The Sports Bookshelf

THE SPORTS BOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHTS THE SHORTLISTS PART FIVE -- BEST RUGBY BOOK The shortlists have been announced for the ninth British Sports Book Awards, organised by the National Sporting Club. The winners will be named at a ceremony at The Savoy Hotel on 9th May. The number of categories rises to 10 this year with the introduction of ‘best racing book’ and ‘best sports book retailer’ in addition to best biography and autobiography, best football, cricket and rugby books, best illustrated title, best new writer and best publicity campaign. After the awards are made, the winners in each category will be entered into a public vote to find the best overall sports book of the year -- a campaign that will be supported by booksellers throughout the country in the run up to Father's Day. The Sports Bookshelf spotlights the candidates for each prize, with links to selected reviews. Today’s spotlight is on the Best Rugby Book award, for which the candidates are: The Iron Duke , ...

THE SPORTS BOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHTS THE SHORTLISTS PART FOUR -- BEST CRICKET BOOK The shortlists have been announced for the ninth British Sports Book Awards, organised by the National Sporting Club. The winners will be named at a ceremony at The Savoy Hotel on 9th May. The number of categories rises to 10 this year with the introduction of ‘best racing book’ and ‘best sports book retailer’ in addition to best biography and autobiography, best football, cricket and rugby books, best illustrated title, best new writer and best publicity campaign. After the awards are made, the winners in each category will be entered into a public vote to find the best overall sports book of the year -- a campaign that will be supported by booksellers throughout the country in the run up to Father's Day. The Sports Bookshelf spotlights the candidates for each prize, with links to selected reviews. Today’s spotlight is on the Best Cricket Book award, for which the candidates are: Swinging Aw...

THE SPORTS BOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHTS THE SHORTLISTS PART THREE -- BEST FOOTBALL BOOK The shortlists have been announced for the ninth British Sports Book Awards, organised by the National Sporting Club. The winners will be named at a ceremony at The Savoy Hotel on 9th May. The number of categories rises to 10 this year with the introduction of ‘best racing book’ and ‘best sports book retailer’ in addition to best biography and autobiography, best football, cricket and rugby books, best illustrated title, best new writer and best publicity campaign. After the awards are made, the winners in each category will be entered into a public vote to find the best overall sports book of the year -- a campaign that will be supported by booksellers throughout the country in the run up to Father's Day. The Sports Bookshelf spotlights the candidates for each prize, with links to selected reviews. Today’s spotlight is on the Best Football Book award, for which the candidates are: Football ...

THE SPORTS BOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHTS THE SHORTLISTS PART TWO -- BEST BIOGRAPHY The shortlists have been announced for the ninth British Sports Book Awards, organised by the National Sporting Club. The winners will be named at a ceremony at The Savoy Hotel on 9th May. The number of categories rises to 10 this year with the introduction of ‘best racing book’ and ‘best sports book retailer’ in addition to best biography and autobiography, best football, cricket and rugby books, best illustrated title, best new writer and best publicity campaign. After the awards are made, the winners in each category will be entered into a public vote to find the best overall sports book of the year -- a campaign that will be supported by booksellers throughout the country in the run up to Father's Day. The Sports Bookshelf  puts each nominated title under the spotlight, with links to selected reviews. Today’s spotlight is on the Best Biography award, for which the candidates are: Frankincense ...

Paul Gascoigne has been reliving some of the happier moments of his chequered football career for a new illustrated biography due out later this year. Published by Simon & Schuster, who have bought world rights to the book directly from the former Tottenham and England player, Glorious: My World, Football and Me will be published on October 13. According to the publishers, Glorious “will document the career of the football legend and provide an unrivalled insight into the player who was both brilliant and controversial but never less than supremely watchable." The book features photographs from Gascoigne's spells at Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio and Rangers, as well as an England career that won him 57 caps but still did not do full justice to his talent as the most gifted English player of his time. Gascoigne said: "It’s been great working on this book. It has given me the opportunity to relive some amazing times, my favourite moments, plus a few dodgy ones, and I ...

THE SPORTS BOOKSHELF SPOTLIGHTS THE SHORTLISTS PART ONE -- BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY The shortlists have been announced for the ninth British Sports Book Awards, organised by the National Sporting Club. The winners will be named at a ceremony at The Savoy Hotel on 9th May. The number of categories rises to 10 this year with the introduction of ‘best racing book’ and ‘best sports book retailer’ in addition to best biography and autobiography, best football, cricket and rugby books, best illustrated title, best new writer and best publicity campaign. After the awards are made, the winners in each category will be entered into a public vote to find the best overall sports book of the year -- a campaign that will be supported by booksellers throughout the country in the run up to Father's Day. The Sports Bookshelf puts each nomination under the spotlight, with links to selected reviews. Today’s spotlight is on the Best Autobiography award, for which the candidates are: Blood, Sweat...

Harry Pearson’s first attempt to become a journalist foundered because his spelling was too poor but he never gave up his ambition and should be the example to whom frustrated budding writers refer when faced with a knockback. A quarter of a century or so later, Pearson has a popular column in The Guardian newspaper and books with his name on the cover now run into double figures, several titles having attracted much critical acclaim. This week added another line to an impressive record when the brilliantly titled Slipless in Settle , his ramble around the northern league cricket circuit, beat off strong competition to win the Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award 2011, which carries a prize of £3,000. The roll call of past winners includes EW Swanton, JM Kilburn, David Frith, David Foot and, more recently, Scyld Berry and Gideon Haigh, so Pearson is in exalted company, at least in terms of cricket writers. Pearson said that the inspiration for the book came from his ...