All books are preloved unless otherwise specified
Sport
Captain in the Cauldron – The John Smit Story – Mike Greenaway Preloved Medium Size Paperback
R45,00Autobiography of the South African rugby captain John Smit. Paperback. 8vo. 291pp. Good condition.
Everest – Free to Decide Cathy O’Dowd – Preloved Large Paperback
R65,00May 1996 was one of the most eventful months in Everest’s history – for all the wrong reasons. Forteen expeditions were trying to climb the mountain from the southern side, among them the first South African team ever to attempt the summit. Sponsored initially by the “Johannesburg Sunday Times” and with the personal blessing of Nelson Mandela, the expedition was led by Ian Woodhall, and ex-British Army officer who had relatively limited high-altitude experience. The South Africans were dogged by early problems, which started when the three most experienced climbers in the team quit before even reaching base camp due to personality clashes with Woodhall, who also banished a reporter and photographer from the main sponsor, who then withdrew their support. At the South Col (26,000 feet) they sat out the huge storm of May 10-11 that led to the death of 11 climbers, but finally achieved their goal on Saturday 25 May when Ian Woodhill and Cathy O’Dowd reached the summit of Everest. Bruce Herrod, the deputy leader and a renowned photographer, reached the top later that day, unfortunately he did return – his body was found not far below the summit a year later.
Exercise Ball for Weight Loss – Lucy Knight Preloved LARGE Paperback
R50,00‘Exercise Ball for Weight Loss’ gives you the best possible workout- the ball is uniquely versatile and Lucy shows how you can lose weight with cardiovascular aerobics, develop yogic focus and control through balance, guard against back problems by working on core stability and strengthen and tone each individual muscle in the body. Together with the nutritious eating plan, these Exercise Ball workouts will make positive and lasting changes to your body while also promising you a whole lot of fun. Working out with the ball allows a much wider range of movement than floor-based programmes and can therefore isolate, strengthen and stretch every muscle in your body. Just sitting on the ball is beneficial- in order to balance you have to lengthen your limbs and your spine- and so the ball constantly works on your core stability and streamlines your body. When practised regularly, results can be gained quickly.
Go Golf – Gavin Newsham with DVD – Preloved Medium size Paperback
R50,00The fast track way to play great golf. Clear step-by-step instructions from the book are visually reinforced on the 30-minute DVD using 360-degree live-action footage and eye-catching freeze-frame graphics. The only book and DVD series of its kind to show you every aspect of playing golf from how to develop your swing to tackling basic shots. Go Golfwill have you out on the course teeing off in no time!
Kings Of The Ring: The History of Heavyweight Boxing – Preloved LARGE Paperback
R85,00This stylishly written, meticulously researched and richly illustrated book chronicles the history of heavyweight boxing through the lives of its champions, among them: the 18th-century Englishmen who battled bare fist, often in secret locations, backed by aristocratic patrons; the American John L Sullivan, last bare knuckle and first gloved champion – an eccentric drunk who would ‘lick any man in the house’ as long as their skin was white; Jack Dempsey, whose ferocious aggression attracted the first $1 million gate and Joe Louis, whose 11-year reign was viewed first as a triumph for black America and then as an American triumph; Rocky Marciano, who went through his entire career without defeat and, of course, Muhammad Ali, a man who rose above his own sport and all sport. And from there to the dark and brutal Mike Tyson – a figure hovering between triumph and tragedy – and the enigmatic Lennox Lewis, a champion who retired before it was too late. This is the story of the world heavyweight title-holders, men who have often risen from impoverished beginnings to achieve fame and fortune through the power and artistry of their fists. It is a story not just of fights and fighters, but of what made them into fighting men, of what became of them when their bodies could no longer answer the call, and of the times in which they lived in and the passions and prejudices that moulded their world.
On Swimming – Cecil Colwin Preloved LARGE Hard Cover
R50,00Finally, there is a book that goes deep about the topic of fluid dynamics and the “feel for the water”. So many other resources about swimming only talk about how a good form should look instead of how a good form should feel.
Playing the Enemy John Carlin – Preloved Paperback
R85,00A thrilling, inspiring account of one of the greatest charm offensives in history–Nelson Mandela’s decade-long campaign to unite his country, beginning in his jail cell and ending with a rugby tournament.
In 1985, Nelson Mandela, then in prison for twenty-three years, set about winning over the fiercest proponents of apartheid, from his jailers to the head of South Africa’s military. First he earned his freedom and then he won the presidency in the nation’s first free election in 1994. But he knew that South Africa was still dangerously divided by almost fifty years of apartheid. If he couldn’t unite his country in a visceral, emotional way–and fast–it would collapse into chaos. He would need all the charisma and strategic acumen he had honed during half a century of activism, and he’d need a cause all South Africans could share. Mandela picked one of the more farfetched causes imaginable–the national rugby team, the Springboks, who would host the sport’s World Cup in 1995.
Against the giants of the sport, the Springboks’ chances of victory were remote. But their chances of capturing the hearts of most South Africans seemed remoter still, as they had long been the embodiment of white supremacist rule. During apartheid, the all-white Springboks and their fans had belted out racist fight songs, and blacks would come to Springbok matches to cheer for whatever team was playing against them. Yet Mandela believed that the Springboks could embody–and engage–the new South Africa. And the Springboks themselves embraced the scheme. Soon South African TV would carry images of the team singing “Nkosi Sikelele Afrika,” the longtime anthem of black resistance to apartheid.
As their surprising string of victories lengthened, their home-field advantage grew exponentially. South Africans of every color and political stripe found themselves falling for the team. When the Springboks took to the field for the championship match against New Zealand’s heavily favored squad, Mandela sat in his presidential box wearing a Springbok jersey while sixty-two-thousand fans, mostly white, chanted “Nelson! Nelson!” Millions more gathered around their TV sets, whether in dusty black townships or leafy white suburbs, to urge their team toward victory. The Springboks won a nail-biter that day, defying the oddsmakers and capping Mandela’s miraculous ten-year-long effort to bring forty-three million South Africans together in an enduring bond.
John Carlin, a former South Africa bureau chief for the London Independent, offers a singular portrait of the greatest statesman of our time in action, blending the volatile cocktail of race, sport, and politics to intoxicating effect. He draws on extensive interviews with Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and dozens of other South Africans caught up in Mandela’s momentous campaign, and the Springboks’ unlikely triumph. As he makes stirringly clear, their championship transcended the mere thrill of victory to erase ancient hatreds and make a nation whole.
