For this 12-volume set, Salem Press looked to, then completely revised, their earlier reference The twentieth century; great athletes, adding 380 new articles and revising those that were retained. Each article is a biography of an individual athlete, 3 to 4 pages in length, and organized in this set alphabetically into volumes or sections by sport. Well written and fascinating for the story each contains of remarkable achievement, the biographies are current through 2008 and include some participants in the Beijing Olympics. The groupings are 2 volumes on football, 2 on baseball, 4 on Olympic sports, and 1 each for basketball; golf and tennis; boxing and soccer; and racing and individual sports. The biographies, which are written for the middle and high school level, contain a synopsis of the player's personal history followed by a focused description and analysis of their career, playing style, and the individual traits that made them champions. Each entry includes lists of titles, prizes, awards, and honors, and a bibliography. The volumes on specific sports are also sold separately. A cumulative index, which contains numerous appendices listing awards and honors, timelines, and indexes by name, sport, and country, is included with the full set or any smaller set. The full set includes complimentary access to an online version. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)