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European Athletics Yearbook 2013. As last year, this is split into three parts: The first is the Athletics Review 2013 – a beautifully illustrated 156-page A4 review of the year packed with illustrations and features on competitions and developments. The second is the Statistics Yearbook 2013, A5 480pp with records, championship bests and 100-deep European lists with 50-deep lists for U23s and U20s, 30-deep indoor lists in 2013 and 50-deep all-time lists compiled as usual by Mirko Jalava. The third is a 92-page pocket sized Directory. Statistics Yearbook (with free Athletics Review) 25 euro in Europe, 30 euro elsewhere – see www.European-athletics.org

Israeli Athletics Annual 2013/14. 240 x 170mm, 54pp, illustrated. By David Eiger. Records, championship results, 2013 top 20s and all-time lists, with profiles of leading Israeli athletes. 7 euro or US $10 from David Eiger, 10 Ezra Hozsofer Str, Herzliya 46 371, Israel. Back numbers from 1986 are also available.

Hammer Throw Stats History and News Bulletin No. 14 by Zdenek Procházka. The latest in this series features men’s hammer champions and deep world lists for 2013 (1050 men to 64.79 and lists for juniors and youths) with 1028 performances over 67.90 and index of athletes. There is also a career profile of Pawel Fajdek. Zdenek plans two bulletins (usually of 54 to 250 pages) in 2014. Price 20 Euro or $30 (only e-mail version in PDF or Excel format) cash or by International Money from Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic. e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz.

3:59.4: The Quest for the Four Minute Mile" by Bob Phillips. This book has been fully revised and updated for the 60th anniversary of Roger Bannister's first sub-four minute mile. It has the history of the mile from the 18th Century to 1954, based on contemporary sources and first-hand accounts, plus a detailed summary of the development of the event since. More than 50 photo–graphs and in-depth statistics. Published as an ebook for £4.99, available via Amazon, iBooks, Nook and Kobo. enquiries to www.chequeredflagpublishing.co.uk

The Past is a Foreign Country, the history of Scottish athletics, is now available to purchase. £16 (inclusive of £4 p&p within the UK), £21.50 in Europe, and £27.55 to the USA. Payment can be made online into the SATS bank account (please email ajsblack@aol.com for details) or by cheque to SATS - send to Arnold Black, 19 Millbrae Crescent, Glasgow G42 9UW. The book covers the 130 years of Scottish athletics from their first national championships to the present-day. It concentrates in the stories of top athletes, with twelve extensive studies of the super-stars, starting with Allan Wells, Eric Liddell and Wyndham Halswelle, with some of these chapters grouping athletes at the nation’s most successful events, and ending with shorter proflles of 100 more men and women. Illustrated in black and white and eight pages of colour.

A History of Indoor Track and Field 1849-2013 by  H.  Grant  Birkinshaw. Published by EditVallardi, Via Borromeo 1 - 20871 Oreno di Vimercate (MB), Italy. Contact segreteriaroberto.vallardi@editvallardi.com or roberto.vallardi@editvallardi.com Until not so long ago international indoor athletics could not claim to have a remarkable historical coverage. As far as I know, the only book of some significance at the international level was Wally Donovan’s A History of Indoor Track & Field, published in 1976, and this too was mostly concerned with US activity. Grant Birkenshaw’s new book, sponsored by the IAAF, thus marks a new milestone in the history of such a subject. The  author, a New Zealander, has spent part of his life in USA, generally acknowledged as the mother country of indoor athletics. (It was in recognition of such a fact that the IAAF chose to stage its first  World Indoor Championships in USA, namely at Indianapolis, Indiana in 1987).The  book consists of three distinct periods  - the early era (1849 – 1930), the classical era (1931 – 1985) and the modern era (1986 – 2013). All this for both men and women. For the most important meetings such as World, European and USA championships the author assures  a complete coverage. The same is offered  for  historically important festivals such as the Millrose Games, which recently celebrated their 106th edition. This meeting,  housed in New York, has always  preserved its name, although changing its residence several times. The book offers plenty of detailed information on leading indoor stars and statistics of various sorts. The author – who could  incidentally claim such marks as 7.90 in the long jump and 6.4 in the 60 yard dash while  in USA in 1971 – gives plenty of details on the most important athletes from all over the world. Many interesting asides, supplied  by the author himself and others, enrich this valuable book, which also has many excellnt pictures.                      R. L. Quercetani

Latvijas Vieglatletikas Gadagramata 2014. A5 208 pp. Comprehensive coverage of Latvian athletics for 2013, including records, results, athlete profiles and year and all-time lists with some colour photos, compiled by Andris Stagis. From the Latvian Athletic Association, Augsiela 1, Riga LV-1009, Latvia.

Latvijas Barjherskrejeji. A4 184pp. Andris Stagis has also written a most attractive book on the men’s 110m hurdles for Latvia (with a chapter on the world scene). the text is in Latvian, but there are a large number of black and white photographs and a very extensive statistical section of 83 pages with progressive records, deep all-time lists, yearly top ten lists, lists of champions etc. plus profiles of the top men, headed by Igors Kazanovs and Stanislavs Olijars.

Eesti Kergejõustiku Aastaraamat 2014. 280pp. This is an attractively produced annual with comprehensive Estonian ranking lists indoors and out for 2013, with results and records and many colour photographs. From the Estonian Athletic Federation, Maakri 23, Tallinn 10145, Estonia. ejkl@ejkl.ee

The Spanish statistical group, the AEEA have produced a CD containing all 93 issues of their bulletin, from 1987 to January 2014 – a fantastic volume of Spanish and world statistical and historical material at over 20,000 pages. An absolute must at just 25 euros including postage. Contact AEEA secretary: Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain. email: ranking@rfea.es

The Greatest Athletes of the Modern Era, Statistics from Early Years to the Present. The latest of the A4 booklets by Ari Törmä for the Finnish Athletics Archive Society, Suomen Yleisurheiluarkisto, covers the men’s high jump and pole vault in 168 pages. This is the eighth in the series of booklets that contain very detailed statistics from all-time lists as at 31.12.1880 to 75 deep all-time lists at four-yearly intervals from 21.12.1896 to date with yearly top tens. For details of membership of the Society contact mikko.nieminen@dlc.fi.Book information from athletics@aritorma.net

Friidrott 2013. 170 x 240 mm 508pp, 371 pictures, hardback. Edited by Jonas Hedman, text in Swedish. A high quality production which covers world and Scandinavian athletics, including detailed championships and major events results with narrative, world outdoor top 50 year and all-time-lists, top 25 Scandinavian and Swedish year and all-time lists plus indoor top tens and record lists for World, Europe, Scandinavia and Sweden. 495 kronor from TextoGraf Förlag, Jonas Hedman, Springarvägen 14, 142 61 Trångsund, Sweden. See www.textograf.com. info in English

Sverige Bästa 2012. A5 288 pages. Edited by Jonas Hedman. Detailed Swedish lists for seniors (100 deep), juniors and youth (20 deep). $20 (plus postage and shipping) from the Swedish Athletic Association: Svenska Friidrottsförbundet, Box 11, 171 18 Solna, Sweden. Email: info@friidrott.se

The Statistics Handbook for the IAAF World Youth Championships, Donetsk 2013, 139 pages by Ottavio Castellini and Félix Capilla, can be downloaded from www.iaaf.org.

The DGLD-Bulletin No. 66 1 Jun 2013 has 284 pages including: Olympic marathons 1896 and 1904, Saxony lists 1926-30, German men’s sprint lists at end 1945, Part 3 of extensive GDR Juniors index 1949-90, and Top 50 German lists for women’s HJ each age 13-19; as well as the usual features such as ‘In Memoriam;’ and statistical profiles of athletes born 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 years ago etc. Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste is euro 55 per year. Hans Waynberg, Liebig­strasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany; hans.waynberg@t-online.de. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

LATEST TRACK STATS

The latest edition (July) of Track Stats, the NUTS' quarterly journal, features two of Britain's greatest women athletes: Maureen Gardner, who came within inches of becoming the UK's first female Olympic gold medallist, and Mary Rand, who 16 years later achieved that distinction.

Editor Bob Phillips  explains how Maureen, then a 16 year-old ballet student, contracted bronchial pneumonia and pleurisy and to help restore her strength and fitness her father took her to the Iffley Road track where members of the recently-formed Oxford Ladies AC were training. "That evening I decided to join the club," Maureen was to write, "and a few months later, to my complete astonishment, found myself club and county champion over 100 yards." The next year (1946) she won the WAAA 100m, still only 17, and placed 5th in the European Champs. Coached by Geoff Dyson, who would later become her husband, Maureen emerged as an 80m hurdler in 1947, breaking the British record which had stood since 1936, and at the London Olympics the following year Fanny Blankers-Koen had to pull out all the stops to beat her as both were timed in 11.2. Tragically, Maureen died of cancer in 1974, aged only 45. As Phillips concludes his well researched article: "Graceful ballet dancer and skilled teacher, accomplished pianist and singer, wife and mother, record-breaking Olympic athlete. How unutterably sad that a full life of such artistry and athleticism should have been so savagely cut short."

Happily, Mary Rand (Mrs Reese these days) is still with us, a long-time California resident and now aged 73. Over 16 and a half pages, Stuart Mazdon (who runs the excellent NUTS website, www.nuts.org.uk) has dug deep to present every performance of this stunning athlete, whose world record breaking 6.76 long jump to win the 1964 Olympic title into a 1.6m sec wind and off a runway far removed from the synthetic tracks of today would still have sufficed for a medal at the last World Champs. Mary's first measured performance was 4.85 when winning the South Western Schools junior girls title in June 1954 aged 14. She first officially bettered 5m in 1955 and the 6m level was attained in 1959. Long jumping aside, she developed into a fantastic all-round athlete (her first full international, in 1957, was as a high jumper) and her personal bests included 10.6 for 100 yards (equalling the European record), 11.7 100m, 24.2 220y (+ 23.9 & 23.6w for 200m at altitude), 56.5 440y, 10.8 80m hurdles, 13.4 100m hurdles (2'6"), 1.72 high jump, 12.22 triple jump in training, 12.25 shot (13.00 in training), 5035 pentathlon ... and even 10:37.0 for the mile walk! Mary's career was brought to an end by injury in July 1968.

For Track Stats subscription details, contact Liz Sissons (lizsissons9@gmail.com).

WHY USAIN BOLT TOOK UP THE 100 METRES

The big mystery of Usain Bolt's fabulous career is why he, already a great 200m runner with a best of 19.75 at the time, never raced at 100m until he was a month away from his 21st birthday. That anomaly is explained in his recently published autobiography (written with British author Matt Allen), "Faster Than Lightning".

It was midway through 2007 when coach Glen Mills suggested Bolt should try running another distance to help improve his 200m. The obvious event, said Mills, would be the 400m, at which Bolt had clocked an outstanding 45.35 as a 16 year-old. But Bolt immediately rejected that idea. "To me, that race was just plain bad news," he wrote. "The 400m meant pain, lots and lots of pain." Bolt thought fast. "Nah, Coach. Let's do the 100m instead." Mills considered that was crazy but, as Bolt explained, "my only aim was to avoid running the 400. That was it, period. And I didn't imagine for one second that I would be a killer at it."

Mills was dead against the move but Bolt persisted. "One chance, that's all I want. Enter me into a meet. If I run a bad 100, I'll run the 400m next season. But if I run good, say 10.30 or better, than I'll do the 100m." Mills reluctantly agreed and entered him for a low-key race in Réthimno, Crete on 18 July 2007. Bolt won in 10.03 and the rest, as they say, is history. Less than a year later he was world record holder at the distance.

The 291-page hardback, containing a record of all his races from a 22.04 200m in April 2001 to June 2013,is published by HarperSport (www.harpercollins.co.uk); price £20 in the UK but available for less through Amazon.

* October 14 was the 45th anniversary of the first sub-10 sec 100m on automatic timing – by Jim Hines when winning the 1968 Olympic title at high altitude Mexico City in 9.95. How many men are now in the sub-10 club? A remarkable compilation by Italian statistician Pino Mappa that appears in Bulletin no 92 (Sep 2013) of the the Spanish statistical group, the AEEA (Asociación Espanola de Estadísticos de Atletismo) lists 604 legal marks of 9.99 or quicker as at the end of 2012 by 83 sprinters. Taking into account the 2013 season the figures are now 89 men with 666 performances. The most prolific are Asafa Powell (81), Maurice Greene (51) and Usain Bolt (40). Powell's 100th best mark is 10.05!

African Athletics 1976 by Yves Pinaud A5 26pp. This is the ninth in the series of booklets reconstructing annual lists of performers from the earliest years of African athletics by Yves Pinaud. Price 10 euro, or US $15, including postage (banknotes possible) from Polymédias, 20 rue Regnaudin, 03000 Moulins, France.

Mo Farah's autobiography, "Twin Ambitions", recently published by Hodder & Stoughton (www.hodder.co.uk) priced £20 is an absorbing 370-page read, documenting his ups and downs en route to his gold medal triumphs at the Olympics and World Champs. Those who love statistics will revel in Peter Matthews' 17 page analysis of Mo's career, which includes details of all his documented races from April 1995 (aged 12) to September 2013. His 1500m progression is of particular interest in view of his stunning European record this year: 1996 - 4:43.9; 1997 - 4:22.8, 4:06.41; 1998 - 4:02.7, 3:58.20, 3:57.67; 1999 - 3:55.78; 2000 - 3:52.8, 3:49.60; 2001 - 3:46.41, 3:46.1; 2003 - 3:43.17; 2005 - 3:42.73, 3:38.62; 2006 - 3:38.02; 2009 - 3:33.98; 2013 - 3:28.81.

Scottish Athletics Archive

Arnold Black writes that there has been a major new update to the SATS website. Part 2 of their Archive project has been completed, bringing the Archive data up to 2012 and providing over 50 years of information.

The Scottish Athletics Archive is a project by the Scottish Association of Track Statisticians (SATS) to document the history of Scottish Athletics. As time progresses and older performances disappear from the all-time lists, past names get consigned to history. The achievements of athletes from the past, top athletes of their time, gradually disappears from sight. This archive is an attempt to document the careers of these athletes, internationalists, club athletes, and even top schools athletes.

The Archive documents the record of every athlete who has featured in the Scottish senior ranking lists in the 54 years from 1959 to 2012, with the 2013 year being added in January 2014. Also included are top 10 rankings for each year for each event, Scottish Championship medallists, District Championship, Scottish Junior Championship, and Schools Championship winners. See: http://www.scotstats.com/sats/index.php?page=archive-2013

Balkan All Times Athletics 2nd Edition November 2013 by Karolos Sargolos contains 50 performers and 20 performances for all standard events. A4. Contact Karolos at ksargologos@yahoo.gr. Price 12 euros plus postage.

Annuaire FLA 2013. A4 256p. The Luxembourg Annual, edited by Georges Klepper, is again a magnificent and extraordinarily comprehensive volume, with reviews, results, 2012 and all-time lists, plus many colour photo-graphs. 15 euros locally, by post €18 in Luxembourg, €27 elsewhere to account no. LU32 1111 0200 0321 0000. See www.fla.lu.

The Greatest Athletes of the Modern Era, Statistics from Early Years to the Present – Men’s Long Jump and Triple Jump. A4 164p. This is the ninth in the series by Ari Törmä with very detailed statistics from all-time lists as at 31.12.1868 to 75 deep all-time lists at four-yearly intervals to 31.12.2012 plus yearly progressions for top three men on Törmä’s scoring system and profiles of Carl Lewis and Vilho Tuulos. Published by the Finnish Athletics Archive Society, Suomen Yleisurheiluarkisto, membership of which is euros 65 with 3-5 booklets plus newsletters each year, The price of one book for non-members is 25 euros including postage. Payments to Suomen Yleisurheiluarkisto. IBAN: FI82 1572 3000 406017. SWIFT: NDEAFIHH or by cash or PayPal. Payment information from mikko.nieminen@dlc.fi. Book information from athletics@aritorma.net

Ireland’s long serving ATFS member Fionnbar Callanan wishes to dispose of his substantial collection of Athletics Statistics Books, Annuals, Major Championship Hand-books and programmes (many professionally bound). Send for list to Fionnbar at fcallanan@eircom.net

ANNUAL REVIEW LATER THIS MONTH

For the 15th year, thanks to an arrangement with Athletics Weekly, all “AI” subscribers will be receiving FREE the printed Annual Review to be published by “AW” in association with “AI” later this month. The Review will include our top ten World Merit Rankings (and Peter’s UK Merit Rankings) for 2013. Those rankings can also be e-mailed as a file to subscribers who request it; contact Peter.

Readers who have not yet subscribed for 2014 are urged to do so before January 5 to avoid any delay in receiving the first issue of the year; contact Mel.

African Athletics 1956 by Yves Pinaud A5 20pp. This is the sixth in the series of booklets reconstructing annual lists of performers from the earliest years of African athletics by Yves Pinaud. Price 10 euro, or US $15, inc. postage (banknotes if possible) from Polymédias, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-Pont, France.

The Spanish athletics magazine "Atletismo Español" is now free and digital. In the latest issue there are statistics: "25 fastest ever for a marathon debut" and "Progression of the best marathon debut", and "European youth bests", by Miguel Villaseñor, who writes the international section. There is also an interview with Valerie Adams, and articles about Puerto Rican runner Wesley Vázquez and the spring marathons. See it at:http://issuu.com/atlemoesp/docs/n667_mayo_junio2013_ae

TRACK & FIELD NEWS ISSUES FOR SALE

Mel Watman has several years of back issues of TFN for sale: 1953, 1955, 1957-1961, 1963, 1964, 1966-1975. Prices per year range from £16 to £38 or equivalent in US dollars or euros (+ postage costs except for UK). For further details contact him at:mel@gardencourt.fsnet.co.uk

Athletics New Zealand 2012 Almanac. A5 148pp. Edited by Steve Hollings and Simon Holroyd. The third annual from Athletics NZ includes national ranking lists for 2012 up to 50 deep for seniors plus lists for juniors and youths, all-time top 20s, records for the various age groups and results of championships and other major events. For details, see www.athletics.org.nz and go to “Shop”. Price including postage: $NZ50 international, $40 Australia & Pacific, $30 New Zealand.

Athletics in Yugoslavia 1941-1945 by Ozren Karamata. Hardback 476 pages. The book deals with the athletic life (mostly competitions, but other topics as well) in the five regions of divided Yugoslavia in the years of WWII. Text is in Serbian, but detailed results and lists take up much of the book. We know the area as a war zone but a surprising amount of athletics took place in 1941-4. 35 euros including postage, contact the author atozrenk@bio.bg.ac.rs

Southeast Asia Athletics Annual 2012/13. A5, 165 pages. This second annual for the region by Jad Adrian Washif contains results of major meetings, 2012 and all-time ranking lists, national records (outdoor & indoor) for all countries and statistical profiles for 56 men and 44 women. Price EUR 10 (SEA), EUR 15 (outside SEA) inc. shipping and handling fees. Payment in cash or cheque, bank transfers, credit card, debit card, paypal, and western union to: Jad Adrian Washif, L7 - 12th College UPM, 43400 Serdang Selangor, Malaysia. See: www.adriansprints.com. Email: jad_adrianwashif@yahoo.com

2013 USA Track & Field Media Guide & FAST Annual (general editors: Jared Slinde for USATF and Tom Casacky for FAST). A5 819pp. The first 274 pages is the USATF Media Guide with detailed profiles of top US athletes, published for the 19th year with the 35th FAST Annual, containing records, 50-deep US lists for 2012 and all-time, with 15-deep junior and college all-time lists. The massive final index section includes annual progressions and championships details for top American athletes. $25 post paid in the USA or $42 or 30 Euros airmail from Tom Casacky, PO Box 192252, San Francisco, CA 94119-2252, USA. Payment is easiest by PayPal (to tom@interis.com); also cash, postal money orders and Western Union transfers.

British Athletics 1951 (A4 121 pages) and British Athletics 1952 (A4 125 pages) by Michael Sheridan. Published by the author and obtainable from him at 27 Yew Tree Park, Congresbury, Somerset BS49 5ER, UK. Price £20 each or £38 if purchased together. Michael Sheridan has made a further invaluable contribution to British athletics history and statistics with these two volumes which basically take the form of the deepest year lists for that period ever published. For example, in 1951 the 100 yards best performer list – headed by McDonald Bailey at 9.6 (with 36 races inside evens) – runs 87 deep down to 10.2, including every known performance down to that mark. It's fascinating to recognise familiar names in an unfamiliar context. In 1951 Norris McWhirter, no mean collector of athletics statistics himself, ran 10.0 for 100y, 11.0 for 100m and 21.6w for the straight 220y; Roger Bannister (top at 1500m with 3:48.6 and mile with 4:07.8) clocked a 51.0 440y; 20 year-old Norman Read – destined five years later to win an Olympic gold medal at 50k – ranked 24th in the 7 miles road walk with 55:40; Don Finlay, at 42, was third ranked at 120y hurdles with 14.8; Joy Buckmaster (15), who as Joy Jordan would break the world 880y record in 1960, ranked equal fifth over 150y with 17.9; also 15, future world record holder Thelma Hopkins was seventh ranked high jumper at 1.536; Dorothy Tyler headed the long jump list with 5.73 with the late lamented Jean Desforges (Pickering) tenth with 5.36. Those ranked in 1952 included noted photographer Gerry Cranham (1:56.8 880y); 20 year-old Derek Ibbotson (29th in the mile with 4:19.7 five years before breaking the world record with 3:57.2); in the 7M road walk Don Thompson (19) was ranked 31st with 55:54 with Colin Young (17) two places behind with 56:01, while at the other end of the age scale 1936 Olympic champion Harold Whitlock (48) was third quickest at 50k with 4:45:12 when finishing 11th at the Helsinki Olympics; former IAAF treasurer Robert (listed here as Henry) Stinson appears in both the 120y (16.1) and 220y (26.0) hurdles lists; and Tom McNab (18) triple jumped 14.01 to win the Scottish junior title.

Athletics 2013: The International Track & Field Annual, edited by Peter Matthews, published by SportsBooks Ltd, £19.95 (post free within UK); order via www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk or e-mail randall@sportsbooks.ltd.uk for further details. As subscribers to AI you must, by definition, be obsessed by the sport's statistics and this annual needs no further recommendation from me, writes Mel Watman. Peter Matthews has been the editor since 1984, so this is his 30th production (in collaboration with ATFS members) and we enthusiasts owe him a debt of gratitude. The latest edition, the 19th to be published by SportsBooks Ltd, runs to 608 packed pages and includes all the features which make it such an invaluable work of reference – notably the deep 2012 world lists, world all-time lists, the biographies of 420 male and 389 female world class athletes, and an index to athletes ranked in the top 100 of their events. The numerous other features include results of major meetings in 2012, obituaries (the oldest being of Elaine Martyn, the New Zealand 100y champion in 1929, who died at 101), book reviews, record lists and articles by Bob Phillips, Roberto Quercetani and the editor.

L'Athlétisme Africain/African Athletics 2013. A5, 152 pages. By Yves Pinaud. Published for the Confederation of African Athletics by Éditions Polymédias with support from the IAAF. The 32nd edition in this splendid series has 100 deep men's and women's lists for Africa for 2012, with all-time lists, national championships and major meetings results. 20 euro, £18 or US $30 incuding postage from La Mémoire du Sport, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France. (Also available: booklist with very extensive list of athletics books and magazines for sale).

British Athletics 2013, edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews and Tony Miller; published by the NUTS, £18 + £2 postage for UK & Europe, £5 outside Europe; obtainable from Rob Whittingham, 7 Birch Green, Croft Manor, Glossop SK13 8PR, UK (cash or sterling cheques drawn on a UK bank). Running to over 420 pages, this annual (the 55th edition) is the NUTS' statistical review of UK athletics in 2012, incorporating deep year lists for the various age groups as well as British all-time lists and results from the past year. As NUTS chairman Peter Matthews writes in his foreword, "2012 was a marvellous year for British athletics with the superb staging of the Olympic Games", but he draws attention to the continuing decline in the domestic programme. "The number of major meetings held in Britain each year is now substantially below that of 20-30 years ago and all too many of our top athletes, or at least the track runners, compete very infrequently in Britain, preferring to trail to meetings of varying standard all over Europe."

Malaysian Athletics Annual Best Performances 2012 by Jad Adrian Washif (ATFS). This 82 page booklet contains 2012 Malaysian Rankings, All-Time Rankings, National Records, And results of major Malaysian meets in 2012. Contact the author at: info@adriansprints.com

Anuario Athlético Español 2011/2012. A5 242pp. Spanish rankings for 2012 (outdoors) plus indoors 2011/12 as well as lists of best marks each year from 1900 for all events and progressive records for various age groups. This is bulletin no. 91 of the Spanish statistical group, the AEEA, whose annual subscription is 55 euros per year (€61 outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain.email: ranking@rfea.es

IAAF 2012 Yearbook This lavishly illustrated review of last year. A4, 222 pages, has just been published by the IAAF. See their website at www.iaaf.org.

