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	BOTTOM LINE This is the largest and most comprehensive collection of sports biographies published in a single reference set-organized so that libraries can select only what they want. A great buy for high school, college, and university libraries, with attention given to those parts of the set that are more appropriate to the individual library and its budget.
Starred Review Library Journal

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   Great Athletes

Many of the athletes who are new to this edition have compelling stories to tell:

Australian Layne Beachley, the preeminent female surfer in history, who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Pitcher Mordecai Brown, nicknamed "Three Finger Brown" because he lost several fingers in a boyhood farming accident, who led the Chicago Cubs to their last World Series victory in 1908.

Tedy Bruschi, the pro football star who suffered a stroke, yet returned after surgery to lead the champion New England Patriots in tackles.

Kirsty Coventry, the only person from tropical Africa ever to win an Olympic medal in swimming (and she's won several). Although she is white, she is a national hero in Zimbabwe, a country determined to expel all its white citizens

Nick Galis, an American basketball player who was released by the NBA's Celtics shortly after they drafted him 1979 because of a serious injury. He then went to Greece and won renown as one of the greatest players in European basketball history.

William DeHart Hubbard, the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal. After setting a world record in the long jump, he became race-relations advisor for the Federal Public Housing Authority and was president of the National Bowling Association, which promoted African American bowlers during the era of segregation.

Buck O'Neil, a black baseball player who played and managed in the old Negro Leagues, who later became a scout for the Chicago Cubs, helped integrate Major League Baseball, and became the first black coach in the major leagues.

Debi Thomas, the first African American athlete to win an Olympic medal in the Winter Games and later became an orthopedic surgeon.

Pat Tillman, a star professional football player who turned his back on a multimillion-dollar contract to fight for the United States in Afghanistan, where he died in the line of duty.

Katarina Webb, a basketball player who was born with mild brain damage. While hiding her condition so she could play, she was selected for Australia's under-seventeen basketball team. Later diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she became a paralympic champion, a motivational speaker, and an advocate of numerous causes.

Nera White, recognized as the first great woman basketball player, who played in an era during which the women's game earned little respect. She led teams to ten Amateur Athletic Union championships and guided the U.S. team to a world championship in 1957.

Wally Yonamine, who was both the first Japanese American to play in the National Football League and the first foreigner to play baseball in Japan after World War II.

Great Athletes
The largest and most comprehensive collection of sports biographies published in a single reference work - organized so libraries can select only the sports they want. Plus complimentary online access to the full content of this great reference set is available.

THE PRINTED REFERENCE

Available as Individual Volumes and Sets

Complete Set: 13 volumes, including 5,000 pages

1,470 Essays, 380 New

2,600 Sidebars and Statistical Tables

1,470 Photographs

Appendixes, indexes and resource listings

THE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION

Fully supported

Complimentary online access

Unlimited users at your library

Full access from home or dorm-room

Immediate access via online registration

A simple, intuitive interface

User profile areas for students and patrons

Sophisticated search functions

Complete content, including appendixes

Fully illustrated

Hank Aaron, Lance Armstrong, Billie Jean King, Walter Payton, Joe Montana…these figures and more have long been a source of fascination for us. Now, Salem Press has compiled one of the biggest, most comprehensive works on the subject. Twelve volumes (plus index), 1,470 biographical essays, and all the complete, easy-to-read content users have come to expect from Salem Press. Plus, all the articles are divided into seven subsets, each alphabetically arranged, so libraries have the choice of purchasing the entire set, or the volumes in which they are most interested. And, a one-volume cumulative index is free with any purchase.

Scope & Coverage
Virtually every athlete and every sport readers might reasonably expect to find can be found here. Although there is an emphasis on sports that are popular in North America, there is considerable coverage on sports and athletes from other parts of the world. Most North Americans have at least some familiarity with such sports as baseball, basketball, football, golf, ice hockey, and tennis. They are likely to have had less exposure to badminton, cycling, and soccer and even less exposure to sports such as cricket, fencing, and Tae Kwon Do. No matter what the sport, however, readers of Great Athletes will learn that outstanding athletes from all parts of the world and all cultures have in common histories of hard work, rigid discipline, goalsetting, and sacrifice-points that Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson discusses in his Introduction to this set.

