Polo

Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff
Review: One of the best polo coffee table books around. I received this a few years ago as a wedding gift from my friend Matias in Argentina. The pictures are beautiful and as an enthusiast, this is certainly one book to have. The author's untimely death makes this book a collection not to be given a miss.

Rating:
Summary: Polo without Pakistan is like Cricket without England
Review: The author of this book was more interested in glamourizing the sport rather than presenting a factual and historical narrative. This is the major problem with polo. This book claims to be a comprehensive book on polo yet there was no mention of the fact that polo originated from the Buzkashi sport which is played in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Polo itself originated from the northern areas of Pakistan. In fact, the word 'polo' means 'ball' in Balti which is the language of the Baltistan region in north Pakistan. I wouldn't be surprized if the author doesn't even know this. The oldest surviving polo clubs in the world are that of Chitral and Gilgit (both in Pakistan ) who to this very day play annually at the magnificient Shandur Polo Ground at the Shandur Pass in Pakistan's Hindu Kush mountains - the highest polo ground in the world. Had these facts been incorporated in the text of the book, I would have had more respect for it. Yet it joins the ranks of tens of recent books on polo, such as 'Polo' by Penina Meisels and Michael Cronan which have only sought to present the glamourous "Palm Beach and Ralph Lauren" side of this dangerous and spectacular game, without going into its real essence, spirit and history. The difference between Pakistan and Palm Beach is that in the former, we play the game for passion not for glamour. The land of Pakistan - a country which invented the game and sustains it - deserves a mention in any book on polo.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book to hold you over until next season!
Review: This book is one of a kind. If you enjoy playing polo, this is a book that MUST be in your home. If you love horses, you will find brilliant scenes captured by Mrs. Barrantes. She captured, on film, her life in polo. This is not just a picture book of the sport, it is a real inside view of the real polo life. If there are any books still available, buy it. You will not be disappointed.