Penguin Books Australia

As a teenager, Leanne Shapton trained for the Olympic swimming trials; now an artist, she is still drawn inexorably to swimming, in pools and on beaches across the world. What do you with an all-absorbing activity once it's past its relevance, and yet you can't quite give it up? Is it possible to find a new purpose for its rigors and focus?

Nicholas Lezard loved London. Then the Olympics came along  . . . .

Suddenly his beloved city was invaded by über-people in branded sportswear who had contorted their bodies into odd shapes in order to run a bit faster, or throw things a bit further. Not to mention armies of reptilian brand-managers, chancers and corporate cheerleaders all wanting to cash in, as a blameless piece of the East...

With a keen eye and a pair of goalkeeping gloves, award-winning author and filmmaker Dave Bidini followed a ragtag group of soccer players, homeless residents of the Canadian streets, to Melbourne for one of the humblest, yet purest, expression of the world game: the Homeless World Cup.

Sean Fitzpatrick played for the best rugby team on the planet, the All Blacks. His aggressive, uncompromising approach made him one of the greatest players ever. Ruthless, devious and compelling to watch, he was a one-man wrecking machine.

He was also an inspirational leader. Between 1986 and 1997, he played 128 matches for the All Blacks, 92 of those test matches, and a record 51 as captain. In his...