"The Games traces Britain's great Olympic and Paralympic past through powerful narrative, striking anecdotes and over 250 compelling original images. It captures the individual atmosphere of past Games across the world, from 1930s Berlin to 1980s Moscow, Sydney in the Millennium to Beijing's Birds Nest in 2008, and explores the explosion of interest in the Paralympic Games. London's previous roles as host, rescuing the Games in 1904 after Vesuvius erupted and battling with postwar austerity in 1948, are considered both as contemporaries saw them and from a historical perspective, as are individual stories of British medal winners. The final chapter focuses upon the preparations for London 2012 events, from individual athletes to the radical keynotes of sustainability and regeneration, and shows how London 2012 will both strengthen and refresh Britain's historic Olympic ties."--From publisher.