Showing results by narrator "David L. Stanley" in All Categories

At the dawn of the 20th century, French newspapers used bicycle races as promotions to build readership. Until 1903 these were one-day events. Looking to deliver a coup de grâce in a vicious circulation war, Henri Desgrange - editor of the Parisian sports magazine L’Auto - took the suggestion of one of his writers to organize a race that would last several days longer than anything else, like the six-day races on the track, but on the road. The race was an electrifying success. Held annually (suspended only during the two World Wars), the Tour grew longer and more complex.

Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger) is the motto of the International Olympic Committee. After listening to Les Woodland's The Olympics' 50 Craziest Stories the listener might wonder if the motto should be Sillier, Loonier, Crazier.

Here is the most detailed guide to the hiking, biking, and skiing options, the resorts and other places to stay, the best restaurants, what to see and do in this unforgettable region of Northern Italy.

In this selection of letters to a friend and an essay addressed to the Roman Emperor Nero, Roman statesman Seneca argues that the stoic life of virtue, courage, justice and temperance need not prevent a life lived with joy, and was within the reach of any man determined to behave ethically and with moderation.

In Michael Jordan: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Players, you'll hear the inspirational story of basketball's superstar, Michael Jordan. This short unauthorized biography of Michael Jordan highlights his journey in the NBA, from once being passed over until being the third overall pick to becoming a six-time NBA champion. Few players have shaped so much of the game of basketball as Michael Jordan.

Volume one of The Story of the Tour de France concluded with Bernard Thévenet’s dramatic victory over Eddy Merckx in the 1975 Tour. Volume two opens with super-climber Lucien van Impe’s taking advantage of a course made for the riders with wings. His win was followed by the dominating presence of Bernard Hinault, who became the third rider to win the Tour five times.

This telling of the 2024 Tour de France is an addition to our two-volume The Story of the Tour de France: How a Newspaper Promotion Became the Greatest Sporting Event in the World, and five supplements.

Learn the incredible story of basketball superstar Allen Iverson! In Allen Iverson: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Shooting Guards, you'll read about the inspirational story of basketball's premier shooting guard, Allen Iverson. Allen Iverson redefined the shooting guard position role in the late 1990s and entering in the 2000s.

Les Woodland climbed aboard his old Carlton bike to take a nostalgia trip across Belgium and Holland to visit some of cycling's greatest riders. Cycling Heroes: The Golden Years tells the story of that journey he took in the early 1990s and the time he spent with some of the finest riders from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s.

Dirty Feet is a fresh look at the now more than 100-year-old Tour de France. Les Woodland goes back to the blue-collar origins of the race when the father of the Tour, Henri Desgrange, was so bothered by the hygiene of his tough, beloved racers that at the end of each stage he would publish the names of the riders who did not wash after a day of racing on France’s mostly dirt and often muddy roads.

In Chris Paul: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Point Guards, you'll read about the inspirational story of basketball's premier point guard, Chris Paul. Chris Paul has emerged as a top five point guard in the NBA amongst the likes of Derrick Rose, Steve Nash, Russell Westbrook, and Rajan Rondo. From once struggling to make the varsity team of his high school team, Chris Paul has come a long way since being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

When more than 100 men or women go racing down a road, inches away from each other, in all weather, over all kinds of roads, the opportunity for a brilliant win or a terrible accident is always there. For more than a century, bicycle racers have sought glory, but have often found only misery. There can be only one winner, and even that triumph can be mixed with terrible loss. Fausto Coppi, coached by a blind man, set the World Hour Record in Milan during the war while the city was being shattered by bombs.

This short unauthorized biography of LeBron James highlights his journey so far in the NBA from once-doubted leader to perennial title contender. Few players demand as much excitement from crowds as LeBron James. It does not take a basketball fanatic to recognize and respect the name of LeBron James. Around the world, fans idolize LeBron for his unbelievable athletic prowess and collaborative team-based nature on the court.

Shortly before his father's death, Lennard Davis received a cryptic call from his uncle Abie, who said he had a secret he wanted to tell him one day. When finally revealed, the secret - that Abie himself was Davis's father, via donor insemination - seemed too preposterous to be true. Born in 1949, Davis wasn't even sure that artificial insemination had existed at that time. Moreover, his uncle was mentally unstable, an unreliable witness to the past. Davis tried to erase the whole episode from his mind.

Out of the Woods: A Bird Watcher's Year is a journey through the seasons and a joyous celebration of growing old. In 59 essays and poems, Ora E. Anderson, birder, bird carver, naturalist, and nature writer, reveals the insights and recollections of a keen-eyed observer of nature, both human and avian. The essays follow the rivers and creeks, the highways and little-known byways of Appalachia, and along the way we become nearly as familiar with its numerous bird, plant, and animal species as with the author himself.

Learn the Incredible Story of Basketball Superstar James Harden! In James Harden: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Premier Shooting Guards, you'll read about the inspirational story of one of basketball's premier shooting guards James Harden. James Harden has been making a splash playing in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets. In this short book, we will learn about how James became the star shooting guard that he is today.

This telling of the 2023 Tour de France is an addition to our two-volume The Story of the Tour de France: How a Newspaper Promotion Became the Greatest Sporting Event in the World, and four supplements.

Plato's Crito is a dialogue between an imprisoned Socrates and Crito, a wealthy Athenian who has formulated and financed a plan for Socrates to escape and live in exile.

What's the big idea? Socrates argues that there are reasons to believe the soul is immortal and will live on after the body’s death. This dialogue tells us how Socrates spent the last day of his life with several friends, and how he met his end. Though soon to take a fatal drink of poison, Socrates insisted on discussing the soul and tried to prove its immortality.

2019 had a stunning surprise winner in 22-year-old Egan Bernal, the youngest rider to wear the race-leader’s Yellow Jersey in Paris since that jersey was first awarded in 1919, and the third-youngest rider ever to have won the Tour de France.