Israeli Athletics Annual 2012/13. 240 x 170mm, 54pp, illustrated. By David Eiger. Records, championship results, 2012 top 20s and all-time lists, with profiles of leading Israeli athletes. 7 euro or US $10 from David Eiger, 10 Ezra Hozsofer Str, Herzliya 46 371, Israel. Back numbers (from 1986) also available.

Latvijas Vieglatletikas Gadagramata 2013. A5 560 pp. Comprehensive coverage of Latvian athletics for 2012, including records, results, athlete profiles and year and all-time lists with some colour photos, compiled by Andris Stagis. From the Latvian Athletic Association, Augsiela 1, Riga LV-1009, Latvia.

Zdenek Procházka has published his Hammer Bulletin No. 13. This (74 pages) concentrates on deep ranking lists for 2012 (for all age groups). He plans to again publish four bulletins (usually of between 54 -200 pages) in 2013. Yearly price is 30 Euro or $40 (only e-mail version in PDF or Excel format) cash or by International Money Order from author: Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic.e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz

Combined Events Annual 2012 by Hans van Kuijen. A5, 208pp. The 20th edition of this attractively produced annual, published in the year of the centenary of the decathlon, includes top 200 men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon lists for 2012 and all scores over 7550 and 5500 respectively with deep all-time world lists (to 8000 and 6000) plus indoor year and all-time lists. Also results of major events, records, profiles and complete career details for the world’s top multi-eventers. In Europe: 30 euro or £30 sterling cash (no cheques). Outside Europe: US $50 cash or $70 cheques – from Hans van Kuijen, de Bergen 66, 5706 RZ Helmond, Netherlands. Email: j.kuijen4@upcmail.nl. Back numbers 2005-11: €15 each.

Annuaire FLA 2012. A4 204p. The Luxembourg Annual, edited by Georges Klepper, is again an extraordinarily comprehensive volume, with every possible detail for this nation– reviews, results, 2012 and all-time lists, plus many colour photographs. 15 euros locally, by post €18 in Luxembourg, €27 elsewhere to account no. LU32 1111 0200 0321 0000. See www.fla.lu.

Yleisurheilu 2012. A5 672pp. The Finnish Yearbook, published by Suomen Urheilulitto (Finnish Athletics) and compiled by Juhani and Mirko Jalava, contains every conceivable statistic for Finnish athletics (with results and deep year lists) in 2012 and also world indoor, outdoor and junior lists for the year as known at November. 19 euros plus 10 euros for postage and packaging. Orders by e-mail to juhani@tilastopaja.fi.

Weltrekorde und Weltrekordlerinnen – Hammerwurf, Speerwurf Frauen. A4 138pp. This is the 21st in the series of splendidly detailed surveys (text in German, but masses of statistics) of world records and world record holders by Manfred Holzhausen. This one on women’s hammer and javelin follows the usual format with results of all WR competitions with detailed career profiles (and many illustrations) of record breakers, tables of annual world bests and results of major championships contested by these record breakers. 15 euros in Europe from the author at Dresdener Str. 4, 41516 Grevenbroich, Germany. e-mail: manfred.holzhausen@gmx.de. Also contact him for the previous 12 men’s and 8 women’s books.

The DGLD – the German statistical group, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation has produced its latest annual booklet of national ranking lists (Deutsche Bestenliste 2011, 204 pages) for Germany. This is included in an annual subscription that provides its impressive bulletins (three per year). These are packed with historical articles and statistical compilations and each issue includes regular features such as statistical profiles of athletes born 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 years ago etc. Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste is euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany; hans.waynberg@t-online.de. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

The latest bulletin is No 64 November 2012 – 292 pages – including year lists for Saxony 1898-1918, all-time lists for East Prussia and Danzig at 1945, deep German women’s all-time relay lists to 1945, analysis of German qualifiers for European Champs 1934-62, German Services Championships 1922-38, Index of FRG athletes 1949-90, and complete career of Karin Balzer 1955-72.

No. 65 1 Mar 2013 had 274 pages. Contents included: 1. Complete career record of Luz Long 1929-42 with world, European and German year lists for Lj/TJ for his best years; 2. Statistical profiles of various athletes with anniversary birthdates; 3. Olympic marathons of 1920 and 1924 with history of the event in that era; 4. Year lists for Saxony 1919-25; 5. Women’s pentathlon all-time lists – world to end 1945 and German to end 1949; 6. Part 2 of extensive GDR Juniors index 1949-90; 7. German all-time list for women’s TJ; 8. Top 50 German lists for women’s LJ each age 13-19; 9. Udo Beyer profile including his 118 competitions over 20.85m.

The latest in the series of books published by the DGLD dealing with the history of 100 years of athletics in Germany, event-by-event – 100 Jahre Leichtathletik in Deutschland is 100 m-Lauf Männer by Harry Themel. History, full details of all German championships, annual ranking lists, German athletes in major championships and international matches and statistical profiles of leading men. Also all such information for indoor 50m, 60m etc.  464 pages. 25 euros from Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany; No cheques from outside Germany. hans.waynberg@t-online.de.Look out later this year for two autobiographies to be published by Hodder & Stoughton: the subjects are Jessica Ennis and Seb Coe.

Friidrott 2012. 170 x 240mm 464 pages, 255 pictures, hardback. Edited by Jonas Hedman, text in Swedish. A high quality production which covers world and Scandin–avian athletics, including detailed championships and major events results with narrative, world outdoor top 50 year and all-time-lists, top 25 Scandinavian and Swedish year and all-time lists plus indoor top tens and record lists for World, Europe, Scandinavia and Sweden. 395 kronor from TextoGraf Förlag, Jonas Hedman, Springarvägen 14, 142 61 Trångsund, Sweden.See www.textograf.com.

The Greatest Games Ever. Published by Athletics Weekly; £9.99 (post free, UK only), £13.74 rest of Europe, £15.49 rest of world; order via www.subscribeme.to/athletics-weekly or phone 01778-392018.The fifth volume in AW's series of beautifully illustrated "bookazines" is dedicated to the London Olympics. 164 large pages, incorporating hundreds of colour images by Mark Shearman, with features on Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis, Greg Rutherford, Christine Ohuruogu, Robbie Grabarz, Usain Bolt, Sally Pearson, David Rudisha, Ashton Eaton and Barbora Spotáková, plus event by event reviews and a section on the Paralympics.

LATEST TRACK STATS

The October issue of the NUTS quarterly magazine devotes 24 of its 68 pages to reflections on the London Olympics. Among other features is the first part of a list of progressive UK all-comers' records (100y-2000m), although John Walker with his 3:36.2 1500m in 1977 would be shocked to find himself labelled as GBR rather than NZL! Interesting to note that the most durable amateur record was Willie Applegarth's 21.2 220y at the 1914 AAA Champs, which survived for almost 36 years until 'Mac' Bailey ran 21.1. But surely it's misleading to list subsequent inferior 200m marks (21.8 in 1923, 21.3 in 1948) when 220 yards is longer than 200m, and that applies also to the 400m/440y and 800m/880y lists. Walter George's 4:12 34 mile as a pro in 1886 was not bettered by anyone on a British track until Jack Lovelock in 1932! Annual subscription to Track Stats (including membership of the NUTS) is £20 (UK), £25 (rest of Europe), £30 (rest of world). Cheques payable to NUTS. Contact Liz Sissons, 9 Fairoak Lane, Chessington KT9 2NS, UK  (lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk)Zdenek Procházka has produced his latest Hammer Bulletin. This is No. 12 and features hammer lists all-time to 1948 and then top 100s for each Olympiad, so 1949-52,1953-6 etc. to 2009-12. These lists feature the best for other nations (to 50 deep) and also show all-time bests for all athletes listed. Also shown are winners of major championships and deep lists with bests at the Olympic Games and analyses of Olympic competition and an index of all competitors.Zdenek adds that he plans in 2013 to again publish four bulletins (usually of between 54 -200 pages). Year price is 30 Euro or $40 (only e-mail version in PDF or Excel format) cash or by International Money Order from author: Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic. e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz

Proceedings of the meeting Bruno Bonomelli, maestro di atletica, held in Brescia on November 13^, 2010, edited by Ottavio Castellini and Alberto Zanetti Lorenzetti, printed in Brescia in 2012.Written in Italian this is an 80-page book, richly illustrated, containing five essays about Bruno Bonomelli, a century after his year of birth (1910). He was a middle distance runner, journalist, founder and leader of a track club, creator of a school of thought as a trainer and promoter, and historian. He was one of the eleven founders of the ATFS, in Brussels, on 26 August 1950. The range of his culture was really wide, and he fought many battles in various directions in the Italian track world. Contributors (Gabriele Rosa, Sergio Giuntini, Enrico Arcelli, Massimo De Paoli, Marco Martini) of the essays look at his many interests and teachings, underlying the importance of his innovations and ideas. Cost euro 15 in Italy (postage included) and euro 20 abroad (cash only), the book can be ordered from the A.S.A.I. (Archivio Storico dell’Atletica Italiana Bruno Bonomelli) (www.asaibrunobonomelli.it) c/o Ottavio Castellini, 14, quai Antoine 1, 98000 Principality of Monaco.

I Figli del Vento [Story of the 100m at the Olympic Games] – by Gustavo Pallicca. Completed in 2009, this is an update to Pallicca’s first volume on this subject, published in 2002. The original work was produced as a hardback and this appears as a 370 page paperback. The main focus of the book is a detailed history in Italian of each Olympic 100m between 1912 and 1932, with race descriptions, together with the history of the event between each Games and details of the main protagon-ists. A detailed index of every athlete from 1912-32 is included, and various statistics as at the end of 2008 are included – WR progression, national records, world all-time list. 35 Euros from the author. Elia Dalla Costa 1, 50126 Firenze, Italy.

The American Decathlon Century: 1912-2012 by Frank Zarnowski. A4 528 pages. The doyen of US Decathlon historians has produced a fine summation of US decathlons over the event’s first century. Rarely held in the period 1912-19, the lists increase from 9 deep in 1912 to 190 in 2011, with full details on the top 111 performers. Additional statistics include all marks by Americans over 8000 points, and top ten averages for every decathlete averaging more than 7000. Gems include the 1955 rankings which list in 15^th place a certain 19 year old Jim Brown at 5562. Brown later became the best ever running back in the NFL, and dabbled in athletics while also starring in college in two other sports. While the lists show the scores applicable at the time of the performance, they also show those with the 1985 tables. As a reference source it is a decathlon fan’s dream, and is a magnificent companion to Zarnowski’s 2002 book American decathletes, which detailed the career records of more than 200 athletes.40 Euros, from Frank Zarnowski, 1 South Street, Apt #209, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.  From Richard Hymans

The Official History of the Women’s AAA (1922-2012). 401 pages hardback, profusely illustrated. Mel Watman has followed his Official History of the AAA with this companion volume on women’s athletics in Britain. He tells the story of the formation of the WAAA in 1922 and the determination of its pioneers to establish the sport in a man’s world as they did so successfully, and later, with women an integral part of athletics, the excruciatingly long saga leading to the eventual merging of the AAA and WAAA in 1988. Throughout, covering a lot of ground with great skill, he details the successes of British women on the international stage and provides the highlights of each WAAA Championships meeting to 1987 and from then of the combined National Championships (AAA or AAA of England to 2006, UK from 2007). There are lists of all these national champions indoors and out plus WAAA/England age-group champions and England senior champions 2010-12 (although the separate UK Championships 1977-93 and 1997 are ignored). As in the AAA volume there are copious notes on the women’s later achievements etc. Published by SportsBooks Ltd. £19.99. www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk

The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC: Athens to London 1894-2012, by David Miller. Large format hardback; 719 pages. Published by Mainstream Publishing; £40. Publishers' website: www.mainstreampublishing.comThis is an updated edition of the book reviewed in AI-12 this year, bringing the Olympic story right up to date with an account and results of the London Games. This is an extraordinarily detailed history of the Olympics, half a million words of text and richly illustrated. A must for any serious sports enthusiast.

"Tomorrow You Die" by Andy Coogan. Published by Mainstream Publishing, 7 Albany St, Edinburgh EH1 3UG (www.mainstreampublishing.com). Hardback. Price: £18.99.

Perhaps only the most astute Scottish athletics historians will recall the name of Andy Coogan but he was a highly promising miler, born in Glasgow of Irish immigrants in 1917 and brought up in the deprived Gorbals area of the city. A member of Maryhill Harriers, his finest moment on the track came in August 1940 in a handicap mile against world record holder Sydney Wooderson before an enormous crowd (90,000, he states) at Ibrox Park and, off 80 yards, he was only overtaken by Wooderson (4:11.0 off scratch) in the final few yards. Coogan was in the Army and the following year he was posted to India, where he claims to have run a 4:14 mile in training in Poona. In Feb 1942 his luck ran out; he was in Singapore when the Japanese invaded and was taken prisoner. That he survived over three years of beatings, hard labour and starvation inflicted by his sadistic captors – together with the constant threat of execution – is a testament to his indomitable spirit. He arrived back in Scotland towards the end of 1945, resumed his running career and got married in 1947. The following year he started Tayside Amateur Athletic Club and began coaching. At age 75 he won a Commonwealth masters gold medal at 800m and this year, aged 95, he took part in the Olympic Torch Relay! He is, incidentally, the great uncle (related by marriage) of Sir Chris Hoy. It's an amazing story, not for the faint hearted. It's similar in many ways to the dreadful hardships endured at the hands of the Japanese during the Second World War by a rather more famous miler, the American Louis Zamperini (also going strong at 95 this year), who ran 5000m in the 1936 Olympics and in 1938 was the world's second fastest miler at 4:08.3. His experiences are recounted in "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, published in hardback last year by Fourth Estate (www.4thestate.co.uk), price £20.Widely available, in Britain at least, are two recently published hardback autobiographies of great interest to all fans.

"Running My Life" by Seb Coe (Hodder & Stoughton; www.hodder.co.uk; £20) reveals many interesting insights. One is that Coe felt that but for some bizarre pacemaking he might have run 1500m in as fast as 3:28 in Stockholm in July 1981, a time that would not be attained until 14 years later. Billed as an attempt on Steve Ovett's world record of 3:31.36, Coe asked the pacemaker, American 800m star James Robinson, to take him through 800m in 1:52. In fact Robinson sped through the first lap in a ridiculous 52.43 and reached 800m in an unheard of 1:49.18 (although Coe mentions 1:47) before stepping off the track, leaving Coe 40-50m ahead of everyone else. "I only just crossed the line before collapsing," he recalls. "But when I heard the time [3:31.95] I was apoplectic, because that night I was really smoking, and if I'd run the first 800m in 1:52 as intended, and gone through economy of effort, I'd have blasted the second half and have been the first person under 3:30 for the 1500m, and I'd probably even have taken a couple of seconds off that." The 480-page book ends with a list of all his track races, from March 1973 (4th AAA Indoor Youth 800m in 2:02.6) to Feb 1990 when he placed 6th in the Commonwealth Games 800m.

"Unbelievable" by Jessica Ennis with Rick Broadbent (Hodder & Stoughton; £20) includes various stats by Alan Lindop, among which is a full career record with individual event breakdowns of her combined events career, from finishing 2nd with 2652 pts in the English Schools (NE Region) under-15 pentathlon in Sheffield in June 1999 (12.2 60mH, 1.51 HJ, 6.55 SP, 4.40 LJ, 2:32.7 800m) to her Olympic triumph in London 13 years later.

"IAAF 1912-2012: 100 Years of Athletics Excellence" edited by Mel Watman (French text editor: Alain Billouin). Price: 60 US dollars, post and packing included. For payment options and ordering, contact: info@iaaf.orgAs part of its Centenary celebrations, the IAAF has produced a monumental book reviewing the international governing body's contribution to the sport and explores many different aspects of international athletics. Superbly designed, the volume runs to 430 large pages of English and French text and includes some 200 photographs from the Getty Images archive. IAAF President Lamine Diack writes in the introduction: "As you will read in the pages of this impressive book, athletics is complex and wonderfully varied, but it also embodies passion, hard work and self-improvement. Our sport is education and entertainment, respect for the rules and self-expression. Athletics is like life itself, with challenges and obstacles, triumphs and defeats."Following a concise history of the IAAF and athletics from 1912 to the present day by Roberto L. Quercetani, David Miller provides lively portraits of the five Presidents – a Swedish disciplinarian and innovator, an English aristocrat and Olympic champion, an energetic Dutch technical expert, an impetuous and controversial Italian, and a calm politician from Senegal. Other articles dealing with the functions and responsibilities of the IAAF include Dave Johnson on Rules, Sergey Bubka on Development, Victor López on Coaches' Education, Pierre Weiss on Marketing, Arne Ljungqvist on the Fight Against Doping and David Miller on the End of Amateurism.There are sections dealing with the development of athletics in the various Areas (Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, Oceania and NACAC representing North America, Central America and the Caribbean), while Mark Butler provides highlights of the IAAF's "jewel in the crown", the World Championships, Doug Gillon writes about the Indoor Championships and Phil Minshull covers the Junior and Youth Championships. Road racing, cross-country and race walking are all documented.The athletics fan keen on an historical perspective of great achievements in our sport will welcome such features as The World's Fastest Human by Richard Hymans, The Mile: An Everlasting Legend by Alain Billouin), Women's Athletics by Peter Radford, The Rise of African Distance Running by Pat Butcher, and A Dream of a Decathlon in which Mel Watman conjures up a contest between the world's greatest all-rounders. Bringing the century-old story right up to date are reflections on the London Olympics, together with the photos and achievements of the first 24 athletes to be inducted into the new IAAF Hall of Fame in November 2012. This wide ranging, instructive and fascinating publication is available at a bargain price (see above). [IAAF Press Release]

Bones: The Life & Times of Harrison Dillard" by Harrison Dillard with Michael McIntosh. Published by AuthorHouse, 1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403, USA (www.authorhouse.com). Order via:www.authorhouse.co.uk/Bookstore; £11.11 paperback; £18.95 hardback.

Legendary athletes were everywhere you looked and turned during the IAAF's centenary celebrations in Barcelona, but one was revered above all others, writes Mel Watman. He was Harrison Dillard, the proud but modest possessor of four Olympic gold medals and owner of one of the longest winning streaks in athletics history. The 89 year-old American also holds an unique distinction as the only man ever to win Olympic gold medals in the 100m and 110m hurdles.His is a story which was begging to be told and, happily, that need has been fulfilled with the publication of "Bones", an autobiography written in collaboration with his friend of more than 35 years, Michael McIntosh, who as a schoolboy in Jamaica was coached by the great Herb McKenley and later, after emigrating to Canada, was a member of that nation's record breaking junior 4x400m team in 1972. Why "Bones"? That was Dillard's nickname. He explains in the book: "They called me 'Bony Babe' while I was in grade school because I was so skinny growing up. I was 50 pounds [23kg] at 10 years old. The name then got shortened to Bony and eventually just Bones. That name has stuck with me all my life since then." Even when he won the Olympic 100m in 1948 he weighed only 148lb [67kg].Born in Cleveland, Ohio on 8 July 1923, Dillard was heavily influenced by Jesse Owens. Not only was he inspired as a 13 year-old after watching the 1936 Olympic hero's homecoming parade but in 1939 he enrolled at the same high school that Owens had attended (Cleveland's East Tech) and even ran against him at age 16 in an exhibition race at Salem, Ohio – at 120y hurdles over 2'6" barriers. "He beat me by three yards or so. He ran something like 13.7. He was almost jogging, I suppose."In 1941, instead of going to Owens' alma mater, Ohio State, Dillard chose the much smaller Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. He ran 9.8 for 100y and 14.8 for 120yH in 1943 but by far his best event was the 220y low hurdles where he topped the world list with 22.8 on a straight track. However, his burgeoning track career was put on hold when later that year he was called up to the Army and was assigned to the all-black 92nd Infantry Division known as the "Buffalo Soldiers". He saw action in Italy from October 1944 but kept in shape and shortly after the war ended he competed in the "GI Olympics" in Frankfurt. After watching him win the 110m (14.6) and 200m (23.6) hurdles events, General George S. Patton (who competed at modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games) remarked: "He's the best goddamned athlete I've ever seen."Back in the USA, early in 1946, he returned to Baldwin-Wallace College and began his reign as the world's foremost hurdler, equalling the world 220y straight record of 22.5 in 1946 and setting new figures of 22.3 when winning the NCAA title on a chilly night in Salt Lake City (1259m altitude) in 1947. That was the season he topped the world list in the high hurdles too (13.9 at altitude and 14.0 at sea level), was equal fastest in the world at 100m with 10.3 and began his fabulous 82-race win streak. In April 1948 at the Kansas Relays he set a world 120y hurdles record of 13.6 ... although it seems as though the time should have been even quicker. He writes: "A team-mate overheard the officials deciding what the official time would be. Why they chose 13.6 if three watches [out of five] timed me in 13.5 I'll never know. Perhaps they were paying more attention to my race than the race. After all, this was Kansas in 1948." Dillard was no stranger to racial prejudice in that era.The winning sequence came to an end at the 1948 AAU Championships and the following week, at the Olympic Trials, he qualified for the 100m team in third place after an uncharacteristic slow start ... but failed to finish in the hurdles, the event in which he was the overwhelming Olympic favourite. What happened in London three weeks later is one of the great Olympic stories as Dillard, nominally the third string American in the 100m, won the title. He led from the first stride and just held on from fast closing Barney Ewell, who danced around thinking he had won. There was more drama in the 4x100m relay where Dillard was a member of the team which finished a clear first, only to be disqualified and later reinstated.Four years on, now 29, he won that Olympic 110m hurdles title and followed with another relay victory, thus matching the four Olympic golds of his hero and mentor Owens. At those Games in Helsinki, Dillard was bowled over by Herb McKenley's astonishing third leg for Jamaica in the 4x400m relay which enabled his team to beat the Americans in world record time. His split was 44.6 at a time when the 400m world record stood at 45.9 (think sub-42 in relation to Michael Johnson's current record!), and Dillard hails it as "the greatest relay race and individual performance I have ever seen." It was McKenley who, a few months later, introduced Dillard to Joy, captain of Jamaica's national softball team. They wed in 1956, just before Dillard retired from the track, and remained happily married for 53 years until Joy's death in 2009.His is an inspirational story, well told, and as his longtime friend, the celebrated comedian and track fan Bill Cosby, writes in his foreword: "This Harrison Dillard is an amazing man. He is admirable not only for his athletic accomplishments, but also for his character. He has faced crucial issues and challenging decisions throughout this life and never turned away. Learn from the records and examples set by Bones as he surmounted hurdles on the track and in life."

Heptathlon and Pentathlon – A Statistical Survey of British Women’s Combined Events by Stuart Mazdon with help from Alan Lindop. This, the 16th in the NUTS Historical Booklet Series, is a magnificent compilation; 144 pages packed with information on the women’s multi-events for Britain. A history of the events. which includes the formulae for the 1971 tables, is followed by UK progressive records (senior and junior). UK age bests, statistics over the years, merit rankings analysis (and the author’s all-time view of the top women), and then the detailed all-time performers and performance lists for the various combinations of events indoors and out (including for instance 306 women in the senior heptathlon and 139 in the U17 age-group, both over 4300 points). There follows details of British athletes in international championships and matches and domestic championships results. Then we have 54 pages of biographies of 51 women including their complete multi-event career records and finally the best performances at individual events made in these competitions. There is also an 8-page picture section. Statistics are complete to 31 March 2012 but Stuart promises to send a 2012 update, including of course new British heptathlon records for both seniors (Jessica Ennis) and juniors (Katarina Johnson-Thompson), with all orders.

Price: £10 in UK, euro 16 or £13 in Europe, $25 or £15 for the rest of the world from Stuart Mazdon, 77 Forest Approach, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 9BU, UK – or from www.nuts.org.uk/heptathlon.htm with payment by PayPal or credit/debit card.

Athletics Statistics Handbook for the Games of the XXX Olympiad, London 2012 is available for download (http://www.iaaf.org/mini/oly12/index.aspx) from the IAAF website. This 386-page book, edited for the IAAF by the redoubtable Mark Butler, is, as ever with these marvellous handbooks, a wonder of comprehensive detail.

Southeast Asia Athletics 2011/12. A5 123pp. By Jad Adrian Washif. Available either as spiral bound or perfect bound, this is an attractively produced pioneer publication, including records for all nations in the area, results and rankings for 2011 (15-25 deep), and athlete profiles, including all South East Asian Games gold medallists of 2011. For sale at RM30 in Malaysia, 10 euros in Southeast Asia and 15 euros for the rest of the world (prices include postage) in cash or cheque, bank transfers, credit card, debit card, paypal, and western union to: Jad Adrian Washif, L7 - 12th College UPM, 43400 Serdang Selangor, Malaysia.

Email:  jad_adrianwashif@yahoo.com. See also the author’s website which has much information on the area’s and Malaysian athletics: www.adriansprints.com.

