Roger Bannister was the first person to run the mile in under four minutes. Fifty years on, his status, not just as a champion athlete but also as a true British hero, a gentleman and an amateur from a 'golden era' in sport, retains its unblemished appeal.

Until now there has been little criticism and even less close historical study of Bannister and his achievement. This book redresses the balance, presenting a revisionist history of Sir Roger Bannister and in doing so providing fresh insights into the making of this British 'champion'.

This book does more than detail the...

This collection uses spatial concepts and examples to examine the nature and development of sporting practices. It shows how the study of built environments such as gymnasiums and football stadiums can provide unique information about the body's

The study of built environments such as gymnasiums, football stadiums, swimmimg pools and skating rinks can provide unique information about the historical enclosure of the gendered and sexualised body, the body's capabilities, needs and desires, and illuminate the tensions between the globalising tendencies of sport and the importance of local culture and a sense of place. This collection uses spatial concepts and examples to examine the nature and development of sporting practices. This is a pioneering work on the changing landscape of sporting life, and is likely to become a classic text...

Music and sport are both highly significant cultural forms, yet the substantial and longstanding connections between the two have largely been overlooked. Sporting Sounds addresses this oversight in an intriguing and innovative collection of essays.

With contributions from leading international psychologists, sociologists, historians, musicologists and specialists in sports and cultural studies, the book illuminates our understanding of the vital part music has played in the performance, reception and commodification of sport. It explores a fascinating range...

This well-illustrated book is the first to explore the stadium as the principal container of the modern urban crowd and a place where thousands of people gather to take part in what often appears to be modern 'religious' rituals. Is the stadium a prison, a garden or a theatre? Do new stadiums contribute economically to the places in which they are built? Drawing on examples from Europe, North America and China, this book ranges from historical studies of stadium growth to current reviews of stadium development, exposing the stadium as a major element of the modern urban scene.

First published in 1987, this title provides primary school teachers with ideas by which geographical skills and ideas can be introduced in the primary school. John Bale shows how teachers can build on children's 'private geographies' with practical learning strategies, examining approaches to the teaching of map skills, the ways in which the locality can be used and how information about distant places can best be relayed. An interesting, useful and relevant guide, this title will be of particular value for teachers and teachers in training, as well as those studying primary Education more...

The four-minute mile was roundly believed to be impossible until Roger Bannister shattered the illusion with half a second to spare in May 1954. The essays in this book look at the background to Bannister's achievement and the meaning that was ascribed to it by the media and the public at large.

First published in 1987, this title provides primary school teachers with ideas by which geographical skills and ideas can be introduced in the primary school. John Bale shows how teachers can build on children's 'private geographies' with practical learning strategies, examining approaches to the teaching of map skills, the ways in which the locality can be used and how information about distant places can best be relayed. An interesting, useful and relevant guide, this title will be of particular value for teachers and teachers in training, as well as those studying primary Education more...

Body Cultures explores the relationship between the body, sport and landscape. This book presents the first critically edited collection of Henning Eichberg's provocative essays into 'body culture'. Eichberg, a well-known scholar in continental Europe who draws upon the ideas of Elias, Focault, Habermas and others, is now attracting considerable interest from Anglo-American sociologists, historians and geographers. This collection has been extensively edited to highlight Eichberg's most important arguments and themes. Introductory essays from the editors and Susan Brownell provide...