appeal" is a deep dive into the most volatile period of the sport: the 1970s California skateboard explosion. Fueled by rapid innovation and the shift from flex decks to stiff vert machines, this golden era is captured through the story of Fibreflex, one of its defining brands.

Anchored by Stefan Ytterborn’s collection of boards from 1975 to 1979, and enriched by the photography of Jörgen Brennicke and the creative direction of David Gonzalez, the book reveals how a single brand and its boards helped reshape performance, identity, and youth culture.

First on the list of the Wall Street Journal's "10 Books that Every Golfer Needs," The Mystery of Golf, is a seminal text for golfers and non-golfers alike. Haultain's focus on expected outcome verses earned results not only showcases the physical and psychological difficulties of golf but also makes his method eminently applicable to anyone who desires to excel at any skill that requires dedicated practice.

Haultain centers his musings on the frailty of the human body when presented with the stress of physical and mental exertion. In a sport like golf, which Haultain describes as pitting, "yourself against the world,” body and mind become the athlete's premier competitor and are often at odds with one another. Haultain delves deep into this disconnect, leading the reader along the balancing act between assumed potential and real achievement that is central to every world-class golfer's psychology. He does not, however, get lost in the particulars, frequently explaining how his lessons from the golf course can be applied to daily life. In that way, Haultain's essays have become an evergreen source of inspiration and knowledge for golfers and anyone else who wishes to master their mindset and learn new skills.

Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book.

With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

• You should not envy the swords and clothing of others.
• It goes without saying that you should arrange your hair early in the morning if you are going out to your work, but this should be done even if you are thinking of staying at home.
• When you think too much, it is difficult to achieve your objectives. If you are too clever and look too far ahead, you will accomplish nothing.
• If you have some pressing or urgent affair, write it down with a calm state of mind.
• Your regular meals should be light, and you should not take a trivial liking for elegant cuisine.
• If someone promotes only those things the lord finds acceptable, and never remonstrates with him at all, you should watch that man carefully.
• No matter how wise a person may be, you should never depend fully on him but rather, understand that you are always on your own.

• Planning ahead—how a solid battle plan can help lead to victory
• Attacking the enemy—considerations when choosing to attack or, perhaps even more importantly, when to not attack
• Flexibility in combat—the importance of changing tactics as the fight evolves
• Exploiting weakness—how understanding your enemy's shortcomings is crucial to success

• The Book of the Sword by Yagyu Munenori
• The Inscrutable Subtlety of Immovable Wisdom by Takuan Soho
• The Peerless Sword by Takuan Soho

• The Nature and Conduct of Combat
• What is Combat?
• Preparing for Battle
• Elements of Tactics and Strategy
• Imposing Your Will
• Destroying the Enemy Force
• Strength of the Defensive Position
• Failure
• Moral Quality of Courage
• Securing Victory

• Earth—Remain grounded in your thinking and footing to repel attempts to distract or deceive you
• Water—Shift, angle and move fluidly to confuse attackers and put them off balance
• Fire—See where a situation is going as it develops and intercept it at the critical moment
• Wind—Stay light on your feet and move nimbly to evade attempts to pin you down
• Void—Control a fight's direction by changing dynamics to confuse your attacker

• Rectitude: "The power of deciding upon a certain course of conduct in accordance with reason, without wavering."
• Courage: "Doing what is right."
• Benevolence: "Love, magnanimity, affection for others, sympathy and pity."
• Civility: "Courtesy and urbanity of manners."
• Sincerity: "The end and the beginning of all things."
• Honor: "A vivid conscious of personal dignity and worth."
• Loyalty: "Homage and fealty to a superior."

• Strategy—basic physical and mental approaches to combat
• Basic Laws of the Mind and Body—How to harness and maximize the power of one's mind and body
• Strategy of a Virtuous Man—How, with honorable approaches, to approach and win confrontations
• How to Interpret Your Mind—Insights into our mind's workings
• Words and Deeds of a Virtuous Man—Approaches and actions of a man seeking higher ground
• Strategy of the Mind—Best application of our cognitive instincts
• The Law of Anger and the Law of Snapping—How anger manifests and how to work with it
• How to Interpret Wavelengths—Insight into understanding others
• Strategy of Mu—How to build upon a very Eastern approach; the concept of emptiness
• The Pinnacle of Spiritual Attainment—Translations and interpretations of ancient writings
• The Heart of Sutra—Translations and interpretations of ancient writings

• Earth—Remain grounded in your thinking and footing to repel attempts to distract or deceive you
• Water—Shift, angle and move fluidly to confuse attackers and put them off balance
• Fire—See where a situation is going as it develops and intercept it at the critical moment
• Wind—Stay light on your feet and move nimbly to evade attempts to pin you down
• Void—Control a fight's direction by changing dynamics to confuse your attacker