Author of the lauded subject monograph, Figure Skating: A History, Hines applies his substantial subject knowledge to profiling the sport’s medal-winning pairs, singles, governing bodies, and organizations. Also clearly explained, among the 800 alphabetically ordered, paragraph-long entries, are the mechanics of specific skating styles and techniques. Notable is the opening chronology, which is studded with detailed events and extends to include 15 field-defining moments. Eleven appendixes detail International Skating Union members and record medal winners by competition, while a 16-page bibliography offers further-research titles. This most-updated subject lexicon supplants John Williams Malone’s The Encyclopedia of Figure Skating (Facts On File, 1998).

Library Journal

An old sport, figure skating in modern terms began in Restoration England in the 1660s. Though it is one of the most popular events of the Olympic Winter Games, this is the first reference work to bring together the history, terminology, and stars of the sport. A chronology of the sport and an introduction are followed by A–Z entries for persons, organizations, terminology, and countries where figure skating is popular. Jumps such as the axel and the salchow are explained....Popular stars, such as Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamel, and Scott Hamilton, are covered. The Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding rivalry is explored, as are the Battle of the Brians, between Brian Boitano and Brian Orser, and the Battle of the Carmens, between Katarina Witt and Debi Thomas, who performed to the same music at the Calgary Olympic Winter Games in 1988. Eleven appendixes, among them lists of International Skating Union members and officeholders, World Figure Skating Hall of Fame members, and World Figure Skating Championship medalists, appear before an 18-page bibliography. This encyclopedia is comprehensive and informative, with tidbits such as the importance of artificial ice and Zambonis to figure skating. Providing a good balance of biography and history, it is a worthwhile purchase for academic and public libraries serving serious students of the sport as well as fans.

Booklist

Those who are interested in figure skating likely will find all they need to know in this historical dictionary. This easy-to-read, comprehensive volume is truly unique. Although many other sports dictionaries are available, none focus entirely on figure skating. A researcher and an elector to the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, Hines (emer., Christopher Newport Univ.) has provided more than definitions of terms related to figure skating. The text begins with lists of acronyms and abbreviations used, followed by a chronology of figure skating. After the definitions themselves, 11 appendixes provide a wealth of information regarding medalists at various skating events and members of various skating organizations. The appendixes are followed by a detailed bibliography....This dictionary is written for anyone involved with or interested in figure skating. Recommended. Libraries with sport sciences collections serving lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.

Choice Reviews