Athletic Shorts

These six powerful short stories chronicle bits of the lives of characters, major and minor, who have walked the rugged terrain of Chris Crutcher's earlier works. They also introduce some new and unforgettable personalities who may well be heard from again in future books. As with all Crutcher's work, these are stories about athletes, and yet they are not sport stories. They are tales of love and death, bigotry and heroism, of real people doing their best even when that best isn't very good. Crutcher's straightforward style and total honesty have earned him an admiring audience and made readers of many nonreaders.

A Study Guide for Chris Crutcher's "A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.

The History of Men’s Underwear and Swimwear features a detailed, thoroughly illustrated chronology of the development and changing styles of these two “bare necessities” of masculine dress. Interwoven throughout the study is also an examination of how these most intimate forms of men’s clothing not only reflected society but also how the evolution of styles inexorably influenced social change, especially notions of masculinity, modesty, and erotic exhibitionism. In addition, Daniel Delis Hill looks at more than 100 years of the mass marketing of men’s underwear and swimwear, especially the progression of visual presentation and the written message in the era of mass production and mass communication. Cover to cover, the second edition of History of Men’s Underwear and Swimwear is richly illustrated in color throughout with over 200 period photos and artwork, many never published before.

Start your run where the pavement ends. Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running is the authoritative and accessible guide for this rapidly growing sport. Whether you are an experienced runner on roads or an outdoor enthusiast who wants to explore a new way of appreciating nature, this four-color resource covers training, competition, injury prevention, strategy, and more.

This anthology of short, autobiographical stories has kids’ book authors telling tales of their own real-life athletic incidents. Some are funny, some are serious, and some put their own twist on the whole “sports” concept. Eight stories from both “boys” and “girls” include tales of dodgeball, wrestling, track, softball, and ballet. Kids will relate to the struggling non-jocks as well as the athletes who take the trophy home.