In less than a week, athletes from more than 200 nations will march in the Opening Ceremony for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, more commonly known as the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Olympic fans in Sunnyvale will be able to watch the ceremony on Friday, August 8, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
Though records and medal counts change every time the Games are held, the images and stories from past games still resonate today. At the Library, you will find photographic histories, biographies of prominent athletes, and inspiring and tragic stories from Modern and Ancient games. Here is a sampling of some Olympics-related titles from our collection:
- David Clay Large, Nazi Games: The Olympics of 1936 (2007).
- Simon Reeve, One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation “Wrath of God” (2006).
- David Maraniss, Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World (2008).
- Tommie Smith, Silent Gesture: The Autobiography for Tommie Smith (2007).
- Tony Perrottet, The Naked Olympics: The True Story of the Ancient Games (2004).
- DK Publishing, Inc, The Olympic Games: Athens 1896-Athens 2004 (2004).
- Geoff Tibballs, The Olympics’ Strangest Moments: Extraordinary but True Tales from the History of the Olympic Games (2004).
- Annie Leibovitz, Olympic Portraits (1996).
Other Olympics-related titles can usually be found in the nonfiction section at 796.48, along with other sports books.
Good luck to all the competing athletes and their countries! Citius, Altius, Fortius!
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