"This is a fully illustrated book highlighting some memorable moments in Australian sporting history."--Provided by publisher.

A sporting nation is only limited by its imagination. Every time this story is told it changes; something is always added, embellished or dropped from the run-on side. For more than thirty years, H.G. Nelson has been finding the poetry in the punt and humour during half-time. Now, he turns his keen eye for facts and folly to the illustrious history of our great sporting nation. In his trademark fast and furious style, H.G. dives deep into the moments that have truly made us who we are. He reminds us of our leaders' great sporting triumphs, from Harold Holt's swimming to John Howard's bowling; rewrites the record on legends such as 'Aussie Joe' Bugner and Jack Brabham; and explains why Australia's reality TV is the best in the world. The Fairytale is H.G. Nelson's magnum opus - an all-encompassing, no-holds-barred history of Australia at play, told through the stories of our sporting highs, lows and middles.

'Heads and Tasker, legends themselves, set out to write a book that would continue the trail laid by early-days sporting scribes of long ago. I could not put it down.' John Coates AC, President of the Australian Olympic Committee 'I know readers will enjoy the many stories and anecdotes that Heads and Tasker have accumulated over more than a century combined in journalism.' Ian Chappell, former Australian cricket Captain. Australia enjoys a rich sporting heritage. Our small population has yielded a disproportionate number of champions. These sports stars have become known worldwide as fierce combatants and honourable competitors, achieving soaring victories, but also heart-pounding near-wins and humbling defeats. Veteran Australian sports journalists Ian Heads and Norman Tasker have seen it all. In these 65 original stories, we hear of the explosive introduction of World Series Cricket in 1977, which turned a genteel endeavour into a high-octane contest, and the clash of the titans as Packer and Murdoch squared off over the Super League war. We see Rugby Union become a battleground for race and the Olympics an arena for sublime acts of courage and achievement. We get an insider's perspective on every kind of sporting endeavour - from boxing to tennis, cricket to AFL, athletics to rugby league - and not just the action on the field, but the change room gossip and clubhouse politics as well. Written with wit, insight and a wealth of knowledge, Great Australian Sporting Stories is an enthralling expedition into the combative, collegiate, entertaining and always exciting world of Australian sport.

“A powerful and poignant memoir” of an African American athlete who defied the establishment—decades before Colin Kaepernick (Cornel West, New York Times–bestselling author of Race Matters). An NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work—Biography/Autobiography John Carlos was a bronze medalist in the two hundred-meter race at the 1968 Olympics, but he is remembered for more than his athletic accomplishments. His and his fellow medalist’s Tommie Smith’s Black Power salutes on the podium sparked controversy and career fallout—yet their show of defiance, seen around the world, remains one of the most iconic images of both Olympic history and African American history. This is the remarkable story of John Carlos’s experience as a young man in Harlem, a track and field athlete, and lifelong activist. “This book is fascinating for more than just the sports history, as the text talks about Carlos’ connection to Dr. King, basketball player Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Olympic runner Ralph Boston, baseball legend Jackie Robinson and boxer George Foreman. Carlos even comments on topics in today’s news including First Lady Michelle Obama, the value of Twitter, the antics of athletes like Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens, and his views on an award he received at ESPN’s 2008 ESPYs.” —Chicago Tribune “John Carlos is an American hero . . . I couldn’t put this book down.” —Michael Moore, filmmaker and New York Times–bestselling author of Here Comes Trouble

From racing to football to lawn bowls, no sport has been left untouched. Great Australian Sports Rorts reveals that nefarious conduct has affected just about every sport in this country. And every mechanism known – be it physical, mechanical or chemical – has been employed. When a sporting contest is taking place, and there is either a reward for the winner or there is betting on the contest, it is almost guaranteed that one person will attempt to relieve another person of what is rightfully theirs. And if a degree of skulduggery is required to attain the right result or to assist in the transfer of funds from one person’s pocket to another, then so be it. Cheating: it’s as Australian as Sunday barbecues.Join John ‘Dr Turf’ Rothfield and John Adams on a rollicking ride through the sporting outrages that have rocked Australia.

Great Moments in Australian History presents an exciting collection of stories about the most colourful highlights and heroes of Australia's history. Pioneering a fresh approach, award-winning author Jonathan King dramatises events to bring each moment vividly to life. Dodge Aboriginal spears as we land with early Dutch explorers; creep by night into an open boat with convict Mary Bryant as she escapes from Botany Bay; sneak into Matthew Flinders' French prison cell as he names Australia; break down doors with the redcoats to arrest Governor Bligh; confront 'Wild White Man' William Buckley as he returns from the dead after 30 years; fight for democracy at the Eureka Stockade; join Ned Kelly in his last shoot-out; ride down mountains with the Man from Snowy River; land with the Anzacs at Gallipoli; gallop across deserts with the Light Horse on history's last successful cavalry charge; fly the first plane from the UK to Australia; climb the steps as our first woman enters parliament; join Bradman on the pitch as he makes history; help soldiers stop Japanese troops advancing down the Kokoda Track; throw a boomerang with the first Aboriginal elected to parliament; feel Whitlam's outrage as he is dismissed; watch the angel of the Bali bombing save lives; and escape the nation's worst bushfires in stories that will take your breath away. Filled with graphic images, the book presents the big picture, from the discoveries of the early explorers to the cut and thrust of modern-day politics. In laying bare events that shaped the nation, it highlights vital turning points that marked the end of an era and the start of something new, showing just how dramatically Australia has changed. Sometimes fact is indeed stranger than fiction.

In this collection of incidents of racism in Australian sports, the author is honest in his condemnation of the offenders, sporting administrators and government officials who continue to deny that there is a problem of racism in sport.