To Be Honest With You by Linford Christie

To Be Honest With You (Autobiography of Olympic Sprinter, 1995 Hardcover)

The Olympic Champion Sprinter's Own Account of His Journey from Jamaica to the Top of British Athletics

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: To Be Honest With You
• Author: Linford Christie
• Publisher: Michael Joseph, London
• Publication Date: 1995
• ISBN-13: 9780718140632
• ISBN-10: 071814063X
• Edition Details: First published 1995 by Michael Joseph, London.
• Binding: Publisher's hardcover with illustrated dust jacket, the cream jacket carrying a colour portrait on the front and a sprinter photograph on the back and spine.
• Physical Format: Octavo hardcover with a section of photographic plates.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: The boards beneath the dust jacket are not described. The spine is clean and straight, with no lean, rubbing or fading. The corners are reasonably sharp.
• Interior: The pages are clean and cream, with no markings, foxing or creasing. The binding is tight and the text block sits square. The photographic section is visible at the fore-edge. The page edges are slightly toned.
• The Dust Jacket: Present, protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover. The cream jacket shows light dust speckling and surface marks on the dark lower front photograph, along with a faint crease or scuff line across the front panel. There is slight yellowing and marking to the back. No obvious tears.

Synopsis & Historical Value

To Be Honest With You is the autobiography of Linford Christie, the British sprinter who won Olympic 100 metres gold in 1992. Published by Michael Joseph in London in 1995, it follows his path from a childhood in Jamaica to a new life in London and his school days, then on to his rise through athletics.

The book covers his early career and his European and Commonwealth competition, and adds his reflections on family, friends and rivals, on race and religion, and on what went through his mind before a big race. The back cover quotes his own account of a major final, in which he was surprised to see the clock stop at 10.01 seconds.

It was written as a follow-up to an earlier, shorter autobiography. It is a solid, collectible example of 1990s sporting biography, of interest to followers of British and Commonwealth athletics.

Author Profile: Linford Christie

Linford Christie was born on 2 April 1960 in Saint Andrew, Jamaica, and is a British former sprinter. He won the 100 metres at the 1992 Olympic Games and went on to collect 24 medals in total, more than any other British male athlete before or since. He was disqualified from the 1996 Olympic final after two false starts.

Besides this book, his other titles include an earlier autobiography, A Year in the Life of Linford Christie, and My Story.

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