A History of Sports from Ancient Times to the Present
By Rebecca Jean Porter
Illustrated, 248 pp.
Oakview Press, Westport, CT $32.95
Rebecca Jean Porter, the author of Olympic Dreams, has attained another perfect score in this engaging and readable history. A History of Sports from Ancient Times to the Present covers everything from sporting events in ancient Rome to the origins of teams sports in North America, and it includes a section on sports played on contemporary university campuses. I highly recommend the chapter with detailed instructions on how to play games that had previously been lost over time. Porter's comprehensive introduction and bibliography, as well as the time line of dates and events, make this a reference work that should be purchased by all public libraries. An online companion volume will be published next year.
-- Andrew Huff
