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The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games
by Perrottet, Tony
- Used
- Fine
- Paperback
- Condition
- Fine
- ISBN 10
- 081296991X
- ISBN 13
- 9780812969917
- Seller
-
STREETSVILLE, Ontario, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York : Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004 Book. Illus. by Leslis Thelander. Fine. Soft cover. The Olympic Games - the most dazzling event in the pagan world. Held without a break for over 1200 years, it remains one of the greatest institutions of the civilized world, yet little is known about its history, beyond the mythical. Piecing together ancient eyewitness accounts, this history is a fascinating mix of the familiar and the wildly exotic, exploring the often harsh conditions the spectators endured, the bizarre events that were held, and even Plato's changing room pick up' lines.' 256p; illus .
Synopsis
What was it like to attend the ancient Olympic Games?With the summer Olympics' return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the fascinating story of the original Olympic festival, tracking the event day by day to re-create the experience in all its compelling spectacle.Using firsthand reports and little-known sources--including an actual Handbook for a Sports Coach used by the Greeks--The Naked Olympics creates a vivid picture of an extravaganza performed before as many as forty thousand people, featuring contests as timeless as the javelin throw and as exotic as the chariot race.Peeling away the layers of myth, Perrottet lays bare the ancient sporting experience--including the round-the-clock bacchanal inside the tents of the Olympic Village, the all-male nude workouts under the statue of Eros, and history's first corruption scandals involving athletes. Featuring sometimes scandalous cameos by sports enthusiasts Plato, Socrates, and Herodotus, The Naked Olympics offers essential insight into today's Games and an unforgettable guide to the world's first and most influential athletic festival."Just in time for the modern Olympic games to return to Greece this summer for the first time in more than a century, Tony Perrottet offers up a diverting primer on the Olympics of the ancient kind....Well researched; his sources are as solid as sources come. It's also well writen....Perhaps no book of the season will show us so briefly and entertainingly just how complete is our inheritance from the Greeks, vulgarity and all."--The Washington PostFrom the Trade Paperback edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- KALAMOS BOOKS
(CA)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 041939
- Title
- The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games
- Author
- Perrottet, Tony
- Illustrator
- Leslis Thelander
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine
- ISBN 10
- 081296991X
- ISBN 13
- 9780812969917
- Publisher
- Random House Trade Paperbacks
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2004
Terms of Sale
KALAMOS BOOKS
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About the Seller
KALAMOS BOOKS
Biblio member since 2004
STREETSVILLE, Ontario
About KALAMOS BOOKS
Kalamos Books specializes in Books about Greece (Ancient,Byzantine and particularly Modern Greece) and also books about the Balkans & Ottoman Turkey. As well there is a wide selection of Fiction including stories set in Greece, or by Greek authors, as well as historical novels. We can special order books from Greece and handle library purchase orders for books in Greek. In addition we have interesting travel books about other countries, and have some Canadiana and popular fiction.Ask about antique maps and prints and vintage postcards of Greece.
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- Fine
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