Mulheres no Pódio. This 132-page large format book presents, in Portuguese, the history of Brazilian women’s athletics. It has a fairly light text but is beautifully illustrated. Published by the Brazilian federation CBAt and CIAXA. Enail contact: cbat@cbat.org.br.

25th Anniversary of the A.E.E.A.

The 25th anniversary of the founding of the Asociación Española de Estadisticos de Atletismo is celebrated in its Bulletin No. 90. In the first 88 pages there are details and illustrations of the history of the group with contents listings and index of all its bulletins and other publications 1987-2012. Then there is 107-page section by Miguel Villaseñor: “European Championships Miscellaneous” with all manner of statistics from the Championships, such as best marks by place, biggest and smallest margins, medal sweeps, doubles, bests and firsts for each country, multiple medallists, families etc. Finally there are lists of Spanish relay marks for 1960.

Membership of the AEEA with four bulletins per year is 55 euros per year (€61 outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain.

email: ranking@rfea.es

Anuario 2011/2012 – Pista Cubierta y Campo a Través. A5 446pp. Amazingly comprehensive details for the Spanish cross country and indoor seasons with lists and results, all-time lists, lists of previous champions and photographs. Plus full results from the 2012 World Indoor Championships. 14 euros plus postage (€3.75 in Spain, €12 elsewhere) from the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid. SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

A World History of the Throwing Events (1860-2011) by Roberto L Quercetani. Orders to the Italian publisher, editVallardi (e-mail: segreteria@editvallardi.com); £32 + postage (£15 Europe, £16 Americas, £21 Far East).Recently turned 90, Roberto Quercetani continues to add to the sport's literary treasures and his latest offering follows the same successful formula used for his earlier volumes on various track events and the jumps. It's the turn of the throws (men and women) and the well illustrated 276 pages of English text trace the history of the shot, discus, hammer and javelin from the earliest times to the present day. He deals in his usual highly readable fashion with each of those events within certain periods (1860-1900, 1901-20, 1921-40, 1941-60, 1961-80, 1981-2000, 2001-11 for men; 1898-1940, 1941-70, 1971-2000 and 2001-11 for women). There are top ten results from each Olympic Games and World Champion-ships and numerous pages of world year and all-time lists, together with RLQ's celebrated sidebars.Take the story of Aleksandr Chistyakov, who set the inaugural Russian hammer record of 25.91 in 1912. By 1916 he had improved to 38.74 but after the October Revolution the new governing body decided to cancel all records set before 1918. Chistyakov had to start all over again; by 1925 his revised national record stood at 37.26, lost it for a while and then recaptured it with 39.08 in 1928, aged 47. He was still throwing over 34m at 57, in the meantime having achieved fame as a movie actor, starring in some 30 Russian films. In another aside the author notes that Al Oerter was never a winner at the US Trials. His sequence was 2nd (54.44) in 1956, 2nd (57.38) in 1960, 2nd (58.95) in 1964 and 3rd (62.39) in 1968 ... and yet he went on to triumph at the Olympics each time with superior performances: 56.36, 59.18, 61.00 and 64.78.

Bill Jones' excellent book about John Tarrant, "The Ghost Runner", has won the author the "best new writer" award at the British Sports Book 2012 Awards. The public can visit www.britishsportsbookawards.co.uk to choose THE best sports book of the year and satisfied readers can vote for "The Ghost Runner".

Books available

Donald Knox, who lives in the Scottish borders, is willing to pass on books from his collection free to a track nut who is willing to collect them. He says that he has ATFS Annuals from 1974-2010 (covering seasons 1973-2009) and UK Athletics annuals from 1975-2010 as well as a lot of publications from the 1980s (Svetove Tabulky, US Athletics Annuals, Track Stats etc.). Contact him on 01450 880256 or at daksak@btinternet.com.

The Greatest Show on Earth: Olympic Games Athletics Preview. This, the fourth in the series of Athletics Weekly's splendidly illustrated publications, features biographies of Usain Bolt, Sally Pearson (who would not, as stated, be the first Australian to win an Olympic sprint hurdles title – Shirley Strickland and Maureen Caird were victorious in the days of 80m hurdles), Kirani James, Anna Chicherova, Olga Kaniskina, Vivian Cheruiyot, Amantie Montsho, Valerie Adams, David Rudisha and Andreas Thorkildsen as well as several British medal hopes including Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Dai Greene, Christine Ohuruogu and Phillips Idowu. There are previews of key clashes to be expected in London, what to watch out for on each day of the Games (with timetable), profiles of all of Britain's post-war Olympic champions and a table of all Olympic medallists from 1896.Orders to www.subscribeme.to/athletics-weekly or phone 01778-392018. Price for UK £14.99; rest of Europe £18.74, rest of world £20.49.

The Olympics 100 Years Ago. Note correct address given in AI 14 for orders to:  Don Turner, 40 Rosedale Road, Stoneleigh, Epsom, Surrey KT17 2JH, UK

Speed People. Matti Hannus recommends Heimo Elonen´s statistical life work – a magnificent series of hundreds of sprint careers, including everybody ever inclued in TFN Top 10 yearly rankings from 1947 on.

Available from the author: heimo.elonen@salo.salonseutu.fi

Short Sprints 1948-2011 - 35 euro

Quartermile 1948-2011 - 22 euro

High Hurdles 1948-2011 - 22 euro

Intermediate Hurdles 1948-2011 - 22 euro

LATEST TRACK STATS

The latest issue (April) of Track Stats, the NUTS quarterly, includes profiles of British sprint stars of the 1920s, Jack London and Harry Edward, and walkers George Larner and Tebbs Lloyd Johnson. There is an intriguing article on the first (unofficial) Pan-American Games held in Dallas in 1937, at which the great Johnny Woodruff was timed at 1:47.8 for 800m, which would have smashed the world record, only to have his time denied as he ran 1.52m short of the correct distance. At worst he would have clocked 1:48.1 for the full 800m, while the world record at the time was 1:49.6 (for 880y) by Elroy Robinson, who finished one second behind Woodruff in Dallas. Other features include a list of all of Harold Abrahams' competitions between 1909 and 1920, his first timed 100y being 14.0 in his school sports aged 11. Subscription details from Liz Sissons: lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk

Asian Athletics 201 Rankings. A5 92 pages. Heinrich Hubbeling continues his magnificent annual job of compiling Asian statistics. The booklet contains top 30s for 2011 for athletes from Asian nations, with continuation lists for countries other than China and Japan, indicating new national records, and full lists of Asian records. Euro 15/US $22 in cash or by International Money Order from the author, Haydnstrasse 8, 48691 Vreden, Germany. email hhubbeling@t-online.de. Copies also available for 1998, 2004-09 at €10/US $15 each. For payments by cheque from outside of Germany €5 must be added due to high bank charges.

L'Athlétisme Africain/African Athletics 2012. A5, 152 pages. By Yves Pinaud. Published by Éditions Polymédias with support from the IAAF, The 31st edition in this splendid series has 100 deep men's and women's lists for Africa for 2011, with all-time lists, national champion–ships and major meetings results. 20 euro, £18 or US $30 including postage from La Mémoire du Sport, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France. (Also available: booklist with very extensive list of athletics books and magazines for sale).

The Olympics 100 Years Ago. A4 86 pages. This is a Track Stats Special, subtitled ‘How Great Britain’s athletes performed at Stockholm in 1912, by editor Bob Phillips with David Thurlow. This fine publication reviews the British season with results from major meetings leading up to the Olympic Games, with details (including dates and places of birth and death, clubs and 2012 results) for the British team, then a list of all competitors in Stockholm and full results with reports on each Olympic athletics event. Additional articles incude David Thurlow’s relation of the experiences of 1500m gold medallist Arnold Strode-Jackson. Highly recommended. This publication is being sent to all Track Stats subscribers, who are asked to pay for this extra issue. £8 in UK £10 overseas from Don Turner, 40 Roisedale Road, Stoneligh, Epsom, Surrey KT17 JH, UK. Sterling cheques payable to NUTS

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Weltrekorde und Weltrekordlerinnen – Kugelstoßen, Diskuswurf Frauen. A4 178pp. Manfred Holzhausen continues his series of splendidly detailed surveys (text in German, but masses of statistics) of world records and world record holders with this on women’s shot and discus. As with previous books (12 men’s and 7 women’s) there are results of all WR competitions with detailed career profiles (and illustrations) of record breakers, tables of annual world bests and results of major championships. 17 euros in Europe from: Manfred Holzhausen, Dresdener Str. 4, 41516 Grevenbroich, Germany. e-mail: manfred.holzhausen@gmx.de

Historical Dictionary of Track and Field by Pter Matthews. Hardback 320 pages. Published by Scarecrow Press Inc. in the USA. Priced at $85. After a selective chronology, covering several millennia but the past century and a half most densely, the introduction provides an overall view of the history and development of track and field. Then The Dictionary provides the detail, with entries on each track and field discipline, hundreds of top performers, and nations and organizations plus a variety of miscellaneous topics. Winners of all World and Olympic titles are listed in the Appendixes and there is an extensive bibliography initiated by Richard Hymans. See https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810867819

Athlérama 2011. A5 688pp. The French Annual, edited by Patricia Doilin with a strong team of compilers, is again a superb reference book. Packed with information on French athletics – records, deep year lists for 2011, indexes, athlete profiles, results and all-time lists for all age groups. Extras include French top ten lists for 1911 and 1961. 28 euros from the FFA, 33 avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 7540 Paris Cedex 13, France. email Patricia.Doilin@athle.org

Athletics New Zealand 2011 Almanac. A5 158pp. Edited by Steve Hollings and Simon Holroyd. The second annual from Athletics NZ includes national ranking lists for 2011 up to 50 deep for seniors plus lists for juniors and youths, all-time top 20s, records for the various age groups and results of championships and other major events. For details, see www.athletics.org.nz and go to “Shop”.

2012 USA Track & Field Media Guide & FAST Annual (general editors: Jared Slinde and Tom Casacky). A5 782pp. The first 262 pages is the USATF Media Guide with detailed profiles of top US athletes plus Olympics details, published for the 18th year with the FAST Annual, of which this is the 34th edition, containing records, 50-deep US lists for 2011 and all-time, with 15-deep junior and college all-time lists. The massive final index section includes annual progressions and championships details for top American athletes. $25 post paid in the USA or $42 or 30 Euros airmail from Tom Casacky, PO Box 3122, Oak Brook, IL 60523, USA. Payment is easiest by PayPal (to tom@interis.com); also cash, postal money orders and Western Union transfers.

Aventuras en Las Pistas. By Luis Vinker. published by Ediciones Al Arco. 160p paperback. Written in Spanish, this book gives the story of the leading protagonists in Argentine athletics history from their first Olympic ‘hero’ triple jump silver medallist Luis Brunetto in 1924 to the present day. For details contact the author at <luisvin@sinectis.com.ar>.

Bulletin No. 62 of the DGLD, the German statistical group, is 208 pages and includes an extensive survey of how German athletes qualified for the Olympic Games 1896-1964 with results of trials meetings/events, all-time lists for Saxony as at 1918, German women’s record progressions and all-time lists 1900-45 for 50 to 1000m, and a 70-page compilation by athlete of all German 800m times sub 1:50.0. Plus a DGLD bulletin index 1990-2012. DGLD membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste, is euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany; hans.waynberg@t-online.de. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

Running With Fire by Mark Ryan. Published by The Robson Press (www.therobsonpress.com); £9.99. When this book was published last year I rated it as "the best athletics biography I have ever read" (see AI-15 of 2011). Now the paperback edition is out, and I stand by that judgement. The timing is good as the marvellous but somewhat distorted "Chariots of Fire" is being re-released this summer to coincide with the Olympics, and Mark Ryan tells the true story of Harold Abrahams, which is dramatic enough anyway. (MW)

ATHLETICS 2012 – now in stock

The International Athletics Annual edited by Peter Matthews is out. All the usual features, including reviews and results for 2011 and early 2012, deep year lists for 2011, all-time lists, records and statistical profiles of about 800 top athletes. Published by SportsBooks Ltd. 608 pages. Price £19.95 from SportsBooks Ltd, PO Box 422, Cheltenham GL50 2YN. Postage free in the UK, add £3 for Europe and £5 for rest of the world. At www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk – click on ‘upcoming titles’ to order and see details.

Israeli Athletics Annual 2011/12. 240 x 170mm, 54pp, illustrated. By David Eiger. Records, championship results, 2011 top 20s and all-time lists, with profiles of leading Israeli athletes. 7 euro or US $10 from David Eiger, 10 Ezra Hozsofer Str, Herzliya 46 371, Israel. Back numbers also available at a reduced price.

The World Women's Athletics 100 Best Performers Year Lists 1921-1962 by John Brant & Janusz Wasko. The third edition of this outstanding statistical/historical work has been published, incorporating over 4000 changes since last time – notably from Germany and Sweden thanks to Walter Kunze, Wilhelm Boehning and Bo Nilsson – and including some top ten results which somehow had remained hidden for decades. There are still gaps to fill and the compilers would particularly welcome data from the USSR (pre-1936, 1938-45 and 1958-62) and China (1952-62). The book runs to 408 pages, and for details of price etc please contact John Brant: john@apshipping.co.uk.

National Records for all Countries in the World by Winfried Kramer, Heinrich Hubbeling, Yves Pinaud and Steffen Stube. The 2012 edition of this valuable work with records for all events for each country and many territories (234 in all) is due to be published soon. New in this edition are records for Kosovo and various French overseas territories. Order in advance at a price of 25 euros (cash only) airmail from Winfried Kramer, Kohlrodweg 12, 6680 Neunkirchen-Kohlhof, Germany.

National Records for all Countries in the World by Winfried Kramer, Heinrich Hubbeling, Yves Pinaud and Steffen Stube. The 2012 edition of this valuable work with records for all events for each country and many territories (234 in all) will be available soon. New in this edition are records for Kosovo and various French overseas territories. Order in advance at a price of 25 euros (cash only) airmail from Winfried Kramer, Kohlrodweg 12, 66539 Neunkirchen-Kohlhof, Germany.Apologies – I gave wrong address for Winfried in AI 8.

Latvijas Vieglatletikas Gadagramata 2012. A5 240 pp. Comprehensive coverage of Latvian athletics for 2011, including records, results, athlete profiles and year and all-time lists with some colour photos, compiled by Andris Stagis. From the Latvian Athletic Association, Augsiela 1, Riga LV-1009, Latvia.

Neil Allen. Olympic Diary – Rome. On the spot report of the XVII Olympiad. 1960.
Roger Bannister. First Four Minutes. 1955.
Chris Brasher (editor). The Road to Rome. 1960.
Ron Clarke and Norman Harris. The Lonely Breed. 1967.
Ron Clarke. Run Easy, 2001
Sebastian Coe and David Miller, Running Free, 1982 (paperback).
Garth Gilmour. A Clean Pair of Heels. The Murray Halberg Story.
Frantisek Kozík. Zátopek, The Marathon Victor. 1954
W.R. Loader. Testament of a Runner. 1962.
Peter Lovesey. The Kings of Distance. 1968.
Ross and Norris McWhirter. Get to your Marks! A Short History of World, Commonwealth, European and British Athletics. 1951.
Roberto L Quercetani. A World History of Track and Field Athletics. London: Oxford University Press, 1964.
  --- A History of Modern Track and Field Athletics 1969-1990 Men and Women, 1990.
George W Smith. All out for the Mile. 1955.
Bruce Tulloh. Four Million Footsteps. Personal story of his marathon run across the US. 1970 Contact Barbara at <smith.b37@sky.com>. She simply wants to find good homes for these, but obviously payment should be made for postage.

Now in stock is National Records for all Countries in the World by Winfried Kramer, Heinrich Hubbeling, Yves Pinaud and Steffen Stube. A5 248pp. The 2012 edition of this valuable work has records for all events for each country and many territories (234 in all). New in this edition are records for Kosovo and various French overseas territories. 25 euros (cash only) from Winfried Kramer, Kohlrodweg 12, 66539Neunkirchen-Kohlhof, Germany

European Athletics Yearbook 2011-12. A5 568pp. Published by the European Athletic Association and sponsored by Mondo – see www.European-athletics.org. Half the book contains reviews and results of EAA meetings in 2011 plus contact details and a wealth of other useful information with some colour photographs, and half European lists: 100-deep for 2011 with 50-deep U23 and junior lists, 30-deep indoor lists and 50-deep all-time lists compiled as usual by Mirko Jalava.

British Athletics 2012. A5 408 pages. The 54th NUTS Annual, edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews, and Tony Miller is now in stock. Deep UK ranking lists for all age groups in 2011, top 12 merit rankings, all-time lists, results etc. £18 plus postage (£2 UK & Europe, £5 outside Europe); from Rob Whittingham, 7 Birch Green, Croft Manor, Glossop, Derbyshire SK13 8PR, UK. Cash or sterling cheques.

Also available now is British Athletics 2011 dealing with the 2010 season. We ran out of copies, so have done a small reprint. Those who were unable to buy a copy can do so now, £20 including postage from Rob Whittingham as above.

The Longer Run by Valerie Wint. Published by Ian Randle Publishers, Kingston, Jamaica. For details of cost or buy book see online at www.ianrandlepublishers.com. E-mail sales@ianrandlepublishers.comFor those old enough to have seen Arthur Wint in action, myself being one of the lucky ones, the image of this towering man with his phenomenally long stride is one that still burns brightly in the memory. He was a great athlete, the first Jamaican Olympic gold medallist with his unexpected 400m victory at the London Olympics of 1948. He won another gold medal in the 4x400m relay in Helsinki in 1952 and finished second to the USA's Mal Whitfield over 800m at both those Games. This 168-page paperback, affectionately written by his daughter Valerie, does not add very much to our knowledge of Wint the athlete – and in the foreword by a former Jamaican Prime Minister it is stated that his Olympic 400m triumph came at the White City rather than Wembley – but we do learn a good deal about Wint the man and the father. Besides being a prodigiously talented natural athlete (he excelled also in the 400m hurdles, high jump and long jump) he served as an RAF Spitfire pilot during the war, qualified in London as a doctor and practised as a surgeon, and went on to hold Jamaica's most prestigious diplomatic post as High Commissioner in London. He was his nation's revered renaissance man.He was indeed a high achiever in so many fields, but as his daughter writes: "There was a darkness that overshadowed Arthur's life. As a child and youth, he had always been very playful, very happy-go-lucky. He didn't take life seriously, and his burgeoning athletic career was his only discipline. At the age of 19, however, an incident would shock this carefree young man out of his complac-ency, and make him re-evaluate his life. As a result, Wint made choices that set him on a path of sacrifice and service." The "incident" was a terrible one. While working as an assistant in the Jamaican Civil Service, he saw a gun lying in an office. He picked it up, believing it to be unloaded, and playfully pointed it at a 30 year-old female colleague, who in the same spirit held up her hands. Tragically, it was loaded and the safety catch was not on, and the woman was shot dead. Wint pleaded guilty, his barrister Norman Manley (a future Jamaican premier and himself a star sprinter as a youngster) asking the judge for leniency, which was granted, and the following year he enlisted in the RAF. He died in Jamaica in 1992, aged 72.

Bulletin No. 59 of the AEEA is Las 5,000 Mejores Marcas de 5,000 Metros Mundial. This contains 5000 deep performance lists for both men and women at 5000m – to 13:28.12 (by 882 men) and 15:39.16 (by 906 women) respectively at December 2011 (to which one must add unofficial times in longer races and women’s results in mixed races etc.). Also detailed are the top 157 men and 144 woman by the average of their top ten marks and various tables including the most prolific performers (Eliud Kipchoge just heads the men’s list with 48 marks and Kayoko Fukushi the women’s with 57) and analysis by nation. Price: 12 euros.It is fascinating to see just where some of the great world records rate now. The 13:35.0 by Vladimir Kuts doesn’t get close to appearing, but what about the 13:16.6 by Ron Clarke, the culmination of that great era of 5000m record breaking in 1965-6? Well, that appears as the 1908th mark. Dave Moorcroft’s 13:00.41 is now the 318th best (291 times under 13:00).Membership of the AEEA (four bulletins per year) is 55 euros per year (61 euros outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain. email: ranking@rfea.es

Anuario Athlético Español Ranking 2010/2011. A5 1072 pages. Once again a wonder of the athletics world, this majestic tome has immense depth of results and annual lists for Spain in 2011 as well as records, all-time lists, details of all Spanish champions, lists of Spanish international matches, biographies of current stars and details of Spanish participation at major events. Also colour photographs. 25 euros from the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid. SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

Hammer Throw Stats History and News Bulletin No. 9 by Zdenek Procházka. 115 pages by email. The latest in this series includes career progressions by age of all 75m plus men, all-time lists for junior 6kg and 7.26kg, youth 6kg, and Masters for each age group 35-79. Then there are 46 pages of a Who’s Who of the world top 100 men and an index of throwers. For details contact Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic. e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz

The Fastest Men on Earth by Neil Duncanson (Andre Deutsch £18.99).Sam Mussabini was the link that joined three of the fastest men of their era. He was a motivating force behind Harry Hutchens who was considered by some to be as fast as Jesse Owens, the man who taught South African Reg Walker how to start properly and thus win the London 1908 100m crown and who created Britain’s first 100m champion Harold Abrahams into the champion in 1924. Old Sam is just one of the stories in this intriguing and always interesting tale of all the men who have won the supreme title at the Olympics.Each winner’s story is told from birth to death. Details about how some actually travelled to the Games are equally fascinating. In 1896 the Americans arrived in Athens after a long boat and train journey thinking they had 17 days to relax and prepare. They were terribly wrong. The Opening Ceremony began 10 minutes after they arrived and the heats for the 100 were the next day. Inevitably an American, Tom  Burke, won.And Charley Paddock, the first showman of sprinting, whose leap for the tape excited spectators everywhere, was one of the many on the substandard liner – the only substitute available when the luxury one developed a major fault – who sent in a round table complaint about the appalling conditions on the way across the Atlantic to Antwerp. He too won. And from men who ended in jail for fraud or in poverty to others who led exemplary and rich lives afterwards the research for this book provides 336 pages of delight for all fans.     Review by David Thurlow.

ATHLETICS WEEKLY 2011 ANNUAL REVIEW

All Athletics International subscribers should have received in the post the Athletics Weekly end of year statistics special issue. Included in that were UK statistics, World lists and the AI World Merit Rankings.The 1-10 of World Merit Rankings were listed in AI No. 37. If anybody wants the full details as a Word file just send an email to p.matthews121@btinternet.com.

Plimsolls On Eyeballs Out by Rob Hadgraft. Paperback 272 pages, orders to the publishers, Desert Island Books (www.desertislandbooks.com/pages/other_sports.html). £14.99 + postage. Subtitled "The Rise and Horrendous Fall of Marathon Legend Jim Peters", this is the fifth of Rob Hadgraft's splendidly detailed biographies of running legends, following his works on Walter George, Deerfoot, Alf Shrubb and Arthur Newton. What a story it is – inspirational if ultimately poignant. Jim Peters was one of my early heroes in athletics. As a young teenager I was lucky enough to be present at the Polytechnic Stadium in Chiswick to witness the finish of his world record breaking marathons, and I can still recall the tingle of awe and pride I felt on that first occasion, in 1952, when he chopped almost five minutes off the previous fastest ever time. This was the stuff of dreams, a feat equal to anything conjured up by the authors of Alf Tupper and Wilson of The Wizard. The first surprise in learning more about Jim's back–ground is that as a boy he never took part in any racing at school and it was only because the manager of his youth club insisted on members of the football team going for a weekly road run to keep fit that he realised, at age 15, he had talent as an athlete. He joined Essex Beagles in 1936 and in 1939 he ran his fastest mile time of 4:28. Following wartime service as a dispensing optician (his civilian occupation) in the Royal Army Medical Corps his running career took off and in 1946 he became AAA 6 miles champion. In 1947 he won the 10 miles title and it was later that year that he began to be coached by the 1928 Olympic 5000m finalist 'Johnny' Johnston, who instigated a much more severe training regime. The outcome was that at the age of 29 Jim achieved his ambition of making the 1948 Olympic team, but he was utterly disappointed to finish eighth in the 10,000m at Wembley. Jim's verdict: "Not to have been in the first six was bad enough, but to have been lapped [by both Emil Zátopek and Alain Mimoun] was indeed a bitter blow." So low was his morale that he told his coach on the journey home after the race that he was going to retire. Fortunately, Johnston not only talked him out of it but persuaded him to think seriously about coming back as a marathon runner. Their partnership would make history. Johnston's training schedules were more demanding than any other marathoner had ever tackled, the emphasis on speed as well as distance, while Jim was not only a willing guinea pig but was determination personified. As Rob Hadgraft writes: "Jim Peters was certainly no stylist, and never an athlete lauded by the purists. He was no master tactician either, nor a runner of grace and poise, but he had guts, motivation and sheer bloody-mindedness to grind out very fast times no matter how stiff the task. He took on unprecedented training loads that would break lesser men. He always 'bashed it' night after night." Jim went on to revolutionise the marathon, eventually running 2:17:40 in 1954 whereas the world best only two years earlier had stood at 2:25:39! The "Horrendous Fall", of course, refers to Jim's catastrophic and near-fatal experience in the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver later in 1954. All the issues are examined in detail. Was Jim's undoing due to his inability to compromise with the hot and humid weather? Was there incompetence by the officials? Was the course over-distance, in which case Jim would have won the race prior to the point where he collapsed? It was a sad end to a fantastic career, but as Dave Bedford writes in his foreword: "All these years later the name of Jim Peters is still revered by marathon runners the world over. He showed them that by dint of hard work, dedication and guts, anything is possible."

