Jim Shepherd’s Encyclopedia of Australian Sport proceeds from ‘ABC Sportsman of the Year’ and ‘Abonyi, Attila (1945 – )’ on page 1 to ’Young Jack (1925 – )’ and ‘Young, Robert “Nat” (1950 )’ on page 468. In between are some 850 entries alphabetically arranged, most of them on participants (brief biography, achievements, the ‘whole picture of their star quality’) but some devoted to administrators, barrackers, etc. and to the sports themselves. Lavishly-illustrated, it’s a steal at S 10.95; brightly written, it’s precisely the sort of good read for a present to Uncle/ Cousin/Brother/Father Norm. As he argues over the underarm dismissal and the result of the 1980 Escort Cup Grand Final, that Norm will enjoy the style as well as the fact that this version of the Australian sporting experience presents most of the legends intact (e.g. see the Les Darcy and Hugh McIntosh entries).
Encyclopedia of Australian Sport by Jim Shepherd
Rigby, $10.95, 469 pp
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