Foreword by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A large-format colour illustrated book that traces the history of the world’s oldest regulatory body in athletics, this was planned with Harold Abrahams (best known outside the sport for being the character played by Ben Cross in Chariots of Fire) who sadly died when it was still being written. The book is as much about the personalities of a century of athletics as it is about the organisation.
UK Publisher: Guinness Superlatives, 1979
“Better known as the creator of the Victorian cop, ‘Cribb’, Lovesey is also Britain’s leading athletics historian. In this impressive book, he tracks the sports from the 1860s … a seminal work for the sport’s appreciation.”
Pat Butcher, Time Out
“Splendidly written.”
Frank Taylor, Daily Mirror
“It is almost a bible; for the lover of athletics it is a never-ending feast garnished with superb illustrations and spiced with nice touches of anecdotal wit.”
Arthur Gold, Sport & Leisure
“The AAA have made a few blunders in their time, but in choosing Lovesey to record their years they have made their best selection.”
John Rodda, The Guardian
“A fascinating book.”
Christopher Brasher, The Observer
“Lovesey particularly succeeds in bringing his characters to life …Magnificently illustrated, it is a significant and readable addition to the history of the sport.”
Cliff Temple, The Times
“If ever a man was ideally suited to a task, it was that Peter Lovesey should be entrusted with writing the history of the oldest national governing body in the world … and he has succeeded brilliantly.”
Melvyn Watman, Athletics Weekly