The DGLD – the German statistical group, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation produces annual national ranking lists (Deutsche Bestenliste) for Germany and impressive bulletins of up to 268 pages, packed with historical articles and statistical compilations. Each issue (three per year) includes statistical profiles of athletes born 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 years ago etc. Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste – euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany; hans.waynberg@t-online.de. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de DGLD – Bulletin No. 61 – 184pp included a 46-page “development history” by Hubert Hamacher of the decathlon from earliest origins, through the all-around period to a summary of each era by the scoring tables from 1912 to current (1985), notes and documentation on Gerhard Stock and Carl Diem, and women’s lists for Saxony 1927-38. Deutsche Bestenliste 2010 – 200pp included German records and deep performance and performer (usually up to 100) outdoor lists for 2010 and separate indoor lists continuing the DGLD’s series of these books from 1995.

Robbie Brightwell and his Golden Girl. By Robbie Brightwell. Who are British athletics’ most successful married couple? You have to go back nearly half a century to their days of glory on the track but it’s Mr and Mrs Brightwell – Robbie and his wife, the former Ann Packer. Ann won Olympic gold (800m) and silver (400m) medals at the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, while Robbie – European 400m champion in 1962 – heroically anchored the British team to silver in the Olympic 4x400m. Now at last their inspiring story is available, not as a conventional printed book but electronically on the Amazon Kindle internet site. It’s a fascinating tale of how two romantically entwined athletes struggled to reach the top, set against the back-ground of a largely vanished amateur athletics scene.

Robbie started out as a promising sprinter, his favourite event being the 200m/220y, but with a best 100 yards time of only 9.7 it was clear that he would never reach the heights as a furlong runner. The first time he ever met Harold Abrahams, shortly after the 1958 European Champs (where Brightwell finished fifth in the 200m), the 1924 Olympic 100m champion advised him to try the 400m, citing the example of Eric Liddell. Robbie was not at all attracted by the prospect, knowing how tough the training and racing would be, but out of curiosity he ran a solo 440y time trial. He promised himself he would never endure such pain again ... until he saw his time of 47.9. He continued to focus on the 200m until, in the Olympic year of 1960, he was selected to race at 440y for the first time in the prestigious AAA v Loughborough match. He won on a flooded track in 47.6 (worth 47.3 for 400m) and, reluct-antly, accepted his future in athletics had been decided.

His ascent was meteoric. At the Rome Olympics, still a 20 year-old novice at the distance, he reduced the UK 400m record to 46.2 in his quarter-final and 46.1 in his semi, just failing to qualify for the final. In 1961 he improved to 45.9, while in 1962 he astonished himself by casually winning the AAA 440y title in what he thought would be a modest time but which turned out to be 45.9, just a fifth of a second outside the world record! He ran another 45.9, this time for 400m, to lift the European title.

Both he and his fiancée Ann trained ferociously during the winter of 1963/4 with the Tokyo Olympics as the target. It would be their last season as active athletes and both were among the medal favourites at 400m. There were other things on their mind too, for they were to be married shortly after the Games and Robbie, appointed team captain, was acutely conscious of his responsibilities to his fellow internationals. Inevitably for someone who had strong views about revolutionising the British athletics set-up and was not prepared to be merely a figurehead as captain, Robbie soon came into conflict with the BAAB hierarchy and there is much in the book about the various battles waged, notably on the eve of the Olympics. However, with Robbie still captain and backed by team manager Pat Sage, the team enjoyed a fabulously successful Games. The British target for London 2012 might be eight medals including one gold, but in Tokyo the team won 12 medals (four gold, seven silver, one bronze), not to mention five fourth places! Of the pre-Olympic rebellion, he writes: “It marked a turning point whereby the athletic elite signalled that they’d no longer tolerate being treated as vassals. And it heralded the first significant crack in the edifice of amateur athletics." Although he equalled the UK record of 45.7 easing up in winning his semi Robbie admits he choked in the Olympic final. He still ran 45.7 but he was overcome by fear and once he realised he couldn’t win he gave up, allowing Andrzej Badenski of Poland to ease past him for the bronze in the last three strides. He and Ann, who two days earlier had been so disappointed to finish second to Australia’s Betty Cuthbert in the 400m (setting a European record of 52.2), sat and cried. “Our mutual misery needed no words. She knew how much The Dream had meant to me, just as I knew how she shared my anguish.”

There would be a happy ending for both. The day after the men’s 400m, Ann lined up for the 800m. That event had been something of an afterthought but in her first and only season at the distance she had run 2:05.3 and won her place. In Tokyo she ran the race of her life to win gloriously in a world record 2:01.1, becoming the first British woman to win an Olympic track title. Inspired by Ann’s fantastic run, Robbie was even more determined to leave with an Olympic medal of his own in the 4x400m relay. As anchorman he received the baton in fourth place behind the USA, Trinidad and Jamaica, but running with cool judgement and what he termed “cold determin-ation”, he passed Jamaica’s George Kerr some 60m from the finish. He was in bronze medal position, but although Henry Carr (USA) was too far ahead to be caught he sensed that Trinidad’s Wendell Mottley was wavering. “I slowly inched up to his shoulder. Holding me steadfast was the thought this would be the last time I’d compete. In the last few metres, I flung myself at the finishing line. As I pitched headlong over the line, I knew it was over. We hadn’t won a gold, but we had secured a silver medal. The rest was a blur of pain and pandemonium.” Robbie had run his leg in 44.8 and the team had broken the old world record with 3:01.6. It’s a great story, well told.                                                      

* Prospective readers who do not possess a Kindle device can view the publication on their Desktop or PC by downloading free software available on the Amazon Kindle site. Copies are available at £5.74 and can also be accessed in Apple applications in ePub format.

Progression of IAAF World Records. Edited by Imre Matrahazi. A5 604pp. This is the 7th edition of this great work initiated by the late Ekkehard zur Megede and maintained to the 2003 edition by Richard Hymans. It has was updated in house by the IAAF in 2007 and has been further updated but also incorporates corrections to previous ediions from Richard Hymans and others. Comprehensive details are given for performances dating back as far as 1827 and the marks are fleshed out with such additional information as intermediate times, field event series and the complete result. World records for road events, officially recognised by the IAAF from 1 January 2003, are included as are indoor records and, for the first time, progressive world junior records as provided by Mark Butler. There is an index of all the record breakers with dates of birth and height and weight where available and there are tables of most prolific record breakers and youngests and oldests for each event. Price $32, see publications order form on the IAAF web site.

The latest in the series of books published by the DGLD dealing with the history of 100 years of athletics in Germany, event-by-event – 100 Jahre Leichtathletik in Deutschland is 10000 m-Lauf Männer. 25 euros from Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany.   hans.waynberg@t-online.de

Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de. No cheques from outside Germany.

Italian Championships and Italian All Time Lists

The Archivio storico dell’atletica italiana “Bruno Bonomelli” (founded in Brescia in 1994 in honour of one of the founders of the ATFS and the first historian of Italian athletics) has published three new books and one CD, each available from Ottavio Castellini – quai Antoine 1er, 14 – 98000 Principality of Monaco. Prices include packing and postage; payment cash only, no cheque, please:

The main project of the ASAI is the reconstruction of the history of the Italian Championships (the Archivio has produced six volumes on this subject from 1897 to 1932). The last two books included the years 1925-28 (144 pages, Euro 20) and 1929-32 (164 pages, 25 Euro), by various authors (in Italian), many historical pictures and complete results of the Italian Championships.

Marco Martini, for the ASAI, produced a marvellous booklet about the athletes of the ethnic peoples (AUS, CAN, USA, etc): a lot of interesting biographies for all athletes (128 pages, 20 Euro).

A new edition of the Italian All Time Lists by Raul Leoni and Enzo Sabbadin: 200 athletes and 200 performances for each Olympic discipline plus non-Olympic disciplines. The cost of the CD is 15 Euro.

More information about the ASAI on the web site

http://www.asaibrunobonomelli.it/

The IAAF Statistics Handbook for the IAAF World Championships, Daegu, is now available for download from the IAAF website. Produced in collaboration with the ATFS and edited by renowned statistician Mark Butler, the 742-page book is an historical and statistical feast for media and fans alike. In addition to complete results – including each round of every event – from each of the previous 12 editions of the IAAF World Championships, the book also includes important facts and figures from the Championships, an analysis of performance trends, superlatives, and listings of multiple medallists and placing tables. Also included are results from past major championships: Olympic Games, other IAAF World Athletics Series events, and Area Championships. There is also a World and Continental records section, all-time world lists, listings of national records, a section outlining official World record progressions as well as biographical summaries of many of the stars expected to figure prominently at the World Championships. The book, divided into four sections, can be downloaded from the main page of the Daegu 2011 competition website at the following link under the ‘General Info’ heading: http://www.iaaf.org/wch11/index.html

A World History of the Jumping Events (1860-2010) by Roberto L Quercetani. Published by EditVallardi. Orders to: segreteria@editvallardi.com.  Special price for AI readers (includes postage): Europe 38 euros (instead of 48), Americas 42 euros (instead of 55), Rest of World 48 euros (instead of 60). Payment by credit card, or bank wire on this account: EditVALLARDI c/c N° 561 - bank : CREDITO ARTIGIANO - bic/swift code : ARTIITM2 - IBAN : IT 92 X0351233160000000000561. Note: All orders to the publishers, not to AI.

Roberto Quercetani, the most accomplished and respected of athletics statisticians and historians, will celebrate his 90th birthday next May but he’s still producing books to delight and enlighten the enthusiast. His latest work concentrates on the four jumping events and follows the same format as his previous volumes on the track events. In over 300 pages, including more than 60 photos, RLQ traces the development of the high jump, pole vault, long jump and triple jump in his usual masterly manner – a mixture of narrative, results, anecdotes and off-beat items.

In the high jump, for example, the first references are to Ireland’s Tailteann Games, held long before the beginning of the Christian era, and the first to clear 6 feet (1.829m) was the Englishman, Marshall Jones Brooks, in 1876. Mike Sweeney, an Irish American, was the first to succeed with the Eastern cut-off technique, clearing 1.971m in the first meeting of international significance, New York AC v London AC, in 1895. The pioneering Western roller was George Horine, the first 2m performer in 1912, while the first jumper of international renown to utilise the “belly roll” or straddle style was Dave Albritton, co-world record holder with 2.076 in 1936. It was Dick Fosbury, of course, who revolutionised the event with his “Flop” , which gained worldwide exposure when he won the 1968 Olympic title, and for decades now it has been used by all of the world’s leading jumpers. The 1.95m tall Javier Sotomayor set the current world record of 2.45, a shade over 8 feet, in 1993. His personal best/own height differential is 50 cm but, as the author points out, Franklin Jacobs (1.73m tall, 2.32 indoors in 1978) and Stefan Holm (1.81m tall, 2.40 indoors in 2005) have soared 59cm over their own head. The widest differential among women is listed as 34cm by Antonietta Di Martino (1.69m tall, 2.03 in 2007), but it is in the nature of athletics for records to be broken and early this year the Italian added another centimetre indoors.

Dictionnaire de l'athlétisme Français. A5 305pp. Compiled by Gérard Dupuy and Gilbert Rosillo. The French Federation have published this statistical work, celebrating French Athletes. It lists the athletes who have competed for France or won French titles since the late 19th century. Details for each include (where available): date and place of birth, height/weight, personal bests, championship and French records. The book follows on those that were published in 2003 as part of the build up to the Paris-held World Championships. At 20 Euros this is an excellent addition to the library of any enthusiast of International athletics. The support given by the French Federation for such projects is something that the UK governing body could (and should) emulate. Available from: Fédération Francaise d'Athletisme, 33, Avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 75640 Paris, cedex 13, France.

490 a.C – 2010 d.C. – una Maratona lunga 2500 anni. 423 pages, 240x173mm with black and white photos. By Ottavio Castellini in collaboration with Carlos Fernández Canet. The IAAF statistician has produced a book which starts by tracing the history of the marathon (in Italian) followed by (easily the bulk of the book) detailed statistics including progressive world records and very deep all-time lists. In all 5501 marks are listed by 1728 men to 2:13:00 and 4879 by 1142 women to 2:35:00. Split times are given for the 1320 men’s times to 2:10:00 and for the 1708 women’s times under 2:30:00. Inclusive of postage and packaging the cost is 50 euros in Europe or US $75 outside Europe from Ottavio Castellini, 14, quai Antoine 1er, 9800 Principality of Monaco.

Hammer Throw Bulletin No. 7. This edition of 122 pages in the series by Zdenek Procházka, available by email only, presents all-time lists for men by country with progressive national records. In 2011 he is producing four bulletins (64-350 pages) for 25 Euro or $35 (in PDF or Excel format), Cash or by International Money Order from Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic. e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz

Decathlon: A Statistical Survey is the booklet every British multi-event fanatic has been waiting for. No one is better qualified to document UK decathlon than Alan Lindop, who for so many years has been so closely involved with the event as a referee, team manager, statistician, reporter ... you name it. Every fact and figure you can imagine is here within the 120 pages ... records, age bests, a huge all-time list incorporating every mark over 6000 points with full breakdown. There are also shorter all-time lists for the age groups, British placings in every international championship and match, champion–ship results and biographies of more than 50 athletes, headed by Daley Thompson and Dean Macey.Aside from the decathlon specialists it's fascinating to note the number of athletes who, although more celebrated in other events, gave the decathlon a try. Colin Boreham (7874 in 1982) and Gus McKenzie (7036 in 1979) were UK high jump record holders; Du'aine Ladejo (7635w in 1998) was 1994 European 400m champion; Barry King (7500 in 1972) was a discus international; Dale Garland (7413 in 2006) was 2007 European Indoor 4x400m gold medallist; William Sharman (7384 in 2005) placed 4th in the 2009 World Champs 110m hurdles; Mike Bull (7363 in 1974) was 1970 Commonwealth pole vault champion & UK record holder; Paul Edwards (7268 in 1983) was Commonwealth Games shot medallist in 1990; Roy Mitchell (6958 in 1974) was 1978 Commonwealth long jump champion; Dave Travis (6921 in 1968) was 1970 Commonwealth javelin champion and UK record holder; David Hemery (6760 in 1969) was 1968 Olympic 400m hurdles champion and world record holder – but not the family record holder for decathlon as his son Adrian scored 7051 in 2005; Peter Yates (6404 in 1980) was javelin bronze medallist at the 1978 Commonwealth Games; Geoff Elliott (6398 in 1952) was UK pole vault record holder; Chris Rawlinson (6291 in 1995) was 2002 Commonwealth 400m hurdles champion; and Alan Lerwill (6186 in 1970) was 1974 Commonwealth long jump champion AND a UK high jump record holder.

LATEST TRACK STATS

The latest (June) issue of the NUTS quarterly journal, Track Stats, features an interview with 90 year-old Blackheath Harrier Jack Braughton (“still running and ballroom dancing four times a week”) which shows just how times have changed since the Olympics were last staged in London. As David Thurlow writes in his introduction: “On Saturday 31 July 1948 Jack Braughton took the morning off work and caught the No.12 London Transport red bus from Peckham Rye to Wembley Stadium. The fare was 2½ old pence and he lost half a day’s pay. He was off to the Olympic Games – to run for Great Britain in heat one of the 5000m. Just over 15 minutes after the start of the heat he finished in 8th place and failed to qualify. He changed and then caught the bus home for tea, a journey of over an hour. His participation in the Games was over.” This is the latest of some 40 interviews with former British internationals that David Thurlow has conducted for Track Stats, a massive and much appreciated contribution to the history of British athletics. The contents also include progressive British all-time top ten lists for the mile (1911-71), Gunder Hägg’s 1943 US tour, the early days of Athletics Weekly, and the career of legendary Australian sprinter James Carlton. Annual subscription costs £17 (UK), £21 (rest of Europe), £26 (elsewhere); contact lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk for more details.

The Official History of the Amateur Athletic Association by Mel Watman, with a foreword by Sir Chris Chataway. Hardcover 388 pages 240 x 160mm.  Published by SportsBooks Ltd – www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk – £19.99.

Subtitled the story of the world’s oldest athletic association, this book covering 130 years of British athletics is a handsome volume (with 64 pages of photographs, many in colour) and an important one, following the Official Centenary History of the AAA written by Peter Lovesey that was published in 1979 by Guinness Superlatives Ltd (of which I was editorial director at the time – PJM).As readers will know, Mel has been writing with intelligence and authority about athletics for over 50 years (he first went to the AAA Championships as a 12 year-old in 1950) and his enthusiasm and knowledge make him the ideal author of this book. He takes us through the long and fascinating history of the AAAs, building the text around a succinct summary of each AAA Championship. He packs in a wealth of detail yet always maintains a most readable style, with details of the successes of British athletes each year, interjecting nuggets such as the future careers of top athletes or the first appearances of top stars. He concentrates on the deeds of the athletes as he traces lightly through the political side of the story of the first 100 years covered so well by Lovesey’s book, but there is increased emphasis on the background issues from the 1980s, with the moves towards a single governing body for British athletics, the legitimising of payments to athletes and the merging of men’s and women’s associations and competitions.The main text is followed by profiles of the fourteen Presidents of the AAA and lists of all AAA champions from 1980 (i.e. not repeating those in the Centenary History) at all age groups, but also all indoor age group champions prior to that date as those were not in the Lovesey book. As Mel writes in his introduction: “This book is devoted solely to men’s athletics; a history of the Women’s AAA and WAAA Championships from 1922 (the WAAA merged with AAA in 1991 [to become the AAA of England]) is in the course of preparation”.The AAA of England was replaced in 2006 by England Athletics as the country’s governing body and sadly the AAA Championships came to an end with that year’s edition of the meeting which had begun in 1880. At the end of the year, also, the association’s name reverted to the original AAA. The AAA remains determined to play a part in the future of British athletics, but apart from the use of the historic trophies for the re-created (from 2010) England Athletics Senior Championships, that is extremely limited compared to the rich historical tapestry relished in this book.

Progresión del Récord Iberoamericano. A5 194 pp. 12 euros. This latest bulletin (No. 88) of the Spanish statisticians group the AEEA consists primarily of lists of progressive Ibero-American records for all events compiled by Miguel Villaseñor. There is also a very detailed review of the career of recently retired shot putter Manuel Martínez. Membership of the AEEA (four bulletins per year) is 55 euros per year (61 euros outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain. email: ranking@rfea.es.

Athletics New Zealand 2010 Almanac. This is the first ever annual from Athletics NZ. It includes national ranking lists for 2010 plus all-time top 20s, records and results of championships and other major events in 2010. Cost: $NZ25 plus postage: New Zealand $NZ5, Australia & South Pacific $NZ12, Rest of World $NZ20. Purchase online at www.athletics.org.nz

Ghost Runner by Bill Jones. Publisher: Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Ltd, 7 Albany St, Edinburgh EH1 3UG; £12.99.

Website: www.mainstreampublishing.com

This is the story of John Tarrant, “The Ghost Runner”. Younger readers will probably have never heard of him but it's important that Tarrant and the injustice he suffered due to the inflexible amateur rules of his day are remem–bered. It seems unbelievable today that a man who lived for running could be banned from racing because as a teenager he was paid the grand total of £17 as an unlicensed boxer. He was just too honest for his own good.Bill Jones, a former award-winning documentary maker for Granada, researched widely before writing this his first book. I was responsible for editing Tarrant's own testament back in 1979, four years after his death at the age of 43, but in this second version of “The Ghost Runner” Jones has painstakingly pieced together the largely melancholy episodes in the life of a remarkable runner. There are moments of self fulfilment as when Tarrant won the fabled London to Brighton two years running and broke world records for 40 and 100 miles but it's mainly a downbeat tale. He never had much luck.Jones writes: “By his own account, Tarrant lost track of the number of times he applied to the AAA and the ABA for reinstatement, always with the same uncompro–mising response. To his way of thinking it was a simple case – a moral case – which should be decided on the grounds of common sense and decency. To the officials, the man was a bloody nuisance who'd taken some grubby backhanders, broken the rules and must pay the price.”Frustrated after years of rejection, he and his younger brother Vic hatched a “naive but deliciously audacious” plan. Jones explained: “If the hidebound bureaucrats of the AAA wouldn't let Tarrant run in races officially, then he would run in them unofficially, gatecrashing major events to gain the public's attention, closely followed (the brothers reasoned) by widespread sympathy and support.”He made his first unannounced appearance at the 1956 City of Liverpool Marathon. He was 24, had never run more than 12 miles in one go before, and the previous day had put in a back-breaking 13 hour stint humping rocks into trucks at a limestone quarry. After leading for several miles he dropped out exhausted some two miles from the finish. Journalists covering the race sniffed out a good story and he was dubbed “The Ghost Runner” by the Daily Express. His battle for reinstatement was now out in the open.In May 1958 Tarrant received a short note from the Northern Counties AA stating that he was now eligible to race. At last he was able to join Salford Harriers, and he began to win races all over England and Wales – but his joy came to an abrupt end in May 1960. Preparing to bid for a place in the Olympic marathon team, he was informed by BAAB secretary Jack Crump that “no one who is a reinstated professional may take part in international athletic competition. This is not a rule of [our] making but it is an international rule which applies throughout the world.” It was a crushing blow to Tarrant, who had long dreamed of representing his country. He decided to move up to ultra long distance and although he frequently suffered from severe attacks of diarrhoea during races he had found his true métier. In 1966 he set a world 40 miles record of 4:03:28, in 1967 and 1968 he won the London to Brighton classic, and in 1969 he clocked 12:31:10 for a world 100 miles record – lapping the Walton-on-Thames track 400 times. Those successes were pleasing but Tarrant's big ambition – obsession really – was to win the Comrades Marathon in South Africa, a goal that was to elude him. That was a huge disappointment, but genuine tragedy struck when he developed cancer. He fought that illness with the same determination and fortitude he had shown in his races but it was a contest he could not win. It's a remarkable story, sad but inspirational too, and written with great empathy.        

African Athletics 1959 and 1961 by Yves Pinaud A5 18/20pp. These are the second and third in a series of booklets reconstructing annual lists of performers from the earliest years of African athletics by Yves, who started his great work on African athletics with the 1961 lists which were never published (until now!). Each 10 euro, or US $15 including postage (banknotes if possible)

L'Athlétisme Africain/African Athletics 2011. A5, 152 pages. By Yves Pinaud. Published by Éditions Polymédias with support from the IAAF, The 30th edition in this splendid series has 100 deep men's and women's lists for Africa for 2010, with all-time lists, national champion–ships and major meetings results. 20 euro, £18 or US $30 incuding postage from La Mémoire du Sport, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France. (Also available: booklist with very extensive list of athletics books and magazines for sale).

Athlérama 2010. A5 664pp. The French Annual, edited by Patricia Doilin with a strong team of compilers, is once again a superb reference book. Packed with information on French athletics – records, deep year lists for 2010, indexes, athlete profiles, results and all-time lists for all age groups. Extras include French top ten lists for 1910 and 1960. 28 euros from the FFA, 33 avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 75640 Paris CEDEX 13, France. email Patricia.Doilin@athle.org

Anuario 2010/2011 – Pista Cubierta y Campo a Través. A5 488pp. Comprehensive details for the Spanish cross country and indoor seasons with lists and results, all-time lists, lists of previous champions and photographs. 14 euros plus postage (€3.75 in Spain, €12 elsewhere) from Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN.

Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

DGLD Bulletin No. 59. The latest bulletin of 188 pages includes an index to the 100-deep all-time men’s performer and performance lists as at 31.12.1945 compiled by Richard Hymans (published in No. 56), women’s lists for Saxony 1916-26, and Germany 100y lists to 1964 as well as the usual features such as statistical profiles of athletes born 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 years ago etc. Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste – euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany. E-mail: hans.waynberg@t-online.de. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

Friidrott 2011. 472 pages, 170 x 240 mm, 299 pictures, hard cover. Edited by Jonas Hedman, text in Swedish. A quality production which covers world and Scandinavian athletics, including detailed championships and major events results with narrative, world outdoor top 50 year and all-time-lists, top 25 Scandinavian and Swedish year and all-time lists plus indoor top tens and record lists for World, Europe, Scandinavia and Sweden. 395 kroner from TextoGraf Förla, Jonas Hedman, Springarvägen 14, 142 61 Trångsund, Sweden. See www.textograf.com

Great Marathon Runners, edited by David Lowes. The second book in the superbly illustrated Athletics Weekly series, this 164-page A4 publication pays tribute to 20 great marathon runners in text and some 140 photos. The British runners profiled are Paula Radcliffe, Steve Jones, Ian Thompson, Bill Adcocks, Joyce Smith, Ron Hill, Jim Peters, Basil Heatley, Charlie Spedding and Jack Holden. The overseas contingent comprises Haile Gebrselassie, Khalid Khannouchi, Rob de Castella, Frank Shorter, Abebe Bikila, Catherine Ndereba, Rosa Mota, Ingrid Kristiansen, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz. There is also a history of the marathon, reports on several classic big city and championship races and a statistical appendix. Price is £9.99 post free in the UK from Great Marathon Runners Offer, FREEPOST PE211, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9BR. European price is £11.24, rest of world £11.94; go to www.subscribeme.to/athletics-weekly/gmr

Hammer Throw Bulletin No.5. The latest from Zdenek Prochazka, available by email only, lists all  9711 performances by 315 throwers over 75 metres (there are 1139 by 96 throwers over 80m).In year 2011 he is producing four bulletins (64-350 pages) for 25 Euro or $35 (in PDF or Excel format), Cash or by International Money Order from Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic.e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz

After the massive tomes produced last year – History of the European Championships (1160pp) and European All-Time Lists (1552pp) – by the Spanish Statistical Group (AEEA) another whopper comes from Spain, this time published by the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid. SPAIN:Anuario Athlético Español Ranking 2009/2010. At 1095 A5 pages this majestic volume again beats the previous year’s record (1008pp) as the largest national annual ever. It has everything about Spanish athletics with immense depth of results and annual lists for 2010 as well as records, all-time lists, details of all Spanish champions, lists of Spanish international matches, biographies of current stars and details of Spanish participation at major events. Also colour photographs. 25 euros including postage. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.The AEEA has published its Bulletin No. 87. A5 178pp. After an article celebrating the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, with details of early days of Spanish marathoning, are detailed statistics: 1. All 715 perform-ances and 100 Spanish athletes under 8 minutes at 3000m. 2. Surveys by Juan María Iriondo: firstly world top 50s for 2010 with athletes’ rankings for the previous four years and summarised positions in major champion-ships; secondly world all-time top 100s with athletes’ positions in world all-time lists at the end of each year from 2000, and summaries of achievements in major championships. 12 euros inc. postage in cash or postal order only from José Luis Hernández (estadistica@rfea.es), RFEA, Avda. Valladolid 81, 1° - 28008 Madrid, Spain

The Greatest Athletes of the Modern Era, Statistics from Early Years to the Present – Men’s 200 metres

With this 78-page A4 booklet, Ari Törmä has produced the first of an intended series of 29 books covering 19 individual men’s events and 10 books on women’s events over a 7-year period. In this book he gives a mass of statistics on 200 metres (and 200 and 220 yards) from a short all-time list to 31.12.1880 to 75 deep all-time lists at four-yearly intervals from 21.12.1896 to date. He also includes results of all Olympic finals.He gives points for positions on top ten annual year lists with lists of the top scorers for each Olympiad – and these show the overall top men as Frank Fredericks 89, Michael Johnson 87 and Pietro Mennea 76 and the book ends with a short biography of Fredericks. For his lists the author uses formulae to convert times at 200 or 220 yards or on straight or half turn tracks to 200m on a turn – and also hand times to automatic using the 0.24 factor (unfair as that is to properly taken hand times), Basically he includes everything (although not wind-assisted times), and this will not please all as, for instance he includes marks that have been disqualified by athletes incurring doping bans – but, as he says, one cannot discard all marks made by athletes who have used drugs because we just do not know who did or did not use them. He is also prepared to accept indoor marks and will accept results made with an extra try, or within exhibitions (and for women in mixed competition) as well as converting performances made in handicap races. With such a huge amount of statistics perfection is unattainable, but I was worried to see that Roland Locke’s 20.5 on 1 May 1926 at Lincoln easily heads the 1920s lists as a converted 20.4 because this is usually shown in straight course lists and as explained in the World Records Progressions books was run on a “slight turn”, computed by Don Potts as a quarter-turn. But then the 200 metres, with such factors, is perhaps the most difficult of all events. Ari mentions the effect of high altitude but resists making any adjustment to times for this or for wind assistance.Overall this marks the start of what should be a formidable collection of statistics.  PJMContact Ari on athletics@aritorma.net

Pole Vault Reports. Joan Pelayo is producing Pole Vault Reports by email. No. 1 had worldwide results for December and 2010 world lists – men to 5.40 and women to 4.20. No. 2 had results late December/early January and a start to historical coverage. Contact him on joanpelayo@hotmail.com

LATEST TRACK STATS

Contents of the latest (December) issue of the NUTS quarterly magazine Track Stats include the progression, by Jacques Carmelli, of the men's pentathlon world best from Jim Thorpe (3098 pts in 1912 per 1985 scoring tables) to Bill Toomey (4282 in 1969); reflections on last year's European Championships by the editor Bob Phillips; the glittering 400m hurdles career of Glenn Hardin; Britain's forgotten pole vaulter Norman Gregor; and a wide-ranging statistical analysis of Jessica Ennis's career which incorporates her progressive personal bests in every event plus the breakdown of each of her heptathlons from 2001 to date. Her advance in every event has been remorseless. Five years ago, when she was European junior champion and her heptathlon best stood at 5910, her individual pbs were 24.23 200m, 2:17.03 800m, 13.26 100mH, 1.87 HJ, 6.22 LJ, 12.26 SP and 32.55 JT. Now they stand at 23.15 (1064 pts), 2:09.88 (966), 12.81 (1153), 1.95 (1171), 6.51 (1010), 14.61 SP (835; indoors, just last weekend) and 46.71 (796). Her “perfect” score if you add up the points awarded for those seven pbs comes to 6995. She clearly has the potential in Paris in March to break the world indoor pentathlon record of 4991 as her pbs there (7.95 60H, 1141), 1.95, 14.61, 6.51 and 2:09.88 add up to 5123.

Annual subscription to Track Stats is £20 (UK residents), £25 (rest of Europe) or £30 (elsewhere). Send cheque (sterling only, drawn on a British bank), payable to THE NUTS, or British banknotes to: Liz Sissons, 9 Fairoak Lane, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2NS, UK.

The DGLD – the German statistical group, Deutschen Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation celebrated its 20th birthday with their Bulletin No. 58. This 256-page issue was dedicated to a detailed survey of German athletics history to 1898 by Hubert Hamacher “Vom Ursprung der deutschen Leichtathletik”. This included references from the 12th Century up to all-time lists at 1860 and period and year lists from then to 1898.

The DGLD have also published their latest annual ranking list Deutsche Bestenliste 2009, which has 100-deep performers plus deep performance lists for Germany.

In all the DGLD has published over 20,000 pages in their publications from their founding in 1990 and their bulletins have profiled 2510 athletes. Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste – euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

DLV Leichtathletik Bestenliste 2010. A5 398pp. The DLV’s ranking lists for 2010 for all events compiled by Eberhard Vollmer, generally 50-deep for seniors and Jugend-A, 30-deep for other age groups. Also German records and photos. Euro 15 ­ as above.

DLV Leichtathletik Jahrbuch 2010. A5 366pp. The official yearbook of the German Federation. Directory and review, with articles on top athletes, detailed results of 2010 meetings, records and top tens, also many illustrations in colour. Euro 19.50 plus postage, from Deutsche Leichtathletik Marketing GmbH, Postfach 10 04 63, 64219 Darmstadt, Germany. See www.leichtathletik.de

Yleisurheilu 2010. A5 672pp. The Finnish Yearbook, published by Suomen Urheilulitto (Finnish Athletics) and compiled by Juhani and Mirko Jalava, contains not only every conceivable statistic for Finnish athletics (with results and deep year lists) in 2010 but also world indoor, outdoor and junior lists for the year as known at November. 17 euros plus postage and packaging. Orders by e-mail to juhani@tilastopaja.fi

Annuare FLA 2010. A4 216p. The Luxembourg Annual, edited by Georges Klepper, maintains very high standards. It has every possible detail for this nation– reviews, results, 2010 and all-time lists, plus many photographs. A special feature celebrates 100 years of national championships, with an alphabetical list of all champions. From the first championships. held in 1910, a record number of 58 titles have been won by Pascale Schmoetten (1985-2010). 15 euros locally, 20 euros elsewhere to account no. LU32 1111 0200 0321 0000. See www.fla.lu.

Hammer Throw – A Statistical Survey of British Throwing by Ian Tempest. This is No, 13 in the NUTS event booklets (series editor Peter Matthews) – giving great historical coverage of British athletics. As with the other booklets in the series included are: Progressive UK records (senior and U20), age bests, very deep UK performer (50m men and 44m women) and performance (70m men, 60m women) all-time lists, best performances for each decade and yearly bests from 1826, results of all British and English internationals, all British performances at major international championships, national and area champions, and biographies of leading athletes.

Price inc. postage: £6.42 in UK, £7.10 for rest of the world (cheques to NUTS) or equivalent in cash in dollars or euros from Ian Tempest, 56 Celtic Close, Beckfield Lane, Acomb, York YO2 5QJ, UK.

Next – a 120 page magnum opus by Alan Lindop on the Men’s Combined Events will be in stock very soon.

Great British Runners (800-10,000m). A4 164pp. published by Athletics Weekly Limited, PO Box 614, Farnham, Surrey GU9 1GR. Price £9.99 (UK purchasers), £11.24 (Europe), £11.94 (rest of world). Credit card orders to https://subscribeme.to/athletics-weekly/gbr.

The first of a series commemorating the greats of British athletics, this book is a treat for any athletics enthusiast. It comprises fact-filled biographies, of between 10 and 16 pages each, of Roger Bannister, Dave Bedford, Chris Brasher, Chris Chataway, Seb Coe, Steve Cram, Brendan Foster, Kelly Holmes, Dave Moorcroft, Steve Ovett, Gordon Pirie and Sydney Wooderson. It all makes for a splendidly nostalgic read. There is also a 'best of the rest' section featuring, albeit briefly, such names as Ann Packer, Derek Ibbotson, Diane Leather, Ian Stewart, Liz McColgan, Peter Elliott, Paula Radcliffe (no doubt she will be showcased in a future book on the top marathoners), Yvonne Murray, Walter George and Wendy Sly, while 'the next generation' profiles Mo Farah, Andy Baddeley, Jenny Meadows, Lisa Dobriskey, Hannah England, Stephanie Twell, Chris Thompson, Jemma Simpson and Michael Rimmer. This modestly priced book is good value for the photos alone, well over 100 of them – many in colour and taken by Mark Shearman, whose first AW cover shot dates back to 1962. Before his time as a photographer, the image of Chataway and Ibbotson fighting it out for the AAA 3 miles title in 1956 on a quagmire of a White City track will bring home to today's all-weather track runners how lucky they are. (MW)

Combined Events Annual 2010 by Hans van Kuijen. A5, 216pp. The 18th edition of this attractively produced annual will be in stock at the beginninmg of January. It will include top 200 men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon lists for 2010 and all scores over 7500 and 5600 respectively with deep all-time world lists. Also results of major events, records, profiles and complete career details for the world’s top multi-eventers.In Europe: 30 euro or £30 sterling cash (no cheques). Outside Europe: US $50 cash or $70 cheques – from Hans van Kuijen, de Bergen 66, 5706 RZ Helmond, Netherlands. Email: j.kuijen4@upcmail.nl. Payments to account 52.31.27.898 of ABN-AMRO bank, Helmond, BIC code ABNANL2A, IBAN NL79ABNA0523127898. Back numbers for 2001-02, 2005-09: 15 Euro each.

Zdenek Procházka is producing regular quarterly bulletins entitled “Hammer Throw Stats History and News”. Published so far this year have been:

No.1 (32p) Men 2009: International and National Champ-ionships, World List 2009 over 55m, World Junior List, all performances of best 15 throwers, career of Primoz Kozmus etc.

No.2  (46p) USA Hammer History Part 1: All Time list over 56.50m, All Comers records for US States and Towns, Major Championships, Progression of National Records, Top Ten Averages etc.

No.3 (49p) USA Hammer History Part 2: All Time University Lists, major US Conference Champions.

No.4 (34p) Top Ten Averages for 220 athletes and by country (90), National Records of all countries, All Comers Records, Top scores per competitions etc.

Price of PDF version for all bulletins 1 -4 is 20 Euro/$30 (each 5 Euro).

In 2011 he again plans four bulletins (only by email in PDF or Excel format) of 32-64 pages. Price for the whole year is 25 Euro/$35 in cash or by International Money Order from Zdeněk Procházka, Washingtonova 9, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic e-mail: atlet2003@volny.cz

Upcoming bulletins in 2011:

No.5 - All Performances over 75m - January

No.6 - Hammer Throw Men World List 2010 - February

No.7 - All Time Lists By Country (Part 1) - April

No.8 - All Time Lists By Country (Part 2) –September

SPECIAL OFFER: British Athletics 2010. A5 411 pages. The 52nd NUTS Annual, edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews, and Tony Miller. Deep UK ranking lists for all age groups in 2009, top 12 merit rankings, all-time lists, results etc. Just £10 including postage from me: p.jmatthews@tiscali.co.uk. Cash or sterling cheques only.

1st IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup – IAAF Statistics Handbook. Edited by Mark Butler. Includes full results and reports from all World Cup meetings since 1977, with an index of all competitors and area top 10 lists. Noted in AI 25 as downloadable from the IAAF website, it has been published as a 210-page book. Contact the IAAF (or see www.iaaf.org) for their extensive list of publications and videos for sale at 17 rue Princesse Florestine, BP 359, MC 98007, Monaco.

Who’s Who of British International Athletes (men and women) 1945-1960. Richard Hymans writes that Mike Sheridan’s latest book is a worthy successor to Ian Buchanan’s work on the 1896-1939 period. The A4 sized book covers in its 206 pages all British internationals capped in Olympic Games, European Championships and GBR matches – 46 in all for men and 44 for women. Athletes such as Don Finlay, whose career covered 1929-49 have all their international performances shown, and the same applies to athletes whose careers continued beyond 1960. The book is well illustrated, with 95 photos in all. For anyone interested in British athletics in the post-war period, this is a worthy addition to any library. Price £16 (UK), 25 Euros, $30 – with payment by cheque drawn on a UK bank, Paypal or cash, and available from: Mike Sheridan, 27 Yew Tree Park, Congresbury, Somerset, BS49 5ER

(e-mail: info@britishathleticshistory.co.uk)

LATEST TRACK STATS

For some years David Thurlow has been performing a great service to British athletics history by interviewing prominent athletes of the past and he has continued his series with an intriguing feature on Sheila Lerwill in the latest (June) issue of Track Stats, the NUTS' quarterly magazine edited by Bob Phillips. Despite two hip replace-ments Sheila, at 81, remains extremely fit and walks vigorously for 90 minutes or more each morning across the South Downs in Sussex. Although she became world record holder in the high jump with a clearance of 1.72 at the 1951 WAAA Championships [incidentally the first world record witnessed by a enthralled 13 year-old Mel Watman!] and won the Olympic silver medal next year, Sheila's first love was always netball, at which she was an England international. The first woman to employ the straddle technique, Sheila fully expected to win the Olympic title in Helsinki but nerves prevented her from showing her best form and she was terribly disappointed with her second place to South African veteran Esther Brand. “The silver medal does not mean a dicky bird to me,” she reflected. “ I could have chucked it in the North Sea. Those are my feelings over the years and they have not changed. I felt I had let everyone down. I was the sort of person who believed that the world record holder goes into the Olympic Games and comes back with the gold medal and a new world record on top.” Those were the days for British women high jumpers: between 1936 and 1960 no fewer than 15 medals at Olympics, European Championships and Commonwealth Games were gained by Dorothy Tyler, Dora Gardner, Bertha Crowther, Sheila Lerwill, Thelma Hopkins, and Dorothy Shirley – including five successive Olympic silvers! David Thurlow also profiles another star of the fifties, the late Dr Frank Aaron, a British record breaker at 6 miles and 10,000m, and other features include the career record of Jamaica's gigantic 1948 Olympic 400m champion Arthur Wint, whose pbs included 9.9 100y, 21.2 220y, 29.9 300y, 46.2 400m, 1:09.0 600y, 1:49.6 880y, 55.4 400mH (back in 1938 as a 17 year-old) and 7.31 long jump. The previous issue (March) of Track Stats was devoted to the discus, including the career record of Italy's 1948 Olympic gold medallist Adolfo Consolini, a feature on his American successor as Olympic champion Sim Iness and David Thurlow's interview with Suzanne Allday which reveals that back in 1953 or 1954 she threw the men's hammer around 148ft (45m).

A year's subscription is £20 (UK), £25 (rest of Europe) or £28 (elsewhere); contact Liz Sissons, 8 Fairoak Lane, Chessington KT9 2NS, UK, or e-mail: lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk

Friidrott 2010. 462 pages, 170 x 240 mm, 223 pictures, hard cover. Edited by Jonas Hedman, text in Swedish. The 50th anniversary edition is a superbly compiled review of world and Scandinavian athletics, including detailed championships and major events results with narrative, world outdoor top 50 year and all-time-lists, top 25 Scandinavian year and all-time lists plus indoor top tens and record lists for World, Europe, Scandinavia and Sweden. 395 kroner from TextoGraf Förla, Jonas Hedman, Springarvägen 14, 142 61 Trångsund, Sweden. See www.textograf.com/bocker.php?bookid=32

Sverigebästa genom tiderna i friidrott (2009) by Bengt Holmberg. Swedish All-Time lists MEN – Seniors, Juniors and Youths.This 660 page book, with an introduction in English, tells you everything you need to know about Sweden’s all-time lists. With many events listing up to 800 athletes, it is pretty comprehensive. Of interest for historians is the section listing top-10s in each event for each decade of the 20th century; of these the oldest mark is Dan Waern’s 3:38.6 for 1500m in 1960, achieved in a great duel with Herb Elliott.The regular price is: $103 (732 SEK) outside Europe (including postage and shipping). EUR 72 (687 SEK) within Europe (including postage and shipping); EUR 55 (533 SEK) within Sweden (including postage and shipping).

Friidrottens främsta män (Sweden’s top athletes in track and field) – by Jonas Hedman

This 432 page book by the prolific Jonas Hedman is a personal ranking of the top athletes in each event in Swedish athletics history. Each chapter focuses on the top ranked athlete and gives details of the athlete’s annual progression and top-25 performances. The text, naturally enough, is in Swedish, and the choices of the author will promote interest for those who have knowledge of the history of the sport in Sweden.At 57 Euros (or 550 Swedish Krone) this might seem expensive, but the production values are very good, and this is well worth owning. 170x240 mm, 160 pictures, hard cover.

Current discounted price: $90 outside Europe (regular price $103) (including postage and shipping); EUR 62 within Europe (regular price $72) (including postage and shipping); EUR 45 within Sweden (regular price $55) (including postage and shipping).

Order the book(s) by email to order@textograf.com
Or call: ++46 709 99 51 04 (Jonas Hedman).

Discus Statistics By Priit Tänava. Claiming to be the world’s first e-statistic book in throwing events, this 143-page compilation has many fascinating statistics for the men’s discus. It includes best athletes by average of top-10, top-50 and top-100 marks (Virgilijus Alekna heads this list at 69.227!), all 65m plus throwers, best venues etc. See www.team75plus.com.

European All-Time Lists. 1522 pages, A5. Compiled by members of the AEEA. This massive tome gives 1000-deep performance and 500-deep performer lists for European athletes for all current championship events. Just 15 euros, plus 36 euros for posting outside Spain. Website address is given as www.rfea.es/aeea/index.htm (although I have been unable to access the rfea site for some months

History of the European Athletics Championships – Barcelona 2010. 1160 pages, 242 x 214mm hardback. This huge work, compiled (mostly) by members of the Spanish statistical group (AEEA) is assuredly the definitive work on the European Championships. In providing complete results of all championships 1934-2006 great care has been taken by the compilers Félix Capilla, José Javier Etayo, José Luis Hernández and Miguel Villaseñor to check original results and these are accompanied by text (by Angel Cruz and Enric Pla) in Spanish and English. This takes us to page 682 after which there is a miscellany including comprehensive tables of multiple medallists, oldests and youngests and a detailed analysis country by country (by Thomas Hurst). Then we have a 154-pages index of all competitors by Francisco Ascorbe and Børre Lilloe, progression of championship bests (by Enrique Tre) and European outdoor records (by José María García, and finally national outdoor records for all standard events of European nations by György Csiki. All in all remarkable value at 25 euros but postage and packing is 36 euros outside Spain.email to publicaciones@rfea.es

Ist Youth Olympic Games – IAAF Statistics Handbook. A5 160pp. Compiled by Ottavio Castellini and Felix Capilla. Contents for this book, produced prior to the first Youth Olympics in Singapore 2010, include medallists at the World Youth Championships 1999-2009, world bests for the age group (under-17 in year of competition), Youth year lists for 2009 and 2010 (as known at 10 July) and all-time top 20 lists.

1st IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup – IAAF Statistics Handbook. Edited by Mark Butler. Includes full results and reports from all World Cup meetings since 1977, with an index of all competitors and area top 10 lists. Downloadable from the IAAF website. 4.5MB pdf file. See www.iaaf.org.

The latest bulletin of the DGLD – the German statistical group, Deutschen Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation – is No. 57. Its 310 pages include year lists, articles and results for Germany in 1921, the final part (R-Z) of the index of performances by German juniors 1949-90 plus tables of their medal successes, and a detailed article on Gretel Bergmann, plus indexes of DGLD Bulletins 1990-2010. Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste – euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany. email: hans.waynberg@t-online.de

Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

Anuario 2009/2010 – Pista Cubierta y Campo a Través. A5 424pp. The Spanish Federation and their great group of statisticians continue to compile a truly marvellous collection of reference works. The rest of us can but look on and marvel! This annual includes comprehensive details for the Spanish cross country and indoor seasons with lists and results, all-time lists, lists of previous champions and colour photographs. 14 euros plus postage (€3.75 in Spain, €12 elsewhere) from the RFEA, vda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

Javelin Statistics – Part 5. Tony Isaacs advises that the fifth of his six part series on the men’s javelin, its history and statistics is now available. In 56 pages he deals here with Asia, including progressive Asian records, Asian rankings 1919-09, results of Asian Games and Champion-ships and an index of men in these records. Each edition £5 (cheque or banknote) or 5 euros (banknote) from Tony at 43 St Georges Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk, IP11 9PN, England. email: tony.isaacs3@talktalk.net

Athlérama 2009. 656pp. The French Annual, edited by Patricia Doilin with a strong team of compilers, is again a superb reference book – in a slightly smaller size at 195 x 140mm this year. Packed with information on French athletics – records, deep year lists for 2009, indexes, athlete profiles, results and all-time lists for all age groups. Extras include French top ten lists for 1909 and 1959. French ‘Champion of Champions’ for 2009 was Renaud Lavillenie. 28 euros from the FFA, 33 avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 75640 Paris CEDEX 13, France. email Patricia.Doilin@athle.org

Athletics 2010: The International Track & Field Annual, by Peter Matthews (ATFS); published by SportsBooks Ltd.

The annual miracle has occurred yet again. Within the space of 608 pages my colleague Peter Matthews has managed to squeeze every pertinent fact and figure relating to the previous year's international athletics action. His review of 2009 follows a tried and tested formula: deep year and all-time lists, records, champion-ship and other significant results, obituaries, book reviews and a comprehensive index. As always there is much else besides. This year's edition includes Bob Phillips' affectionate reflections on the Rome Olympics of 50 years ago together with brief world lists for 1960, and Roberto Quercetani on athletics documentation then and now.

The section that I always find the most fascinating is that incorporating biographical and statistical profiles of the world's current top athletes ... 425 men and 361 women in this edition. Haile Gebrselassie appears for the 18th year running, Paula Radcliffe for the 17th, but there are 139 newcomers. Last year I specifically mentioned that nearly a tenth of all the athletes listed were born in a country different from the one they now represent and new entries this year, among others, are András Haklits (Croatia but born in Hungary),  Michael Bingham (GBR/ USA), William Sharman (GBR/NGR), Meb Keflezighi (USA/ERI), Leonel Manzano (USA/MEX) and Debbie Dunn (USA/JAM). It was not a vintage year in terms of depth. In only two men's events did the 100^th best performer achieve best on record marks: in the 100m (10.22 as against a previous high of 10.23 in 2008) and the marathon (2:09:53 compared to 2:10:22 the previous year). Of the 103 men who broke 2:10 in 2009 no fewer than 64 hailed from Kenya and 27 from Ethiopia! The top non-African was Ukraine's Dmytro Baranovskiy, whose 2:08:19 ranked him 44^th. On the women's side no new 100^th best performer marks were established.

