Front cover of London 2012 Olympic Games The Official Book

The Official Book of the London 2012 Games is a 128 page highly colourful paperback published by Carlton Books and due to be released on 18th April 2012 with a cover price of £12.99. The forward to the book is written by Sebastian Coe and it looks like it has all the key information that you need in anticipation of the games.

The opening sections of the book discuss previous London games (2012 is the third) and a little bit about the run-up to the games since the selection of London in 2005. There are then eight pages very briefly describing each of the Olympic venues, followed by four pages with an overview of the schedule so that you can plan your summer.

The main part of the book is ninety-two pages covering each of the events in turn. The final few pages highlight a dozen of the lesser known athletes taking part and some Olympic records. The records are of the type “most medals”, “youngest”, “oldest” etc. rather than event records. There is no index to the book, however it is probably not required.

Typically one or two pages is dedicated to each event. The main text gives some of the event history, the format and rules. There are Key Facts boxes that give the venue, dates and current Olympic Champion for each event. Finally, there is a short list of “Ones to watch” and a profile of a star athlete. There is a good level of detail for all events for the casual reader – for instance athletics events cover a total of 22 pages.

Overall, this this is a good general guide to the London 2012 Olympic Games and would be sure to be well read by the end of the event.