For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr
“Hamilton is a guarantee of quality.”*-Financial Times

“Duncan Hamilton's compelling biography puts flesh on the legend and paints a vivid picture of not only a great athlete, but also a very special human being.”*-Daily Mail

The untold and inspiring story of Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during WWII


Many people will remember Eric Liddell as the Olympic gold medalist from the Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Famously, Liddell would not run on Sunday because of his strict observance of the Christian sabbath, and so he did not compete in his signature event, the 100 meters, at the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was the greatest sprinter in the world at the time, and his choice not to run was ridiculed by the British Olympic committee, his fellow athletes, and most of the world press. Yet Liddell triumphed in a new event, winning the 400 meters in Paris.

Liddell ran-and lived-for the glory of his God. After winning gold, he dedicated himself to missionary work. He travelled to China to work in a local school and as a missionary. He married and had children there. By the time he could see war on the horizon, Liddell put Florence, his pregnant wife, and children on a boat to Canada, while he stayed behind, his conscience compelling him to stay among the Chinese. He and thousands of other westerners were eventually interned at a Japanese work camp.

Once imprisoned, Liddell did what he was born to do, practice his faith and his sport. He became the moral center of an unbearable world. He was the hardest worker in the camp, he counseled many of the other prisoners, he gave up his own meager portion of meals many days, and he organized games for the children there. He even raced again. For his ailing, malnourished body, it was all too much. Liddell died of a brain tumor just before the end of the war. His passing was mourned around the world, and his story still inspires.

In the spirit of The Boys in the Boat and Unbroken, For the Glory is both a compelling narrative of athletic heroism and a gripping story of faith in the darkest circumstances.
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For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr
“Hamilton is a guarantee of quality.”*-Financial Times

“Duncan Hamilton's compelling biography puts flesh on the legend and paints a vivid picture of not only a great athlete, but also a very special human being.”*-Daily Mail

The untold and inspiring story of Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during WWII


Many people will remember Eric Liddell as the Olympic gold medalist from the Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Famously, Liddell would not run on Sunday because of his strict observance of the Christian sabbath, and so he did not compete in his signature event, the 100 meters, at the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was the greatest sprinter in the world at the time, and his choice not to run was ridiculed by the British Olympic committee, his fellow athletes, and most of the world press. Yet Liddell triumphed in a new event, winning the 400 meters in Paris.

Liddell ran-and lived-for the glory of his God. After winning gold, he dedicated himself to missionary work. He travelled to China to work in a local school and as a missionary. He married and had children there. By the time he could see war on the horizon, Liddell put Florence, his pregnant wife, and children on a boat to Canada, while he stayed behind, his conscience compelling him to stay among the Chinese. He and thousands of other westerners were eventually interned at a Japanese work camp.

Once imprisoned, Liddell did what he was born to do, practice his faith and his sport. He became the moral center of an unbearable world. He was the hardest worker in the camp, he counseled many of the other prisoners, he gave up his own meager portion of meals many days, and he organized games for the children there. He even raced again. For his ailing, malnourished body, it was all too much. Liddell died of a brain tumor just before the end of the war. His passing was mourned around the world, and his story still inspires.

In the spirit of The Boys in the Boat and Unbroken, For the Glory is both a compelling narrative of athletic heroism and a gripping story of faith in the darkest circumstances.
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For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr

For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr

by Duncan Hamilton

Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith

Unabridged — 13 hours, 41 minutes

For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr

For the Glory: Eric Liddell's Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr

by Duncan Hamilton

Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith

Unabridged — 13 hours, 41 minutes

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Overview

“Hamilton is a guarantee of quality.”*-Financial Times

“Duncan Hamilton's compelling biography puts flesh on the legend and paints a vivid picture of not only a great athlete, but also a very special human being.”*-Daily Mail

The untold and inspiring story of Eric Liddell, hero of Chariots of Fire, from his Olympic medal to his missionary work in China to his last, brave years in a Japanese work camp during WWII


Many people will remember Eric Liddell as the Olympic gold medalist from the Academy Award winning film Chariots of Fire. Famously, Liddell would not run on Sunday because of his strict observance of the Christian sabbath, and so he did not compete in his signature event, the 100 meters, at the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was the greatest sprinter in the world at the time, and his choice not to run was ridiculed by the British Olympic committee, his fellow athletes, and most of the world press. Yet Liddell triumphed in a new event, winning the 400 meters in Paris.

Liddell ran-and lived-for the glory of his God. After winning gold, he dedicated himself to missionary work. He travelled to China to work in a local school and as a missionary. He married and had children there. By the time he could see war on the horizon, Liddell put Florence, his pregnant wife, and children on a boat to Canada, while he stayed behind, his conscience compelling him to stay among the Chinese. He and thousands of other westerners were eventually interned at a Japanese work camp.

Once imprisoned, Liddell did what he was born to do, practice his faith and his sport. He became the moral center of an unbearable world. He was the hardest worker in the camp, he counseled many of the other prisoners, he gave up his own meager portion of meals many days, and he organized games for the children there. He even raced again. For his ailing, malnourished body, it was all too much. Liddell died of a brain tumor just before the end of the war. His passing was mourned around the world, and his story still inspires.