British Athletics 2010. A5. 411pp. This statistical review of 2009, compiled by the NUTS and edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews and Tony Miller, provides the usual comprehensive record of British athletics during the previous year. The centrepiece as always is the series of top 100 (or near) best performer lists for senior men and women with less deep lists for the younger age groups. Comparisons with ten years ago are instructive. In 1999 the 100^th best performer in the men's 100m was 10.94 while in 2009 it was 10.86, but in the marathon the figure worsened from 2:32:15 to 2:33:59 – a far cry from 1983 when no 100 ran 2:19:52, a time bettered by only eight runners last year. The pole vault progressed from 77 men over 4.20 to 95 but in the shot there were only 50 over 14m as against 62 ten years ago (and 80 ten years before that). More progress overall was seen in the women's events. The 60^th best at 100m improved from 12.27 to 12.10, the 80^th best at 1500m from 4:32.89 to 4:28.11, and of course there were spectacular gains in developing events like the pole vault (from 47 over 3m to 88) and hammer (from 63 over 40m to 92), but no 100 in the shot went down from 11.30 to 11.10. Other contents include 50 deep UK all-time lists, records, results of major meetings, Peter Matthews' merit rankings and a splendidly fact-filled index. Orders to Les Crouch, Gentle Murmurs, Woodside, Clos Llanfair, Wenvoe, Cardiff CF5 6EU, UK; price £18 UK, £20 rest of Europe, £22 outside Europe.

Cheques payable to NUTS.  E-mail: crouch_leslie@hotmail.com

Bulletin No 56 of the DGLD – the German statistical group, Deutschen Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation contains in its 186 pages 100-deep all-time men’s performer and performance lists as at 31 Dec 1945 compiled by Richard Hymans and a continuation (H-Q) of the index of performances by German juniors 1949-90, in addition to usual statistical profiles of athletes born 70, 75, 90 and 100 years ago and ‘In Memoriam’. Membership of the DGLD (three bulletins per year with free Deutsche Bestenliste) is euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

European Athletics Yearbook 2009-10. A5 564pp. From the European Athletic Association, Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18, CH-1003 Lausanne, Switzerland (25 euro in Europe, 30 euro elsewhere) – see www.European-athletics.org. Half of this valuable annual contains reviews and results of EAA meetings in 2009 plus a wealth of other useful information, and half European lists: 100-deep for 2009, with 50-deep U23 and junior lists, 30-deep indoor lists and 50-deep all-time lists, compiled by Mirko Jalava

L'Athlétisme Africain/African Athletics 2010. A5, 152p. By Yves Pinaud. Just out is the 29th edition of this splendid book, which has 100 deep men's and women's lists for Africa for 2009, with all-time lists, national championships and major meetings results. 20 euro, £18 or US $30 from La Mémoire du Sport, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France.

ENGLAND ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Voting is now open for the third year of the England Athletics Hall of Fame. Go to www.englandathletics.org and click on Hall of Fame and follow on-screen directions. Fans are invited to vote for three of the following: Linford Christie, Kathy Cook, Brendan Foster, Kelly Holmes, Dorothy Hyman, Derek Ibbotson, Denise Lewis, Ken Matthews, Jim Peters, Gordon Pirie, Tessa Sanderson and Fatima Whitbread. There is also a poll for the outstanding English athlete of the decade (2000-2009). You can vote for Jonathan Edwards, Jessica Ennis, Kelly Holmes, Phillips Idowu, Denise Lewis, Christine Ohuruogu, Paula Radcliffe or an athlete of your choice.

Asian Athletics 2009 Rankings. A5. Heinrich Hubbeling continues his magnificent annual job of compiling Asian statistics. His latest annual contains top 30s for 2009 for athletes from Asian nations, with continuation lists for countries other than China and Japan, indicating new national records, and full lists of Asian records. Euro 15/ US $23 in cash or by International Money Order from the author, Haydnstrasse 8, 48691 Vreden, Germany. 1998 and 2004-08 also available at Euro 10/US $15 each.

Weltrekorde und Weltrekordlerinnen – 80m, 100m, 400m Hürdenlauf Frauen. A4 172pp. This work, on women’s hurdling, is the latest by Manfred Holzhausen of splendidly detailed surveys (text in German, but masses of statistics) of world records and world record holders. As with previous books in the series (12 men’s and 4 women’s) there are results of all world record races with detailed career profiles (and illustrations) of record breakers, tables of annual world bests and results of races at major championships. Highly recommended. Price 16 euros in Europe from: Manfred Holzhausen, Dresdener Str. 4, 41516 Grevenbroich, Germany. e-mail: Manfred.Holzhausen@gmx.de

Bulletin No. 86 of the Spanish Statistical Group (the AEEA) (A5, 286pp) includes a magnificent work by Enric Pla about the men’s 800m at the Olympic Games, giving complete dettais of all races together with profiles of the medallists and details of major races and rankings leading up to the Games. 12 euros inc. postage in cash or postal order only from José Luis Hernández (estadistica@rfea.es), RFEA, Avda. Valladolid 81, 1° - 28008 Madrid, Spain.

100 Jahre Leichtathletik in Deutschland – Hürdenlauf der Frauen. The latest in the series of books dealing with the history of 100 years of athletics in Germany, event-by-event, to be published by the DGLD is available at 25 euros (no cheques from outside Europe) from Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany.

Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

British Athletics 2010

The 52nd NUTS Annual, edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews, and Tony Miller. Deep UK ranking lists for all age groups in 2009, top 12 merit rankings, all-time lists, results etc. £18 UK, £20 rest of Europe, £22 outside Europe; from Umbra Athletics Ltd, Unit 1, Bredbury Business Park, Bredbury Park Way, Stockport, SK6 2SN, England. All orders by credit card to www.umbraathletics.com

WOMEN'S TOP 100 YEAR LISTS: 1926 TO 1962 INCLUSIVE

EVENT BY EVENT

 330 PAGES   : A 4 SIZE      COLOUR COVER AND BACK PAGE 

 COMPILED BY

JOHN W BRANT     AND JANUSZ WASZKO

 Book weighs 1.2 Kilos!!

 Printed and coming over from Poland to me in 2 weeks time

Price                GBP £25.00               E30.00

Inclusive of postage to G.B. Or Europe

 Order from:-

JOHN W BRANT

40 THE QUADRANT

COTTINGHAM ROAD

HULL HU6 8NX

EAST YORKSHIRE

GREAT BRITAIN.

 Only 100 copies have been printed.

 9 Page Preface:-

The first time 60 metres extensive world lists compiled from 1926 to 1962.

 Lists Containing U.S.S.R Data rarely seen outside the U.S.S.R.

 Japanese statistics incorporated for the first time outside Japan

 Extensive National lists incorporated birthdates for many of the women.

 Deep for the first time War-Year lists 1940 to 1945.

 Extensive German lists incorporated including their 100 deep year lists.

 First names and surnames checked thoroughly for the first time and revising many previous erroneous names in national lists.

 Original sources consulted from many libraries throughout Europe.

 Great Britain women-first names and birthdates revised thoroughly from previous works.

 Names with correct symbols appropriate to national languages.

The Irish Championships 1885-1922 by Colm Murphy. A5 230pp. This, the second book in a series by the author, covers IAAA and GAA Championships in this period, after which both organisations were replaced by the creation of the NACAI as the governing body of athletics in Ireland. Heavily illustrated, including photo-graphs of all the 1908 Irish Olympians, here are detailed descriptions of each event each year. The rise and fall of Irish athletics is seen against the turbulent political background of the time. £18 or 20 euros plus postage, and a pre-publication (March) price of £15/17 euro inc. postage from Colm Murphy, 92 Rochester Avenue, Rochester, Kent. ME1 2DR, England.

Latvijas Vieglatletikas Gadagramata 2010. A5 184 pp. Comprehensive coverage of Latvian athletics for 2009, including records, results, biographies and year and all-time lists, compiled by Andris Stagis. From the Latvian Athletic Association, Augsiela 1, Riga LV-1009, Latvia.

The latest bulletin of the German statistical group, Deutschen Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation (DGLDD) in No. 55. Its 222 pages includes the usual features and the first part of a detailed survey of athletics in the GDR 1949-90 plus details and analysis of all German performances at World Championships 1976-2009. Also just out is Deutsche Bestenliste 2008 – a little tardy, but the definitive deep German lists for the year. Membership of the DGLD for these bulletins is euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Liebigstrasse 9, 41464 Neuss, Germany.

Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

The latest magnificent bulletin of the Spanish statistical group, the AEEA is No. 85 – December 2009. This weighs in at a whopping 388 pages, of which 257 are a great compilation by Miguel Villaseñor of Women’s all-time European lists for all events for 5-yearly intervals from 1920, generally 10 performers and 10 performances. There is also a listing of all 468 sub-3:38 marks by Spanish athletes at 1500m and an analysis of Spanish athletes in World and European rankings 1921-2008.

The AEEA have also produced deep Spanish all-time lists, 100 performances and 100 performers plus, which is a 1.4mb pdf downloadable from the Spanish Federation web-site at:

http://www.rfea.es/web/noticias/desarrollo.asp?codigo=3598

Also just published is a 187-page biography (in Spanish) of Tomàs Barris by Ignacio Mansilla and José Luis Hernández. Barris, who set 35 Spanish records, taking for instance the 1500m record from 3:54.6 to 3:41.7 in 1955-8, was one of the very first Spanish athletes to make an impact at European level.

Membership of the AEEA (four bulletins per year) is 55 euros per year (61 euros outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain.

email: ranking@rfea.es.

IAAF Directory and Calendar 2010. A5, 312 pages. Essential reference with contact details for officials, organisations and national federations, plus calendar and lists of records and champions. $16 from the IAAF at 17 rue Princesse Florestine, BP 359, MC 98007, Monaco. Email to: headquarters@iaaf.org

Israeli Athletics Annual 2009/10. 240 x 170mm, 54pp. By David Eiger. Records, championship results, 2009 top 20s and all-time lists, with profiles of leading Israeli athletes. 7 euro or US $10 from David Eiger, 10 Ezra Hozsofer Str, Herzliya 46 371, Israel. Past editions (from 1986) are available at a reduced price.

Anuario Athlético Español Ranking 2008/2009. At 1008 pages this majestic tome beats the previous year’s record as the largest national annual ever. It has everything about Spanish athletics with immense depth of results and annual lists for 2009 as well as records, all-time lists, details of all Spanish champions, lists of Spanish international matches, biographies of current stars and details of Spanish participation at major events. Also colour photographs. 25 euros from the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

DLV Leichtathletik Jahrbuch 2009. A5 366pp. The official yearbook of the German Federation. Directory and review, with articles on top athletes, detailed results of 2009 meetings, records and top tens, also many illustrations in colour. Euro 19.50 plus postage, from Deutsche Leichtathletik Marketing GmbH, Postfach 10 04 63, 64219 Darmstadt, Germany.

See www.leichtathletik.de

DLV Leichtathletik Bestenliste 2009. A5 414pp. The DLV’s ranking lists for 2009 for all events compiled by Eberhard Vollmer, generally 50-deep for seniors and Jugend-A, 30-deep for other age groups. Also German records and photos. Euro 15 – as above.

Berlin 2009 Leichtathletik WM. A4 144pp. Profusely and beautifully illustrated in colour throughout, this is a lovely record of the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, with the text in German and particular concentration on the German athletes. Published for the DLV by CNG sports & media GmbH, Machabäerstraße 3, 50668 Köln, Germany. www.cng-media.de

Annuare FLA 2009. A4 184p. The splendid Luxembourg Annual, edited by Georges Klepper has every possible detail for this nation– reviews, results, 2009 and all-time lists, plus photographs. 15 euros in Europe, 20 euros elsewhere to account no. LU32 1111 0200 0321 0000. See www.fla.lu.

Combined Events Annual 2009 by Hans van Kuijen. A5, 216pp. I have mentioned before the forthcoming publication of the 17th edition of this attractively produced annual, writes Peter Matthews. Having now received my copy, I thoroughly recommend this superb compil-ation. There are many extras as well as the staples such as the multi-event lists for 2009 with deep all-time world lists. For instance a little table gives the number of decathlons over 8000 and heptathlons over 6000 ever made at various venues, Götzis comes out easily on top with 263 and 297 respectively. Talence is next with 142 and 184, and these two are far ahead of the next highest in each category of 53 (Ratingen) and 69 (Kiev). A fascinating table scoring multi-eventers by their all-time bests at each event has, at the decathlon, top very easily Dan O’Brien 9572 from Michael Smith 9362 and Roman Sebrle 9326, and even more easily top of the women’s heptathlon Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7654 from Carolina Klüft 7240 and Eunice Barber 7212. It will be interesting to watch the 2009 world champions climb from their current positions: Trey Hardee 19th 9110, Jessica Ennis 23rd 6969. In Europe: 27.50 euro or £25 sterling cash (add £10 for cheques). Payments to bank account 52.31.27.898 of ABN-AMRO, Helmond, BIC code ABNANL2A. Outside Europe: US $50 cash or $70 cheques– from Hans van Kuijen, de Bergen 66, 5706 RZ Helmond, Netherlands. Email: hvankuijen@wxs.nl. Back numbers for 2001-02, 2005-08: 15 Euro each.

Yleisurheilu 2009. A5 672pp. The splendid Finnish Yearbook, published by Suomen Urheilulitto (Finnish Athletics) and compiled by Juhani and Mirko Jalava, is out now. It contains not only every conceivable statistic for Finnish athletics (with results and deep year lists) in 2009 but also world indoor, outdoor and junior lists for the year as at November. 17 euros plus postage and packaging. Orders by e-mail to juhani@tilastopaja.fi

“Conquerors Of Time” by Lynn McConnell; published by SportsBooks Ltd, PO Box 422, Cheltenham GL50 2YN, UK. (www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk/athletics). Price £10 post free to UK customers; add £3 postage for rest of Europe, £5 for rest of world. Payment by cheque or credit card.

Coe and Ovett, Bannister and Landy, Hägg and Andersson ... their mile or 1500m duels are part of athletics' folklore. Less well remembered or documented are the series of thrilling races over those distances which occurred during the 1930s. Luigi Beccali won the Olympic 1500m in Los Angeles in 1932; the following year Jack Lovelock set a world mile record of 4:07.6 ahead of Bill Bonthron at Princeton and Beccali beat Lovelock for the World Student Games 1500m title in a world record equalling 3:49.2, improving a week later to 3:49.0; in 1934 Glenn Cunningham lowered the mile record to 4:06.7 at Princeton but Bonthron narrowly beat him for the US 1500m title in a world record 3:48.8 while, in London, Lovelock took the Empire Games mile ahead of Sydney Wooderson, who was destined set a world mile record of 4:06.4 in 1937. The highlight of 1935 was a Princeton mile victory for Lovelock over Bonthron and Cunningham, while in Berlin in 1936 Lovelock triumphed over Cunningham and Beccali with a world record 3:47.8 in an Olympic final which remains a classic thanks to the New Zealander's tactical daring.

All these, and many more, races at these distances are superbly reconstructed by Lynn McConnell, an award winning writer and editor from New Zealand who provides particularly acute insights into the career and personality of his compatriot thanks to reference to Lovelock's diaries. The other towering figures of that period are also well drawn and there is much for the enthusiast to savour in this 244-page paperback. It's a terrific, nostalgic story of the fascinating characters who contributed to an enchanting era in miling history.

Dopo una lunga attesa esce finalmente il secondo volume de “I Figli del Vento”, storia dei 100 metri ai Giochi Olimpici. Otto anni dopo l’uscita del primo volume (1896 – 1908).Adesso potrete prendere una conoscenza più approfondita di un periodo straordinario della storia della velocità, e dell’atletica in generale, che va dai Giochi di Stoccolma 1912, i primi a rendere giustizia al grande progetto di De Coubertin, ai Giochi di Los Angeles del 1932.Questo secondo volume racconta la storia di uomini che fecero grande la velocità nei venti anni da me trattati. Uomini di grande spessore atletico quali Lippincott, primo primatista mondiale della specialità secondo l’ufficialità data dalla neo-costituita I.A.A.F., Charles Paddock, il più forte scattista del periodo, Harold Abrahams, vincitore dei 100 metri ai Giochi di Parigi 1924, tornato alla ribalta con l’eccezionale film “Momenti di gloria”, Percy Williams, il canadese trionfatore di Amsterdam 1928 e tanti altri. Per ogni edizione vengono raccontate le storie dei protagonisti, analizzati i dati, descritto il contesto storico nel quale si sono svolti i Giochi e fornito molto prezioso materiale fotografico per ripercorrere, anche visivamente, le gesta dei pionieri dello sprint mondiale.Il volume di oltre 380 pagine, realizzato con grande cura tipografica, può essere richiesto direttamente al sottoscritto all’indirizzo di posta elettronico: gustavopallicca@tin.it, oppure gustavo.pallicca@atleticanet.it.e avrete le istruzioni per il pagamento del prezzo (euro 21,00 + euro 4 di spese postali). Come vedete un prezzo nettamente inferiore a quello del primo volume (euro 35,00).Offerta speciale: Per consentire agli appassionati dello sprint e della storia dell’atletica leggera che non hanno avuto l’opportunità di acquistare il primo volume (costo 35,00 euro), in via promozionale offriamo i primi due volumi de “I Figli del Vento” al prezzo speciale di euro 41,00 più spese di spedizione (4 euro) con un risparmio netto di ben 15,00 euro. Un’offerta davvero vantaggiosa da non lasciarsi sfuggire.

LATEST TRACK STATS

Editor Bob Phillips has excelled himself in providing so many diverse articles, relating to international as well as British athletes, in the latest (September) issue of the NUTS quarterly magazine, “Track Stats”. Approaching the 90th anniversary of his first Olympic medals, Paavo Nurmi is the subject of a revealing 12-page study by Veli-Matti Autio, the archivist at Helsinki University; other profiles include Cuban sprinter Rafael Fortún and New Zealand javelin thrower Stanley Lay; and there is an interview (in 1987) with the USA's 1932 Olympic high jump champion Jean Shiley. British contents include a record of high jumper Peter Wells' competitions between 1946 and 1957; the marathoning career of computing pioneer and wartime codebreaker Alan Turing; and a feature on Scottish hammer legend Tom Nicolson. Collectors of marathon stats will salivate over a 1939 world list (265 runners down to 3:28:01) compiled by members of the Association of Road Racing Statisticians as part of the Annual Marathon Rankings Project led and co-ordinated by Andy Milroy. The world leader that year was Go Toyu of Korea with 2:31:26 in Tokyo and among the more familiar names listed are Boston legend John A Kelley USA (2:37:07), Squire Yarrow GBR (2:37:50; 1938 European silver medallist), Fyedosiy Vanin URS (2:43:57; he would finish 3rd in the 1950 Europeans), Johannes Coleman RSA (2:45:53; 4th in 1948 Olympics), Lauri Virtanen FIN (2:47:27; 1932 Olympic 5000 & 10,000m bronze medallist), Tom Richards GBR (2:50:26; 2nd 1948 Olympics) and the amazing Clarence DeMar (2:50:32 at age 50; 12th in 1912 Olympics, 3rd in 1924).

For subscription details, contact Liz Sissons: lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk

The History of the Panamerican Junior Athletics Championships 1980 to 2007. 272x210mm, 246 pages. By Amadeo Francis and Cecil Smith. The story and detailed results of the 14 editions of this meeting that was first held in 1980 in Sudbury, Canada and organised by Cecil Smith, ATFS member and chairman of the Panamerican Junior Athletics Commission.

Obtainable for US$15.00 (including postage) from the Panamerican Athletics Commission, Inc. at P.O. Box 11040, San Juan, PR 00910. panathlete@gmail.com. The results are also available on line (including the 2009 champs) on www.panam.revsys.net.

Weltrekorde und Weltrekordlerinnen. A4 116pp. Manfred Holzhausen has continued his series of splendidly detailed surveys (text in German, but masses of statistics) of world records and world record holders with one on women’s long distance running. As with previous books in the series (12 men’s and 3 women’s) there are results of all WR races with detailed career profiles (and illustrations) of record breakers, tables of annual world bests and results of races at major championships. Included are Women’s 5000m, 10,000, 1 Hour, 20,000m, 25,000m, 30,000m and 3000m steeple-chase. From: Manfred Holzhausen, Dresdener Str. 4, 41516 Grevenbroich, Germany.

e-mail: Manfred.Holzhausen@gmx.de

Swedish All Time Lists for Men (”Sverigebästa genom tiderna i friidrott”) compiled by Bengt Holmberg (editor: Jonas Hedman). 664 pages, 170x240 mm, hard cover. The book includes deep all-time-lists for men in all events (up to top 1000) plus shorter lists for juniors and youth, from age 14 to U23. $61 (plus postage and shipping) from TextoGraf Förlag, Jonas Hedman, Springarvägen 14, 142 61 Trångsund, Sweden. Email: order@textograf.com or call: ++47 709 99 51 04. More info at: http://www.textograf.com/swealltime

Friidrott 2008. 406 pages, 170x240 mm, 145 pictures, hard cover. Jonas Hedman has been the editor from 2007 of this annual which was first published in 1961. This is the 49th edition, covering world and Scandinavian athletics, including detailed championships results with narrative, world outdoor top 50 year and all-time-lists, top 25 Scandinavian year and all-time lists plus indoor top tens and record lists for World, Europe, Scandinavia and Sweden. $41 (plus postage and shipping) from TextoGraf Förlag as above.More info at: http://www.textograf.com/fri

Sverige Bästa 2008. A5 294 pages. Edited by Jonas Hedman. Detailed Swedish lists for seniors (100 deep), juniors and youth (20 deep). $20 (plus postage and shipping) from the Swedish Athletic Association: Svenska Friidrottsförbundet, Box 11, 171 18 Solna, Sweden. Email: info@friidrott.se.

A World History of Hurdle & Steeplechase Racing, 1860-2008, by Roberto L Quercetani.

Readers who have enthused over RLQ's previous event histories will be pleased to hear that the maestro has produced another of his superbly researched and highly readable works. This, on the hurdles and steeplechase for men and women, completes the range of track events and the winning formula remains unchanged. The evolution of each of the barrier events is traced in illuminating detail and there are statistics galore to back up the text in this 223 page book. The second half is devoted to world year lists, up to ten deep, from the earliest days, and there are also all-time lists at the end of each 20-year segment. How to buy the book?Write to Athletics International, 13 Garden Court, Marsh Lane, Stanmore HA7 4TE, UK, stating your name and address and enclosing  £30 or 45 euros for UK and European customers, or £40 or US$75 for the rest of the world. Payment can be in cash or (sterling only) by a cheque drawn on a British bank and made payable to Athletics International. You can also order by e-mail (to mel@gardencourt.fsnet.co.uk) and pay by credit card: Visa, Mastercard, Amex only. Include your postal address and these details: type of card, card number, name as on card, security number (3-digit number on back of card) and expiry date. Credit card transactions are handled on our behalf by Umbra Athletics Ltd and there is a surcharge of £3. The amount (£33 or £43) will be taken from your account in sterling. All orders will be forwarded (e-mail) to the Italian publishers (EditVallardi), who will despatch the books by airmail.

European Junior Championships 2009 – Offical Statistics Handbook. 409 pages. Compiled by Roberto Camano, this book contains results of all previous finals at these Championships (first held 1970), European junior all-time lists 100 deep (plus top ten performances) and national junior records for all European countries. Contact Roberto Camano at robbi.c@tiscali.it or write to him at Via Barzilai 11, 20146 Milano, Italy.

A World History of Hurdle & Steeplechase Racing, 1860-2008, by Roberto L Quercetani.

Readers who have enthused over RLQ's previous event histories will be pleased to hear that the maestro, now aged 87, is still going strong and has produced another of his superbly researched and highly readable works. This one, on the hurdles and steeplechase for men and women, completes the range of track events and the winning formula remains unchanged.

The evolution of each of the barrier events is traced in illuminating detail, with many an intriguing aside, and there are statistics galore to back up the text in this 223 page book. The second half is devoted to world year lists, up to ten deep, from the earliest days: 1860 for the men's hurdles and 1910 for the steeplechase; 1926 for the women's sprint hurdles, 1973 for the 400m hurdles and 1998 for the steeplechase. There are also all-time lists at the end of each 20-year segment. More than 50 photos range from Thomas Curtis, the 1896 Olympic 110m hurdles winner, to Dayron Robles and Kerron Clement, and on the women's side from a quaint shot of a women's hurdles race at the exclusive Vassar College (USA) in 1900 to Yuliya Pechonkina and Gulnara Galkina.

Fascinating facts and figures abound; here are a few examples. One of the USA's earliest Olympic heroes, Alvin Kraenzlein (winner of the 60m, 110m hurdles, 200m hurdles and long jump at the 1900 Games), was actually born in Germany, his parents migrating to America when he was three. At a time when his unratified world record for 440y hurdles stood at 54.6, William Meanix was timed at 52.6 when winning the AAU title in San Francisco in 1915 – but on a straight course with strong wind assistance! Described by the author as “probably the most surprising of all world records made in the years between the two World Wars” was Forrest Towns' 13.7 110m hurdles in Oslo in 1936 – improving his previous record by all of 4/10ths. It took the IAAF two years to ratify the mark but all was in order; there was no wind and the three official watches read 13.7, 13.7 and 13.8 with two alternates registering 13.6 and 13.7. Another astonishing breakthrough was Bob Tisdall's Olympic 400m hurdles victory in 1932. Prior to Los Angeles the Ceylon-born, English educated Irishman had run the event just three times: 55.0 (400m) in 1930, 56.2 and 54.2 (440y) in 1932. At the Games he he won his semi in 52.8 (52.60) and ran 51.7 (51.67) in the final although a world record was denied him under the rules then in force as he knocked down the last hurdle.

