Experience the highs and lows of five very different sports, all with a global appeal, in this edition’s pick of the best new books
Words Catherine Coyle
THIS IS CRICKET
If you’re not into it, cricket can seem slow, and, whisper it, boring. To its legions of fans (and it’s eclipsed only by football in its global popularity), though, it’s far more than a sport. It’s a chance to unite, enjoy a summer’s afternoon at the pavilion and appreciate the social aspects of the game. Daniel Melamud’s book takes us around the world, demonstrating cricket’s wide-ranging appeal. There are historic photos, team portraits and never-seen-before shots, from the grounds to the dressing rooms, for fans to revel in before the summer season begins.
£50 Rizzoli
SAILING THE SEAS
We’re all armchair travellers at the moment – and there are few better ways to satisfy your wanderlust than to dream away an afternoon flicking through the pages of Sailing the Seas. It’s a collection of adventures, compiled by Dayyan Armstrong and Ross Beane, that really captures the desire to escape and find freedom. The pair, founders of the Sailing Collective, wanted to chart the voyages and embrace the culture and lifestyle of each trip in the time-honoured mariners’ tradition – via storytelling – and this book does exactly that.
£35, Gestalten
That’s football as in American football – big business, and a fundamental part of the USA’s DNA. The latest release from luxury publisher Assouline takes an in-depth look at the sport’s biggest moments: historic plays, crowd-pleasers, killer ties and shattering upsets are all detailed here through photos, archives and commentary. This is a collector’s volume, filled with vintage memorabilia, all bound up in a limited-edition faux pigskin clamshell case.
£775, Assouline
THE KARAKORAM
Colin Prior made his name with glorious images of Scotland’s mountains, but he has scaled greater heights with this new book. Over the past 25 years, the award-winning photographer has made six expeditions to Pakistan’s remote Karakoram range (which includes K2), documenting the staggering beauty of these jagged, rocky peaks. Accompanying his images are historical accounts of earlier expeditions that reveal the perilous nature of such extreme mountaineering.
£50, Merrell
Three and a half years in the making, this stunning book is both a visual history and a beautifully rich homage to the surfing way of life. Cultural anthropologist Jim Heimann examines the sport through the fashion, films, lifestyle, music and art that have arisen around it, charting its enormous appeal in the process. Contribution from specialist writers and a wealth of wonderfully evocative images capture the surfing philosophy in all of its colourful coolness. Dive in.
£60, Taschen
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