In the spirit of The Boys in the Boat and Unbroken, For the Glory is both a compelling narrative of athletic heroism and a gripping story of faith in the darkest circumstances.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/11/2016
British sports hero Liddell (1902–1945), best known as the lead character in the film Chariots of Fire, returns to center stage in this in-depth biography. Hamilton, a sportswriter based in the U.K., gives plenty of attention to Liddell’s famous decision to forgo running the 100-meter race at the 1928 Olympics because he refused, due to religious reasons, to race on a Sunday. This story may be Liddell’s hallmark, but Hamilton presents it as just one in a long line of sacrifices that Liddell would make for his beliefs. By covering Liddell’s entire life, from his birth into a Christian missionary family and athletic career to his nearly 20 years of missionary work in China and his subsequent death there in an internment camp, Hamilton shows Liddell as more than a star who used the spotlight to call attention to his beliefs and himself: he was a truly selfless human being who gave everything he had to others. Hamilton seamlessly combines quotes from research documents, historical facts, and his own way with words (“Liddell had become a public speaker for God”), and his writing feels effortless in this inspiring story. (May)

From the Publisher

Praise for Duncan Hamilton's FOR THE GLORY: 

“Duncan Hamilton’s compelling biography puts flesh on the legend and paints a vivid picture of not only a great athlete, but also a very special human being.” —Daily Mail

“Poignant…moving…[FOR THE GLORY] will appeal to fans of Chariots of Fire as well as Unbroken and similar books.” —Kirkus 

"In this vivid portrait of Eric Liddell, Hamilton shows us not only the power of a hero, but also the power of faith. He brings to life a man who was exemplary in his perseverance and unbending in his beliefs when facing adversity. A beautifully-written, evocative story of unflinching morality and true humanity" — Eric Blehm, New York Times Bestselling author of Fearless and Legend

Praise for the work of Duncan Hamilton: 


"Hamilton is a guarantee of quality."  — The Financial Times 

"A marriage of prose and detail so fine and fastidious that it takes the breath away."  — Independent (UK)

Library Journal

02/15/2016
The 1981 film Chariots of Fire introduced the modern world to British missionary and Olympic champion Eric Liddell (1902–45). Hamilton (The Footballer Who Could Fly) presents a more comprehensive and vivid portrait of an individual who adhered to his principles no matter the circumstances and cost, and left a positive, lasting impression on all those with whom he interacted. Liddell abandoned what could have easily been a phenomenal and lucrative track career before he reached his peak for his true passion: missionary work in restive China with the London Missionary Society. As China fell into turmoil leading up to World Word II, Liddell found himself an ocean away from his wife and three children, one of whom he had not yet seen, and imprisoned in the Japanese internment camp at Wiehsein, where he worked tirelessly to improve the lives of his fellow internees before succumbing to an unimagined end. VERDICT Poignant and tragic yet stimulating, Liddell's personality leaps off the pages and will draw in all readers, from history and sports enthusiasts to casual fans of nonfiction.—Zebulin Evelhoch, Central Washington Univ. Lib.

SEPTEMBER 2016 - AudioFile

Except for keen followers of Olympics history, most people don’t know much about Scotsman Eric Liddell, who was featured prominently in the 1981 movie CHARIOTS OF FIRE. But with fine research and a gentle, methodical narration from Nicholas Guy Smith, Liddell’s true self comes across clearly in this biography. The work focuses on his devout Christianity, including his missionary work, as well as his success on the track. Smith, in his British accent, adds an appropriately formal narration to the story of a truly selfless man who devoted his life to helping others. If all you know is that CHARIOTS won an Oscar for Best Picture, this is definitely worth a listen. M.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2016-03-14
The life of the deeply Christian Olympic champion runner who forsook the glory for missionary work in China. The story was the basis for the award-winning film Chariots of Fire. British sportswriter Hamilton (Touch Wood: The Autobiography of the 1953 Le Mans Winner, 2014, etc.) re-creates the life of Eric Liddell (1902-1944), the Scottish son of missionaries who sensationally won the gold medal in the 400-meter race at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 1924 before becoming a missionary in China like his father. Liddell was an unlikely sports hero, not physically prepossessing but absolutely determined, and he gained inspiration from German Max Sick's How to Become a Great Athlete while a student at the University of Edinburgh. At the same time, he became a committed member and minister for the Union Church. Discovered by impresario-coach Tom McKerchar, Liddell soon smartened up as an athlete, winning numerous championship races with his unique head-thrown-back style. The 400-meter race was not his specialty, and he was not a favorite of the British Olympic Association, which "didn't consider a Scot…as an important figure." Yet when the Olympic schedule was organized, Liddell refused to race his specialty 100 meters because it was scheduled on a Sunday. Considered a traitor to his country by some, he was soon celebrated as a national hero once he won the 400. In his often poignant but also sometimes overly sentimental narrative, Hamilton emphasizes that this was only the beginning of the Liddell legend, as he sought a higher calling as a missionary, moving to the land of his birth, Tientsin, China, to teach science and sports at the Anglo-Chinese College. With the Japanese invasion, however, the expatriate community became vulnerable to attack and then imprisonment in concentration camps like Weihsien, where Liddell spent 694 days practicing his faith and helping other inmates before dying tragically of an undiagnosed brain tumor. A moving hagiography that will appeal to fans of Chariots of Fire as well as Unbroken and similar books.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940169265705
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 05/10/2016
Edition description: Unabridged
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