The text is full of names that resonate over the years ... Lord Burghley, Glenn Hardin, Harrison Dillard, Glenn Davis, David Hemery, Ed Moses, Gaston Roelants, Kevin Young, Babe Didrikson, Fanny Blankers-Koen, and so many more. Let us hope that Roberto, who has been writing books on athletics history and statistics for over 60 years, can now move on to the field events and complete his encyclopaedic documentation of our sport.

How to buy the book

Write to Athletics International, 13 Garden Court, Marsh Lane, Stanmore HA7 4TE, UK, stating your name and address and enclosing  £30 or 45 euros for UK and European customers, or £40 or US$75 for the rest of the world. Payment can be in cash or (sterling only) by a cheque drawn on a British bank and made payable to Athletics International. You can also order by e-mail (to mel@gardencourt.fsnet.co.uk) and pay by credit card: Visa, Mastercard, Amex only. Include your postal address and these details: type of card, card number, name as on card, security number (3-digit number on back of card) and expiry date. Credit card transactions are handled on our behalf by Umbra Athletics Ltd and there is a surcharge of £3. The amount (£33 or £43) will be taken from your account in sterling. All orders will be forwarded by e-mail to the Italian publishers (EditVallardi), who will despatch the books by airmail.

Jamaican Athletics ‘A Model for 2012 and the World’ by Patrick Robinson. 255x214mm, 140 pages. Previously published in Jamaica, this book has been updated and published in Britian. It celebrates with text and many fine colour illustrations the extraordinary successes of Jamaican athletes over the past 60 years – up to their marvellous feats at the 2008 Olympic Games. The book identifies the reasons for such success, most notably the strong schools programme and great traditions for the sport in Jamaica, pointing out the lessons that can be learned by the rest of the world. £6.99 from Arcadia Books – Gary Pulsifer: gary@arcadiabooks.co.uk

British Athletics 2009. A5 432 pages. The 51st NUTS Annual, edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews, and Tony Miller, has been delayed but is in stock now. Contents feature deep UK ranking lists for all age groups in 2008, top 12 merit rankings, all-time lists and results of leading international and national meetings. The cover photo is of Stephanie Twell winning the European Junior CC. Price £18 UK, £20 rest of Europe, £22 outside Europe; from Umbra Athletics Ltd, Unit 1, Bredbury Business Park, Bredbury Park Way, Stockport, SK6 2SN, England. All orders by credit card to:

www.umbraathletics.com worldwide post-free for £18.

Athlérama 2008. A5, 696pp. The French Annual, edited by Patricia Doilin with a strong team of compilers, is again a superb reference book – and with 88 extra pages this year. Packed with information on French athletics – deep year lists for 2008, indexes, athlete profiles, results and all-time lists for all age groups. Extras include French top ten lists for 1908 and 1958 and a survey of all 5.60 plus pole vault performances by Frenchmen 1979-2008 by Patrice Bertignon. Also many colour photos. 28 euros from the FFA, 33 avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 75640 Paris CEDEX 13, France. email Patricia.Doilin@athle.org

L'Athlétisme Africain/African Athletics 2009. A5, 152p. By Yves Pinaud. 28th edition of this splendid book has 100 deep men's and women's lists for Africa for 2008, with all-time lists, national championships and major meetings results. 20 euro, £18 or US $30 from Polymédias, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France. (also available booklist with very extensive list of athletics books and magazines for sale).

The Men’s Javelin Throw – History and Statistics by Tony Isaacs. A5 76pp. Part 4 is now ready. This 52-page booklet concentrates on Africa with progressive records, rankings 1910-2008, results of African Games and Championships and regional games and championships. Also an index of African record holders and champions. Still available: Part 1 – History and progressive world records and world rankings 1891-2006; Part 2 – Olympic Games and World Championships (including Juniors, Youths and Masters); Part 3 – Inter-continental Games and Championships such as Universiade, World Military Championships, Commonwealth, Francophone and Mediterranean Games. Each booklet £5 or 10 euros (banknotes) from Tony Isaacs, 43 St George’s Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 9PN, England.

E-mail: tony.isaacs3@talktalk.net.

Anuario 2008/2009 – Pista Cubierta y Campo a Través. A5 424pp. Comprehensive details for the Spanish cross country and indoor seasons with lists and results, all-time lists, lists of previous champions and colour photographs. 14 euros plus postage (€3.75 in Spain, €12 elsewhere) from the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

2009 USA Track & Field Media Guide & FAST Annual (general editors: Jill Geer & Scott Davis). A5 688pp. Once again a hefty tome, the first 264 pages of this handbook is the USATF Media Guide with detailed profiles of 151 top athletes plus lists of all US champions from 1990, and articles including a survey of US medallists at Olympic Games and World Championships. There follows the 31st edition of the FAST Annual with records, 50-deep US lists for 2008 and all-time, with 12-deep junior and college all-time lists. The massive final index section includes annual progressions and champ-ionships details for top American athletes. $32 airmail from Scott Davis, 4432 Snowbird Circle, Cerritos, CA 90703, USA. email: ssd@aol.com

Athletics 2009 – The International Athletics Annual.

It's inconceivable that anyone interested enough in world class athletics performances to subscribe to “AI” would not wish to own a copy of Athletics 2009, the ATFS's International Track & Field Annual edited for the 26th year by my indefatigable colleague Peter Matthews. Its 608 pages contain every essential statistic relating to global athletics in 2008 ... and so much more. There are lists of records, all-time lists, fact-filled biographies of 420 male and 365 female athletes (see below), an index to athletes ranked in the top 100 last year in each standard event with details of birthdate, height, weight and personal best. There are stimulating articles by Bob Phillips, Stan Greenberg and Roberto Quercetani, reviews of books published in the past year and a sad roll-call of those who have died since the previous Annual, their ages ranging from 22 (Finnish high jumper Jussi Tasala) to 100 (1927 International cross country champion Lewis Payne). Mel Watman

Obtainable from the publishers, SportsBooks Ltd – 1 Evelyn Court, Cheltenham, GL50 2JP, UK. Cost is £18.95 plus £3 postage for Europe and £5 for rest of the world. Payment can be direct by cheque (sterling drawn on a UK bank) or by credit card emailed or sent by post. No Eurocheques or US checks.

Or go to www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk and buy it through a secure site (charges in sterling).

Tel 01242 254326, fax 08700 750 888

E-mail: randall@sportsbooks.ltd.uk

Scottish Athletics Yearbook 2009. A5 320p. Edited by Arnold Black for the SATS. This book celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first Scottish yearbook; it has special articles analysing performance trends and details every athlete to have topped the senior rankings in this period. Plus the usual comprehensive review of Scottish athletics in 2008 and deep Scottish lists for all age groups, event reviews and championship results, all-time lists and records and a 4-page section of colour photographs. Remarkable value at £6 (£7.50 inc. postage in the UK, £9 elsewhere), sterling cheques only, payable to S.A.T.S. From Arnold Black, 19 Millbrae Crescent, Langside, Glasgow G42 9UW, UK.

The latest bulletin from the DGLD (Deutschen Gesell-schaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation) is No 53 –230 pages – A special ‘Jahrbuch der Leichtathletik 1948’ with profiles, articles and results of major meetings in Germany (all zones) for the year. Records are given as at 1948 and there are German lists for the year – generally 50 performers and 40 performances.DGLD Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste (annual German lists) is euro 55 per year Contact Hans Waynberg, Grefrather Weg 100, 41464 Neuss/Rh, Germany. Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

Asian Athletics 2008 Rankings. A5 96 pages. Heinrich Hubbeling continues his magnificent annual job of compiling Asian statistics. This booklet includes top 30s for 2008 for athletes from Asian nations, with continuation lists for countries other than China and Japan, indicating new national records, and full lists of Asian records. Euro 15/US $20 in cash or by International Money Order from the author, Haydnstrasse 8, 48691 Vreden, Germany. Copies also available for 1998, 2004-07 at Euro 10/US $13 each.,

The Spanish group, the AEEA continues to produce magnificent statistical publications. Membership of the AEEA (four bulletins per year) is 55 euros per year (61 euros outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain. email: ranking@rfea.es.

Bulletin No. 83 – January 2009 (394 pages) was a special issue with Spanish all-time lists – top 100 performers plus deep performance lists for all men’s and women’s events.

Due next is No. 84 – April 2009 with world all-time junior and youth lists. Price 12 euros.

Atletismo Cubano: Finalistas – Records – Rankings. Basilio Fuentes is continuing his remarkable job of docu-menting the history of Cuban athletics with a series of A5-size booklets. Each includes a summary of Cuban medallists, progressive Cuban records, 50-deep all-time lists and top ten rankings each year from 1905 for men and 1933 for women (or later as may be be appropriate) for each standard event. Tomo III men’s field events which runs to 358 pages and Tomo V, women’s track events of 362 pages. Contact Basilio at basilio@inder.cu

LATEST TRACK STATS

Roger Bannister was the first man to break four minutes but the latest (March) issue of Track Stats, the NUTS quarterly magazine, lists 1089 runners who have clocked 3:59.99 or faster as at 31.12.2008.Arranged alphabetically, starting with Miloud Abaoub of Algeria (3:55.49 in 1997) and ending with Croatia's Branko Zorko (3:52.64 in 1998), the list compiled by Ian R.Smith, indicates each man's first sub-4 time and, where different, their subsequent pb. The mile retains its popul-arity as 53 broke 4 min last year (24 of them for the first time), a total exceeded only by the 70 of the previous year. The most prolific name, appropriately in view of the compiler, is Smith – Barry and Geoff of Britain; Christian, Maurice, Max and Tom of the USA – plus Hendrik Smit (RSA), while there are four instances of two sub-4 milers with the same name: Britain's Matthew Barnes (3:58.39 in 1994 and 3:59.57 in 2007) and Ian Stewart (3:57.3 in 1969 and 3:53.20 in 1982); David Campbell of Canada (3:58.01 in 1986) and of Ireland (3:58.19 in 2008); and Kenya's Daniel Komen (3:46.38 in 1997 and 3:48.28 in 2007). To that can be added Matt Centrowitz of the USA, the father running 3:54.94 in 1982 and the son clocking 3:57.92 indoors this year.Other features include a detailed account by editor Bob Phillips of the Canadian 400m hurdler John Loaring, the 1936 Olympic silver medallist; British women's top ten lists for 1958; and an interview with former UK 100/ 220y record holder Sylvia Disley (née Cheeseman) by David Thurlow, who also contributes a piece on British half milers of the early post-war period, Tom White, Frank Evans and Albert Webster.Annual subscription is £17 (UK), £21 Europe, £26 elsewhere; cheque payable to NUTS; contact Liz Sissons, 8 Fairoak Lane, Chessington, Surrey

Swiss Athletics 2008. A5 366pp. The 35th edition of this Annual provides the usual comprehensive compilation of Swiss records, results, 2008 and all-time top ten lists (by ATFS members Antonin Hejda and Alberto Bordoli). There are also statistical profiles of 23 top Swiss athletes. From the SLV, Postfach 606, 3000 Bern 22, Switzerland.

 South African Athletics Annual 2009. A5 240 pages. Edited by Riël Hauman. This is the 57th edition of this Annual, and remarkably Gert le Roux has been a major contributor to 50 of these. The Annual includes 2008 and all-time lists, records and results. SA athletes of the year were Khotso Mokoena and René Kalmer. Also included is the South African Athletics Hall of Fame that lists all the nation’s medallists at major games and championships. It is sad to read that the SA Athletics Statisticians (SAAS) are finding it increasingly difficult to do the job at which they have excelled for over half a century due to the apathy about the recording of results and lack of support from the governing body, Athletics South Africa.From SA Athletics Annual, PO Box 668, BelaBela 0480, South Africa at 80 SA Rand by surface mail or 120 Rand by airmail. No cheques. email gler@mweb.co.za

The DGLD – the German statistical group, Deutschen Gesellschaft für Leichtathletik-Dokumentation – continues to produce detailed statistical bulletins. No 52 – 152 pages – included progressive German indoor men’s triple jump records, ‘Mitteldeutsche’ Championships 1905-33 and progressive German W30 to W70 records for 10,000m to javelin as well as the regular statistical profiles of athletes born 70 years ago, 75, 80, 85, 90 etc.Membership, with free Deutsche Bestenliste (deep German lists for 2007 just published in a 204-page book) is euro 55 per year. Contact Hans Waynberg, Grefrather Weg 100, 41464 Neuss/Rh, Germany.Website: www.leichtathletik-dgld.de

Eesti Kergejõustiku Aastaraamat 2009. 314pp. The Estonian annual is an attractively produced book with comprehensive Estonian ranking lists indoors and out for 2008, with results and records. Male and female athletes of 2008 were Gerd Kanter and Keire Leibak. From the Estonian Athletic Federation, Maakri 23, Tallinn 10145, Estonia

The Landy Era: From Nowhere to the Top of the World is a new book by Len Johnson and tells the tale of how from roughly the end of World War II to Herb Elliott's mile world record in 1958, Australia went to a position of dominance in world miling. And, of course, after that Herb went on to win the Olympic 1500 in Rome in 1960 in world record time followed by the great exploits of Ron Clarke (who writes an introduction) and another Olympic gold medallist in Ralph Doubell. There's been nothing like it before or since in Australia in any athletics discipline. John Landy, who succeeded Roger Bannister as the world mile record holder and had that great race against him at the Empire Games in 1954, led the way for the others. The book can be ordered on-line at www.melbournebooks.com.au.

All Time 1000 Performances by Giuseppe Mappa. The fourth edition of this massive work (first three editions 1987, 1998 and 2001 with Roberto Quercetani) is now published on CD rather than in printed form. It covers all men’s Olympic events plus 1 mile, 3000m and half marathon and in addition to details of top marks includes an alphabetical index of athletes. Price is 30 euros including postage from the author at 6 Piazza della Costituzione, 50129 Firenze, Italy. email:g.mappa@winalltime.it

Richard Hymans writes: Not surprisingly, athletes who are good in events which can be held frequently – hurdles, field events and sprints – are more likely to dominate than middle and long distance runners. Colin Jackson is the most dominant track athlete, with 142 marks of 13.26 or better at 110mh (Allen Johnson with 128 isn’t far behind). The only other track athlete with 100+ marks in the top-1000 is Samuel Matete at 400mh, with 108 at 48.50 or better (Ed Moses has 79). Of the field eventers Sotomayor has 142 at 2.32, Sergey Bubka 148 at 5.81 (and 185 of the 1604 marks listed at 5.80), Larry Myricks 110 at 8.25, Virgilius Alekna 117 at 66.90 and in the JT Sergey Makarov’s 100 at 84.60 is topped by Jan Zelezny’s 122 (exclud-ing 14 with the rough tailed implement in 1991-2). Of the field event leaders, four were at their peak in the 1980s (Soto, Bubka, Myricks, Werner Günthor), three in the 1990s (Jonathan Edwards (91 at 17.24), Igor Astapkovich (84 over 80.00), and Zelezny), with just one (Alekna) in his prime in the current decade. All in all, it’s a terrific reference source, and well worth the 30 Euros for the disk.

CUBA y EL MUNDO EN LOS AÑOS OLIMPICOS 1924-2004 Basilio Fuentes (ATFS) y Lázaro Betancourt

Cuban athletes in Games, by events men and women, cronology of olympic records. A comparison in olympic years of Cubans and champions, for each event 3 cronological graphics. In Index personal data of Cubans. Include Chapters about Doping and Training History. Pictures in b/w, 300 pages.

TECNICA, SECRETOS e HISTORIA. RELEVOS 4X100 Basilio Fuentes (ATFS) y Lázaro Betancourt

 For men and women, criterium for training, more common mistakes. statistical data 1926-2003, athletes and some indexes, All Time National lists. A Chapter for the final in World Champs in Tokio/91, a scientific analysis. In Index, champions in the most important competitions. 155 pages, pictures in b/w.

ATLETISMO CUBANO, BREVE HISTORIA Y SINTESIS BIOGRAFICA 1886-2005 Basilio Fuentes (ATFS)

 Cuban athletes that has broken World records, seniors and juniors, the most important results in Cuba/s history, milestones and analysis for different dates, in alfabhetical order by surname, ersonal dta of the best 81 athletes of XX century: best annual results in events that they has competed, records and international results in 13 competitions. 182 pages in Spanish and pictures in the cover/

ATLETISMO CUBANO. MAS DE UN SIGLO DE ACTUACIONES  1886-2005 Basilio Fuentes (ATFS)

 Cuban athletes that has broken World records, seniors and juniors, the most important results in Cuba/s history, milestones and analysis for different dates, in cronological order Cuban athletes that has broken or tied world records, best results and champions in Olympics, World champions outdoor and indoor, World Cup, Central American and Caribbean and Panamerican Games. Index of champions in those competitions and personal data of all athletes  included in the book, 197 pages and pictures in b/w

Israeli Athletics Annual 2008/09. 240 x 170mm, 54pp. By David Eiger. Records, championship results, 2008 top 20s and all-time lists, with profiles of leading Israeli athletes. 7 euro or US $10 from David Eiger, 10 Ezra Hozsofer Str, Herzliya 46 371, Israel. Past editions (from 1986) are available at a reduced price,

Beste Zeiten – Die Gazelle mit dem Löwenherzen by Dr. Christoph Josten. 220mm x 170mm, 304pp. Kim Gevaert retired, to rapturous applause, at the van Damme meeting last year. This book, in German, sets the scene of women’s sprinting and details the remark-able career of the ‘Gazelle of Kampenhout’, who sealed her champion-ships career by anchoring the Belgian team to sprint relay silver at the Beijing Olympics. She was Belgium’s first-ever European women’s champion, winning three successive indoor 60m titles as well as the outdoor 100m/200m double at Gothenburg 2006. Illustrated in colour, there are full results of all her important races. The appendices include a list of her 59 Belgian records. 24 euros from Books on Demand GmbH., Norderstedt or contact author at josmos@T-Online.de.

El Atletismo Español en los Juegos Olímpicos by José Javier Etayo, José María García, José Luis Hernández and Miguel Villaseñor. A5 80pp. Complete details and analyses of Spanish athletes at the Olympic Games including 2008. Given Spain’s current place amongst the top European nations athletics, it is fascinating to see that Spain have competed in athletics at all Olympic Games from 1960 but at only four before that: 1920-24-28 and 1948. The index gives the particulars of all 233 men and 78 women and Spain has won 11 medals (2 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze) and had had 63 finalists. Two athletes have competed at five Games: Carlos Sala and Jesús Ángel García. 15 euros from the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

Atletica by Roberto L Quercetani. This is an updated edition (in Italian) of the monumental and authoritative history of world athletics since 1860 which was published (in English) in 2000. Roberto, now 86, has added chapters covering the years 2001-2007 and the 448 page book, which includes a statistical section, is illustrated by nearly 300 black and white photos. There are no plans at present for a new English language edition. The price is 39 euros plus shipping costs; all orders or enquiries to the publisher, Roberto Vallardi, Editvallardi, via Roma 74, 20060 Cassina de Pecchi (MI), Italy; email: roberto.vallardi@editvallardi.com

ATHLETICS 2008 edited by Peter Matthews. Obtainable from the publishers, SportsBooks Ltd, 1 Evelyn Court, Cheltenham GL50 2JP, UK; £18.95 post free in UK; add £3 postage for Europe & £5 for rest of world. See announcement on page 15 of AI-9 for further details.

Where would we be without the ATFS Annual? My indefatigable colleague Peter Matthews edits this monumental work each year (this is his 24th edition), an immense job, and as always he has produced a wonderfully comprehensive statistical and textual review of the year in question plus all-time lists and many other items. The 608 pages include 150-200 deep lists for 2007, a huge index and biographical profiles of 784 of the world's current leading athletes. Articles in this edition feature a re-evaluation of the career of the legendary but mysterious Sin Kim Dan by Bob Phillips, IAAF rule changes by Bob Hersh and AIMS' silver jubilee by Hugh Jones. Interesting to note among the USA biographies how many of their top athletes were born elsewhere: Ron Bramlett in Germany, Kerron Clement in Trinidad, Meb Keflezighi in Eritrea, Khalid Khannouchi in Morocco, Bernard Lagat in Kenya and Sanya Richards in Jamaica.Other fascinating American trivia: Christian Cantwell has thrown the discus 59.32 and the hammer 57.18 while Reese Hoffa has recorded 58.46 and 60.05; Xavier Carter was the youngest ever to break 50 sec for 400m with 49.71 at age 13; triple jumper Walter Davis has run 10.44w for 100m while Brian Johnson has 10.24 speed; marathon star Ryan Hall ran 800m in 1:51.07 as a junior; Allen Johnson was once a 2.11 high jumper and 8.14 long jumper; David Oliver's mother, Brenda Chambers, was also a hurdler (58.54 400mH); the father of Tom Pappas once held a world motor speed record; Wallace Spearmon's father had sprint marks of 10.19/10.05w and 20.27/20.20w; the mother of Lashinda Demus, Yolanda Rich, was a 52.19 400m performer; Allyson Felix's brother Wes is a 10.23/20.43 sprinter; Cheryl Bridges, Shalane Flanagan's mother, set a marathon world best of 2:49:40 in 1971; Natasha Hastings' British mother, Joanne Gardner, was the WAAA under-15 100m champion in 1977 and had a pb of 11.89; and Grace Upshaw's father, Monte, set a US high school long jump record of 7.72 in 1954, the second best in the world that year.

Latvijas Vieglatletikas Gadagramata 2009. A5 368 pp. Comprehensive coverage of Latvian athletics for 2008, including records, all-time lists, results and bio-graphies, compiled by Andris Stagis. From the Latvian Athletic Association, Augsiela 1, Riga LV-1009, Latvia.

Yleisurheilu 2008. A5 672pp. The splendid Finnish Yearbook, published by Suomen Urheilulitto (Finnish Athletics) and compiled by Juhani and Mirko Jalava, contains not only every conceivable statistic for Finnish athletics (with results and deep year lists) in 2008 but also world indoor, outdoor and junior lists for the year as at November. 17 euros plus postage and packaging.

Orders by e-mail to juhani@tilastopaja.fi

Anuario Athlético Español Ranking 2007/2008. At 968 pages this is again the largest national annual ever. It has everything about Spanish athletics with immense depth of results and annual lists for 2008 as well as records, all-time lists, details of all Spanish champions, lists of Spanish international matches, biographies of current stars and details of Spanish participation at major events. Also colour photographs. Great value at 25 euros from the Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN. Email: publicaciones@rfea.es.

“Dream to Reality: The Ray Roseman Story, by David Cocksedge. British athletics fans of a certain age will carry affectionate memories of Ray Roseman, the tall, thin South London Harrier (later of Brighton & Hove AC) who enlivened many a mile race with his uninhibited running – on one occasion zipping through a 54.8 third quarter. His dream was to break four minutes but for year after year he fell frustratingly short of that goal. Britain's third fastest miler of 1963 at 4:01.6, he clocked 4:00.2 and 4:01.4 in 1965, 4:02.2 twice in 1966, 4:02.3 twice in 19067, 4:00.7, 4:00.8 and 4:00.9 in 1968, and 4:01.0 in June 1969. At last, in July 1969, he made it with 3:59.8, ranking him no 20 in the world that year and becoming, incidentally, the first Jewish runner to break through that barrier.

This well illustrated 98 page booklet, documenting Roseman's track career, has been written by my old “Athletics Weekly” colleague David Cocksedge (assistant editor 1969-1973) who, like Roseman, now lives in Thailand. Roseman, whose grandparents fled from Russia to Britain at the start of the last century, became a British international but missed out on Olympic selec-tion in 1964 and 1968 although he did attend the 1948 Games as a nine year-old. Another special occasion was when, at 14, he sat on the infield at Motspur Park during the Surrey Schools Championships while Roger Bannister came so close to the world mile record with an illegally paced 4:02.0. It would be on that famous cinder track, the scene of Sydney Wooderson's pre-war 800m, 880y and mile world records, that Roseman would run his dream mile 16 years later.

Collecting Books on Athletics and the Olympic Games, by Richard Bond. This is a mammoth hardback work of over 700 pages and limited to 100 copies. The author is a 61 year-old retired lawyer, a member of the NUTS and ATFS, who has been collecting athletics books since 1960 and his affection for and knowledge of all types of athletics and Olympic literature is apparent on every page of this labour of love. It's a prodigious work of scholarship, marred only by several mis-spelt names, and the range of books listed and analysed is breathtaking. As he explains: “This work is a bibliography and guide to books published in the UK and the Republic of Ireland with virtually any reference to athletics and/or the Olympic Games to the end of the year 2004”

The main section lists more than 3700 publications, starting with The Venerable Bede's Life and Miracles of St Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne, written in AD 721 and which refers to “in jumping, running, wrestling or any other bodily exercise, he boasted that he could surpass all those who were of the same age, and even some who were older than himself.” Homer's Iliad, translated into English by Alexander Pope from 1715, contains references to Achilles pursuing Hector around the walls of Troy and that prizes for foot races were common.

