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The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to...

by Neal Bascomb | HC | Good
ThriftBooks
(3932935)
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US $4.58
Approximately£3.38
Condition:
Good
Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ... Read moreAbout condition
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eBay item number:146435345690
Last updated on 26 Jun, 2025 20:22:01 BSTView all revisionsView all revisions

Item specifics

Condition
Good
A book that has been read, but is in good condition. Minimal damage to the book cover eg. scuff marks, but no holes or tears. If this is a hard cover, the dust jacket may be missing. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. No highlighting of text, no writing in the margins, and no missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Seller notes
“Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ...
Binding
Hardcover
Weight
1 lbs
Product Group
Book
IsTextBook
No
ISBN
9780618391127

About this product

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
ISBN-10
0618391126
ISBN-13
9780618391127
eBay Product ID (ePID)
6039997

Product Key Features

Book Title
Perfect Mile : Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less than Four Minutes to Achieve It
Number of Pages
336 Pages
Language
English
Topic
Track & Field, Sports, Running & Jogging
Publication Year
2004
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Sports & Recreation, Biography & Autobiography
Type
Textbook
Author
Neal Bascomb, Kingfisher Editors
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
0.6 in
Item Weight
22.6 Oz
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2004-040535
Dewey Edition
22
TitleLeading
The
Reviews
A thriller.... This being an Olympic year, The Perfect Mile comes just in time to remind us what being an athlete can, and should, be about., In masterly fashion, Bascomb re-creates the battle of the milers, embellishing his account with fascinating forays into runner's lore... It's a mark of Bascomb's skill that, although the outcome of the race is well known, he keeps us in suspense, rendering in graphic detail the runners' agony down the final stretch., The Perfect Mile returns the reader to a time when a sporting ideal was not an oxymoron . . . Enthralling. The New York Times Book Review A rare literary win... Bascomb has penned a sports tribute book that transcends the genre. The Oregonian A splendid book... Well-written, suspenseful. St. Louis Post-Dispatch A vivid human-interest story... Engrossing, excruciating, and exhilarating. Boston Herald A fine, gripping book. The Chicago Sun-Times A marvelous book. Kansas City Star A thriller.... This being an Olympic year, The Perfect Mile comes just in time to remind us what being an athlete can, and should, be about. Newsday The Perfect Mile captures the awe-inspiring quality of ordinary men who achieve what had been thought impossible. TimeOut New York Captivating.... Much joy and inspiration to be found here. Entertainment Weekly Compelling human drama. [Bascomb's] crisp, detailed narrative helps readers step into the milers' spikes. A resplendent story of an epic event in sports history. Christian Science Monitor Bascomb delivers, with stylish and swift prose well matched to the subject... This is an agile and informative read, and we should compare Hillebrand's "Seabiscuit" to it, not the other way around. MSNBC.com In masterly fashion, Bascomb re-creates the battle of the milers, embellishing his account with fascinating forays into runner's lore... It's a mark of Bascomb's skill that, although the outcome of the race is well known, he keeps us in suspense, rendering in graphic detail the runners' agony down the final stretch. The New Yorker, Compelling human drama. [Bascomb's] crisp, detailed narrative helps readers step into the milers' spikes. A resplendent story of an epic event in sports history.
Dewey Decimal
796.42/092/2 B
Edition Description
Teacher's edition
Table Of Content
contents prologue ix part i A REASON TO RUN ~ 1 part ii THE BARRIER ~ 69 part iii THE PERFECT MILE ~ 195 epilogue 256 Author's Note 273 Acknowledgments 275 Notes 277 Index 307
Synopsis
There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be entirely beyond the limits of human foot speed. And in all of sport it was the elusive holy grail. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners set out individually to break this formidable barrier. Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur -- still driven not just by winning but by the nobility of the pursuit. John Landy was theprivileged son of a genteel Australian family, who as a boy preferred butterfly collecting to running but who trained relentlessly in an almost spiritual attempt to shape his mind and body to this singular task. Then there was Wes Santee, the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete who believed he was just plain better than everybody else. Santee was the first to throw down the gauntlet in what would become a three-way race of body, heart, and soul. Each young man endured thousands of hours of training, bore the weight of his nation's expectations on his shoulders, and still dared to push to the very limit. Their collective quest captivated the world and stole headlines from the Korean War, the atomic race, and such legendary figures as Edmund Hillary, Willie Mays, Native Dancer, and Ben Hogan. Who would be the first to achieve the unachievable? And who among them would be the best when they raced head to head? In the answer came the perfect mile. In the tradition of Seabiscuit and Chariots of Fire, Neal Bascomb delivers a breathtaking story of unlikely heroes and leaves us with a lasting portrait of the twilight years of the golden age of sport., There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be entirely beyond the limits of human foot speed. And in all of sport it was the elusive holy grail. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners set out individually to break this formidable barrier. Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur -- still driven not just by winning but by the nobility of the pursuit. John Landy was the privileged son of a genteel Australian family, who as a boy preferred butterfly collecting to running but who trained relentlessly in an almost spiritual attempt to shape his mind and body to this singular task. Then there was Wes Santee, the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete who believed he was just plain better than everybody else. Santee was the first to throw down the gauntlet in what would become a three-way race of body, heart, and soul. Each young man endured thousands of hours of training, bore the weight of his nation's expectations on his shoulders, and still dared to push to the very limit. Their collective quest captivated the world and stole headlines from the Korean War, the atomic race, and such legendary figures as Edmund Hillary, Willie Mays, Native Dancer, and Ben Hogan. Who would be the first to achieve the unachievable? And who among them would be the best when they raced head to head? In the answer came the perfect mile. In the tradition of Seabiscuit and Chariots of Fire, Neal Bascomb delivers a breathtaking story of unlikely heroes and leaves us with a lasting portrait of the twilight years of the golden age of sport.
LC Classification Number
GV1061.14.B38 2004

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  • Sub 5

    Why this book was never made into a book is beyond me. Not so much about the running as it was about the struggle and politics behind the “mile”stone. Santee was handcuffed.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: phoenixfriends

  • Athletics history come to life.

    A well written account of a famous epoque in athletics.

    Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-ownedSold by: second.sale