Organization & Format
Averaging three to four pages in length, articles are written in clear language and presented in a uniform, easily readable format. Each article is divided into four sections that cover the athlete's life and achievements chronologically. "Early Life" covers the athlete's family background, early education, introduction to sports, and other formative experiences. "The Road to Excellence" discusses the athlete's first serious involvement in sports and the experiences and influences that propelled the athlete toward greatness. "The Emerging Champion" section follows the athlete from the threshold of stardom to higher levels, and "Continuing the Story" tracks the athlete's subsequent athletic career and later life. Finally, each article concludes with a "Summary" recapitulating the athlete's achievements and legacy. A photograph of the athlete accompanies each essay, and every article is accompanied by at least one table, shadowed for easy reference. With their content varying greatly among different sports, these tables summarize the career statistics, honors and awards, records, and other milestones that set each great athlete apart.

Special Features
Each subset has its own indexes and appendixes, and a separate volume, free with purchase of any Great Athletes title, will contain indexes and appendixes pertaining to all the other volumes. In addition to the standard indexes, several subsets on team sports will have indexes listing athletes by their college and professional teams and their positions.

The Free Database
The purchase of the complete Great Athletes (all 12 volumes plus the free index) entitles a school or library to complimentary access to all the content of this terrific, 12-volume set. The online content is provided via Salem History, our online historical database. (Other history titles are also available in Salem History to owners of individual reference sets. For more information on titles available, click Salem History.) Purchasers of subsets of specific sports area coverage (as described below) will enjoy the print reference but will not have access to their content online.

Individual Sets

Great Athletes:
FOOTBALL
Two volumes, 672 pages
217 biographies; 180 photographs

Print List Price: $170
ISBN: 978-1-58765-476-3
eBook Single User Price: $255
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-491-6

These two volumes cover 217 of the greatest players in college and pro football, including the inspirational stories of Pat Tillman and Tedy Bruschi.

Great Athletes:
BASEBALL
Two volumes, 768 pages
225 biographies; 195 photographs

Print List Price: $170
ISBN: 978-1-58765-479-4
eBook Single User Price: $255
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-492-3

The great players of America's pastime are profiled here, from past legends to the heroes of today. Also included are great Softball players.

Great Athletes:
OLYMPIC SPORTS
Four volumes, 1,448 pages
478 biographies; 382 photographs

Print List Price: $340
ISBN: 978-1-58765-487-9
eBook Single User Price: $510
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-497-8

The largest subset of the series, this four-volume set features 478 athletes who excel in sports associated with the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Great Athletes:
BASKETBALL
One volume, 520 pages
149 biographies; 195 photographs

Print List Price: $85
ISBN: 978-1-58765-488-6
Print List Price: $127.50
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-498-5

This title features the most influential people to ever play the game, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, and Candace Parker.

Great Athletes:
GOLF & TENNIS
One volume, 460 pages
146 biographies; 123 photographs

Print List Price: $85
ISBN: 978-1-58765-480-0
Print List Price: $127.50
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-493-0

Golf figures profiled include Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods. Tennis includes Jimmy Connors, Billie Jean King and the Williams sisters.

Great Athletes:
BOXING & SOCCER
One volume, 384 pages
116 biographies; 114 photographs

Print List Price: $85
ISBN: 978-1-58765-481-7
Print List Price: $127.50
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-494-7

Boxing figures include Laila and Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano and Mike Tyson. Soccer features David Beckham, Mia Hamm, and Pele.

Great Athletes:
RACING & INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
One volume, 424 pages
137 biographies; 106 photographs

Print List Price: $85
ISBN: 978-1-58765-482-4
Print List Price: $127.50
e-ISBN: 978-1-58765-495-4

This one volume includes BMX, auto, horse and boat racing, bowling, chess, cricket, lacrosse, martial arts, rodeo, sailing, sumo wrestling and yachting.

Great Athletes:
CUMULATIVE INDEXES
One volume, 380 pages
Free with Purchase
ISBN: 978-1-58765-489-3

This volume brings together in one place all the appendixes and indexes on individual sports and adds appendixes pertaining to all sports. It is free with any purchase of Great Athletes - either the entire set or individual sports.