Typical of the fascinating historical information provided by the author is that largely overlooked in Sir Montague Shearman's classic work, Athletics and Football (first published in 1887) is a footnote referring to his taking part in 100 yard hurdles races at Eton as early as 1837 and that steeplechasing began at that public school in 1845. Coming to more modern times, Bond's review of a 1983 biography of Alan Turing mentions that the brilliant mathematician considered to be the father of the modern computer was also fifth in the 1947 AAA marathon in 2:46:03, but a hip injury put paid to his chances of being selected for the Olympics the following year.

It should be noted that for a more complete listing of all UK-published works the reader would need to have a copy also of An Athletics Compendium, compiled by Tom McNab, Peter Lovesey and Andrew Huxtable and published by The British Library in 2001. Bond explains in his introduction: “Books referred to in the Compendium are not included unless further information is known which I have felt would be of interest to the reader, where I felt there was a need for a review, where I have referred to any such book in other entries, or where previously unknown further editions of a work have been traced. It is felt that almost anyone who buys this book will almost certainly have a copy of the Compendium.” There is also a section devoted to books published outside of the British Isles.

The book is obtainable only from the author at 12 Lytham Close, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancs OL6 9ER, UK (e-mail: richard.bond@jlservices.co.uk). The price is £41.50 (£35 + £6.50 postage) within the UK; cheque payable to Richard Bond. Potential buyers living outside the UK should contact him about the price including postage.

Stan's Second Little Blue Book, compiled by Stan Greenberg. Four years after Stan's Little Blue Book comes this sequel – not a collection of Max Miller's jokes but a bright and breezy updated miscellany of athletics statistics and curiosities. Trivia buffs will love it, for where else would you learn (or care?) that Sunday is the only day of the week on which no man has ever run sub-44 for 400m, or that (under the title “would that I could”) the furthest a mobile phone has been thrown is 94.97m! More mainstream stats include breakdowns of the “perfect” decathlon and heptathlon scores, adding up their individual pbs, for Dan O'Brien (9572 ahead of Roman Sebrle 9318 and Bryan Clay 9317) and JJK (7654 with Carolina Klüft a distant second best with 7223). This 48-page booklet is available from Stan Greenberg, 13 Ferncroft Avenue, London N12 0LN; price (postage included; send cash only) £3 in UK, 5 euros in Europe, $6 in USA and elsewhere.

Combined Events Annual 2008 by Hans van Kuijen. Available in early January. 216 pages. Annual includes top 200 men's decathlon and women's heptathlon lists for 2008 and all scores over 7500 and 5600 respectively with all-time world lists, national and international records, junior rankings, who's who etc. Obtainable from the author at: de Bergen 66, 5706 RZ Helmond, Netherlands. Price in Europe: (cash) 27.50 Euros or £25; (cheques) £35; outside Europe: (cash) $50; (cheques) $70.

Weltrekorde und Weltrekordlerinnen. Manfred Holzhausen continues his series of splendidly detailed surveys (text in German, but masses of statistics) of world records and world record holders. There are results of all WR races with detailed career profiles (and illustrations) of record breakers, tables of annual world bests and results of races at major championships. These are highly recommended and follow 12 books covering men’s world records and one on women’s sprints.

The two latest booklets (A4 size) are:

1. Women’s 400m/440y - 800m/880y (158 pages, all inclusive price 15 euros).

2. Women’s 1000m, 1500m, 1 Mile, 3000m (124 pages, all inclusive price 14 euros).

From: Manfred Holzhausen, Dresdener Str. 4, 41516 Grevenbroich, Germany.

e-mail: Manfred.Holzhausen@gmx.de

AEEA Bulletin No. 82 – November 2008 (210 pages). The main feature of the latest publication of the Spanish statisticians’ group is lists of top ten athletes for the top 20 nations, ranking the nations by the average of the best marks, at each standard event in 2007. There are also Spanish indoor all-time top ten performances and performer lists for all events, and progressive World, European and Spanish bests for women over 35.

Membership of the AEEA (four bulletins per year) is 55 euros per year (61 euros outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain. email: ranking@rfea.es.

Latest Track Stats

Athletics in Britain during the Second World War is a topic which takes up half of the latest issue (November) of “Track Stats”, the NUTS quarterly magazine. Editor Bob Phillips provides the main narrative and there are numerous references to Sydney Wooderson – who, in the words of David Thurlow – “would think nothing of travelling overnight and back to Glasgow in a packed train, standing in the corridor both ways in the blackout, just to run and draw in the crowds and raise morale and money for the war effort.” There was a surprising amount of competition available during those dark years. Wooderson took part in 20 races between May and August 1940 including a Scottish all-comers mile record of 4:11.0. In 1943, before a crowd of 25,000 at an Allied Forces' meeting in aid of the Red Cross at the White City, he ran 4:11.8, having clocked 4:11.5 a few weeks earlier. His last big race during the war was a 4:12.8 victory in the “Stalin Mile” in Manchester, part of an “Aid for Russia Fund” meeting, in June 1944. A bout of rheumatic fever brought his season to a premature close ... although, astonishingly, he would set a British record of 4:04.2 in Sweden in Sep 1945.

Sadly, among those who died during hostilities were 18 international athletes including 1934 Empire Games discus silver medallist Douglas Bell (died of wounds while serving in RAF, aged 35), 1924 Olympic 400m champion Eric Liddell (died in Japanese captivity in China, aged 43), Denis Pell – Britain's second fastest ever at 1500m with 3:50.2 in 1939 (killed in an RAF flying accident, aged 26), 1934 Empire Games 100 & 220y champion Arthur Sweeney (died in an RAF flying accident, aged 31) and 1936 Olympic 110H fifth placer John Thornton (killed in Normandy landings, aged 33). Other features include a look back to British women's athletics in 1958, a review of Arthur Keily's road racing career and an appreciation of Godfrey Rampling whose 100th birthday is due on May 14 next year.

Annual subscription (4 issues) is £20 in UK, cheque payable to NUTS. Contact Liz Sissons, 8 Fairoak Lane, Chessington KT9 2NS, UK or e-mail her at lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk for foreign rates.

Legendary Runner: A Biography of Paavo Nurmi by Paavo Karikko and Mauno Koski. This 179 page hardback, with a foreword by Lasse Virén, is the first biography of the great Finnish runner to have been published in English and documents in illuminating detail his life on and off the track. Statisticians will particularly appreciate the complete record of his races, starting with a win in Turku on 1 June 1914 in an under-18 3000m (10:06.9 aged 16) and ending with a 10,000m victory in 31:39.2 at Viipuri on 16 Sep 1934 (aged 37). Along the way he collected nine gold and three silver medals at the Olympics and set 29 outdoor world records or bests as well as even more indoors during his American tours of 1925 and 1929. The publisher is The Sports Museum Foundation of Finland, Olympic Stadium, FI-00250 Helsinki, from whom the book can be ordered (price 27 euros), or by email: urheilumuseo@stadion.fi

Historia Finalów Lekkoatletycznych Mistrzostw Polski 1920-2007 by Henryk Kurzynski, Stefan Piet-kiewicz, Janusz Rozum and Tadeusz Wolejko. 240 x 150m 430 pages. Top eight finishers in all Polish Championships outdoors and cross-country for men with an index of all those included (4311 athletes) plus analyses of top competitors for each event. Price 20 euros (including postage) from Janusz Rozum, Angorska 14/23, 03-913 Warsaw, Poland or by e-mail: jrozum@poczta.onet.pl

World Athletics Series 2004-2007. A5 529pp. Price 20 euros. Maintaining the documentation of IAAF events, Mark Butler has edited a further volume (to those published from 1989) giving complete results of events for the past four years. So this book includes results of 25 major events, including all World Championships in this period as well as World Athletics Finals, World Cup and World Race Walking Cups.Contact the IAAF (or see www.iaaf.org) for their extensive list of publications and videos for sale at 17 rue Princesse Florestine, BP 359, MC 98007, Monaco.

NEW JUNIOR HISTORICAL WEBSITE

Lionel Peters informs us that all readers are welcome to visit his new website www.wjah.co.uk which features comprehensive information relating to junior and youth championships. He writes: “For some time now I have been trying to work out how to make available much of the junior history data I have collected over the years. With this in mind, Tom Magnusson and I have been working on a website to provide the most complete possible results for juniors and youths at all world, continental and regional championships for track and field, walks, cross country and road running. The aim is to have complete results permanently available with dates of birth, all throws and jumps, wind readings etc. I would appreciate any corrections, additions etc at lionel@wjan.org or (Tom Magnusson) tomtytom@bluewin.ch.”

The Spanish group, the AEEA continues to produce magnificent statistical publications. Membership of the AEEA (four bulletins per year) is 55 euros per year (61 euros outside Europe) from AEEA secretary Ignacio Mansilla, C/Encinar del Rey, 18 - 28450 Collado Mediano, Madrid, Spain. email: ranking@rfea.es.Their Bulletin No. 81 – June 2008 is of 306 pages, with two main compilations: 1. Top tens for each event for each of the top 50 nations for men and 30 for women on the average of those performances. 2. Evolution of the best marks ever made at major international championships. These lists, are, of course, dominated by the Olympic Games, but there are also plenty of marks in recent years from World Championships as well as from continental championships and World University Games etc.

Athens to Beijing – The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC 1894-2008. 280x230mm. 592pp. David Miller, who has covered 16 Summer and Winter Olympic Games as a journalist, was commissioned by the IOC to write their history for 2004 and here he has updated his great work. He alternates chapters on the evolution of the IOC with descriptions of each Games and each of these begins with a personal reminiscence by a leading figure. The major stories on Olympic history are well known, but all are covered here by an expert who had produced an outstanding book. The appendices include lists of all medal winners and medal tables for each Games. Published by Mainstream Publishing, 7 Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3UG. www.mainstreampublishing.com at £35.

Scottish Athletics Yearbook 2008. A5 296p. Edited by Arnold Black for the SATS and fully maintaining the excellent standards of past issues. Comprehensive review of Scottish athletics in 2007 with articles, deep Scottish lists for all age groups, event reviews and championship results, all-time lists and records and a 4-page section of colour photographs. Scottish athlete of the year for 2007 was steeplechaser Andrew Lemoncello. The price has been held (for the fifth year in a row) at the remarkable value of £6 (£7.50 inc. postage in the UK, £9 elsewhere), sterling cheques only, payable to S.A.T.S. From Arnold Black, 19 Millbrae Crescent, Langside, Glasgow G42 9UW, UK

2008 USA Track & Field Media Guide & FAST Annual (general editors: Jill Geer & Scott Davis). A5 698pp. The first 268 pages comprise the USATF Media Guide with detailed profiles on top athletes and lists of all US champions from 1990 and for the 14th year this is a cooperative venture as it is followed by the 30th edition of the FAST Annual. This has 50-deep US lists for 2007 and all-time, with 12-deep junior and college all-time lists. The massive final index section includes annual progressions and championships details for top US athletes. $32 airmail from Scott Davis, 4432 Snowbird Circle, Cerritos, CA 90703, USA.

Asian Athletics 2007 rankings. A5 96 pp. Heinrich Hubbeling continues his magnificent annual job of compiling Asian statistics. This booklet has top 30s for 2007 for athletes from Asian nations, with continuation lists for countries other than China and Japan, indicating new national records, and full lists of Asian records. Euro 15/US $20 in cash or by International Money Order from the author, Haydnstrasse 8, 48691 Vreden, Germany. Copies also available for 1998, 2004-06 at Euro 10 or US $13 each.

Annuario 2007/2008 – Pista Cubierta y Campo a Través. A5 472pp. Comprehensive details for the Spanish cross country and indoor seasons with lists and results, all-time lists, lists of previous champions and colour photographs. 14 euros plus postage (€3.75 in Spain, €12 elsewhere) from Federación Española de Atletismo (RFEA), Avda. Valladolid 81 - 1º - 28.008 Madrid SPAIN. E-mail: publicaciones@rfea.es.

Historia Polskiej Kobiecej Lekkoatletyki w Okresie Miedzywojennym by Henryk Kurzynski, Maciej Rychwalski, Andrzej Socha and Tadeusz Wolejko. A5 442 pages. This is a marvellously detailed survey of Polish athletics from 1922 to 1939. There are ten-deep annual lists for all events, progressive annual records, deep all-time lists as at 1 Sep 1939 (the start of World War II), international match details and statistical profiles of hundreds of top athletes. 25 euros (inc. postage) from Janusz Rozum, 03-913 Angorska 14.23, Warsaw, Poland, <jrozum@poczta.onet.pl>

L’Athlétisme Africain/African Athletics 2008. A5, 152p. By Yves Pinaud. The 27th edition of this splendid annual has 100 deep men’s and women’s lists for Africa for 2007, with all-time lists, national championships and major meetings results. 20 euro, £15 or US $30 from Polymédias, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France. (also available is booklist with very extensive list of athletics books and magazines for sale).

Athlérama 2007. A5, 608pp. The French Annual, edited by Patricia Doilin with a strong team of compilers, is again a superb reference book. Packed with information on French athletics – deep year lists for 2007, indexes, athlete profiles, results and all-time lists for all age groups. Extras include French top ten lists for 1907 and 1957. Also many colour photos. 25 euros from the FFA, 33 avenue Pierre de Coubertin, 75640 Paris CEDEX 13, France. Patricia.Doilin@athle.org

South African Athletics Annual 2008. A5 220 pp. Edited by Riël Hauman. The 56th edition includes 2007 and all-time lists, records and results. SA athletes of the year were Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Karin Mey. Also included is the South African Athletics Hall of Fame that lists all the nation’s medallists at major games and championships. From SA Athletics Annual, PO Box 26068, Monument Park 0105, South Africa at 70 SA Rand by surface mail or 120 Rand by airmail. No cheques. email gler@mweb.co.za

From Tiny Acorns Giant Oaks Will Grow: The History of Woodford Green AC 1908-2008. By Tony Maxwell. Price £25 (cheque payable to the author; add postage for outside UK) from Tony Maxwell, 27 Forest Edge, Buckhurst Hill IG9 5AD; email: tonymaxwell27@hotmail.com

Kevin Kelly’s monumental history of Herne Hill Harriers – over 600 pages and 800 photos – set an awesome standard for club historians, but Tony Maxwell – a 4:07.2 miler in 1967 who has been a member for 51 years – has produced an even more gigantic work (over 800 pages and 750 photos) devoted to his beloved Woodford Green AC which celebrated its centenary this year. The club has long been one of Britain’s strongest, and all the more so since it joined up with the equally prestigious Essex Ladies in 1998, and its history – so well documented here – is a fascinating one. Among the thousands of names who contributed to the club’s success are several British internationals. Pre-eminent among them was Derek Johnson, who failed so narrowly to become Olympic 800m champion in 1956 and whose range of high quality personal bests (from 10.0 for 100y to 3:42.9 for 1500m and 9:15.0 for 2M plus a 9:16.8 steeplechase and 53.7 440y hurdles) remains unchallenged by any British athlete. Other distinguished members have included 1909/1910 International cross country champion Eddie Wood, world record breaking walkers Bert Cooper, Alf Pope and Hew Neilson, Harry Payne (the British marathon record holder before Jim Peters), Commonwealth Games pole vault and high jump champions Geoff Elliott and Dalton Grant, UK record holders Gerry Carr (discus) and Martin Girvan (hammer), and world relay record sprinters David Jones and Ron Jones.

British Athletics 1951-1959 by Michael Sheridan. Obtainable from him at 27 Yew Tree Park, Congresbury, Somerset BS49 5ER; £15.50 (UK) or 25 Euros or $30; payment by cheque drawn on a British bank payable to Michael Sheridan or by cash or PayPal.

Michael Sheridan has already made a massive contri-bution to the documentation of British athletics with his books covering 1946-9 and 1950, and here in 205 profusely illustrated A4 pages he tells the story of the rest of the 1950s. Subtitled “Sunset of the golden years”, the book contains not just enough statistics and lists to gladden the heart of any seriously afflicted tracknut but also profiles many of the top stars of the period and lovingly recreates the atmosphere of that decade.Superbly researched and written with great affection for an era treasured by those of a certain age (the author was 15 when the fifties came to an end), here you can revel in the reminiscences of Mike Blagrove, Ken Norris, Jill Lindsay, Peter Hildreth, John Parlett and others, and read profiles of such iconic figures as McDonald Bailey, Chris Chataway, Derek Ibbotson, Gordon Pirie, Arthur Rowe, Diane Leather, Dorothy Tyler and so many more. Officials, coaches and writers are not left out either as Harold Abrahams, Jack Crump, Marea Hartman, Vera Searle, Geoff Dyson, Jimmy Green and the McWhirter twins are among those featured. This classic work ends with a 38-page index of athletes appearing in the yearly top ten lists with date of birth, club and performance. Just ten athletes made the top ten every year 1951-9: George Broad (PV), John Disley (3000SC), Geoff Elliott (PV), Peter Hildreth (120yH), Mark Pharaoh (DT), Gordon Pirie (1500/mile, 2M, 3M/5000), Heather Young (100y), Suzanne Allday (SP/DT), Sylvia Needham (DT) and Anne Oliver (mile). Ah, what memories!

The Marathon Makers by John Bryant. Published by John Blake Publishing Ltd, 3 Bramber Court, 2 Bramber Road, London W14 9PB (www.blake.co.uk); £14.99.

As Sebastian Coe writes in a foreword, “Bryant’s book vividly recreates one of the most dramatic days and events in sport – the 1908 Olympic Games Marathon in London, an epic contest which, along with the intense rivalries, idealism, controversies and spectacle of the Games shaped the evolution of modern sporting culture. The book follows the fates of legendary runners Dorando Pietri from Italy and American Johnny Hayes, who took the emerging sport of competitive distance running to the extremes of human endurance, and so helped the marathon distance establish itself for ever in the popular imagination.”Reading much like a novel, the 331-page book traces the background, character and achievements of the two protagonists, along with Britain’s 1908 Olympic 400m champion Wyndham Halswelle, and explains what happened to them in later life. Unhappily, there was very little of a later life for Captain Halswelle, who was killed by a German sniper in France in 1915, aged 32. Dorando died of a heart attack at 56 in 1942, while Hayes lived on to 1965, aged 79. The author, a former deputy editor of The Times and editor-in-chief of the Daily Telegraph, is himself a marathon runner with a best of 2:21:59 in 1973.

British Athletics 2008. A5 432 pages. The 50th NUTS Annual, edited by Rob Whittingham, Peter Matthews, Tony Miller and Justin Clouder. Deep UK ranking lists for all age groups in 2007, top 12 merit rankings, all-time lists, results etc. £18 UK, £20 rest of Europe, £22 outside Europe; from Umbra Athletics Ltd, Unit 1, Bredbury Business Park, Bredbury Park Way, Stockport, SK6 2SN, England. All orders by credit card to:

www.umbraathletics.com worldwide post-free for £18.

European Athletics Yearbook 2007-08. A5 543pp. From the European Athletic Association, Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18, CH-1003 Lausanne, Switzerland (25 euro in Europe, 30 euro elsewhere) – see www.European-athletics.org. The book includes reviews and reuslts of EAA meetings in 2007 plus 100-deep European lists for 2007 (and U23, junior, indoor and 50-deep all-time lists) compiled by Mirko Jalava and a wealth of other useful information.

La Mémoire du sport has issued a new list of Annuals for all sports that are available. Write for this or for catalogues on all the books and magazines that they have for sale at La mémoire du sport, 46 rue des Bordeaux, 94220 Charenton-le-pont, France or see details at the website www.polymedias.fr. One notes that they have copies of the ATFS/International Athletics Annual available for all years from 1986 to 2007 (at prices varying between 22 and 32 euros) and also some scarce copies for earlier years. The 1952 Annual is priced at 60 euros and then the two most expensive: 1954 at 150 euros and the 1956 at 115 euros, with 1959 at 85 euros and various annuals 1960-7 at 50-60 euros.

The 1908 Olympics - The First London Games by Keith Baker. £7.99 post free (UK) + £3 postage for rest of Europe or £5 for rest of world; available from the publishers, SportsBooks Ltd, 1 Evelyn Court, Malvern Road, Cheltenham GL50 2JR, UK (website: www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk)

Published to commemorate the centenary of the first London Olympics, Keith Baker’s 180-page paperback reminds us that the 1908 Games had been awarded by the IOC to Rome but the damage and devastation caused by the Mount Vesuvius eruption in 1906 led to the Italians withdrawing for financial reasons. As Baker writes: “The British responded to the enormous chall-enge with widely-praised drive and efficiency. With barely two years’ notice and with limited resources, the organisers managed to stage the best-organised Games and the largest and most representative gathering of athletes ever before seen.”However, the Games also went down as one of the most controversial and dramatic in Olympic history. The athlete most people associate with these Games is the luckless marathoner Dorando Pietri and there is a chapter devoted to him and the largely overlooked winner, Johnny Hayes. There is plenty of detail also about the often bitter squabbles between the British and American teams, which came to the boil in the US-boycotted 400m. Altogether an intriguing glimpse of the Olympic scene of a century ago.The publication is a sister book to Bob Phillips’ superbly researched hardback “The 1948 Olympics – How London Rescued The Games” (see AI-24 of 2007) by the same publisher, price £16.99 + postage.

Scottie By Norman Harris. Last Side Publishing Ltd. Norman Harris makes a belated return to athletics writing (previous books include The Legend of Lovelock and The Lonely Breed) with the story of Neville Scott, the New Zealander who was seventh in the 1956 Olympic 1500 metres. From that high point his life descended into alcoholism and self-destruction, although he won a Commonwealth bronze medal at 3 miles in 1958. This is the story of his reconstruction.NZ and Australian readers should contact:www.scottiethebook.com. The rest of the world can buy it for £10 from www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk

LATEST TRACK STATS

There is the usual stimulating mix of historical and statistical material in the latest (March) issue of “Track Stats”, the NUTS’ quarterly magazine. Features include a complete breakdown of all 40 of Roman Sebrle’s 8000 pt-plus decathlons, six of them in excess of 8800 pts and topped by his world record 9026. If he had ever been able to reproduce his best individual mark from any of those 40 contests he would have reeled off this series: 100- 10.64, LJ- 8.11, SP- 16.47, HJ- 2.15, 400- 47.76, 110H- 13.87, DT- 49.12, PV- 5.10, JT- 71.18, 1500- 4:21.98. That little lot would have given him a first day score of 4776 and a total of 9265! Among several wallows in nostalgia is an article by editor Bob Phillips on the great 400m race at the 1941 US (AAU) Champs in which Grover Klemmer equalled Rudolf Harbig’s world record of 46.0, hotly pursued by Hubie Kerns and Cliff Bourland (both 46.1).

Annual subscription (4 issues) is £17 UK, £21 Europe, £26 elsewhere; contact Liz Sissons, 8 Fairoak Lane, Chessington KT9 2NS (lizsissons@blueyonder.co.uk)

Pole Vault: A Statistical Survey of British Jumping by Ian Tempest. A5 76 pages.

This is the 12th in the NUTS’ historical series of book-lets, the sixth by the industrious Ian Tempest, and it certainly maintains the high standard of this ongoing project to cover all the disciplines. As Ian writes in his introduction: “Like so many other events the pole vault has a very long history in world athletics, with Britain once again having a pioneering role in estab-lishing, in the 19th century, top international standards – though with entirely different equipment and technique to those employed today.”The first recorded mark (3.15) dates back to 1849 and the author documents the event’s evolution in text and figures. Of particular fascination is the period in the 1880s when the leading performers, drawn from the Lake District, were pole climbers. Tom Ray, for many years the best of them all, was described: “He scrambled up a dozen feet of his pole beautifully, poised himself on the top and then dropped down the other side of the bar.” But, as Ian points out, pole climbing was no easy option and required exceptional co-ordination and strength.” British vaulting early in the 20th century was of a very low standard and pole climber Robert Dickinson’s 3.58 in 1891 (a world best at the time) was not surpassed as the UK record until Laurence Bond, using a conventional technique, cleared 3.61 in 1928. Richard Webster was the first to reach 4m, clearing that height to tie for 6th place at the 1936 Olympics (which remains the British highwater mark in terms of global competition), and Mike Bull (in the fibre glass era) was the pioneer 5m performer in 1968.The booklet, which covers also the short history of women’s vaulting, lists progressive UK records, UK all-time performers (to 4.42 and 3.13 for women) and performances (5.30/3.90), championship placings, annual progressions and numerous biographies. Essential reading and reference for any pole vaulting fan, it costs £5 in UK or 10 euros; from Dave Terry, 34 Windmill Hill, Ruislip HA4 8PX.