Motto of the modern Olympics: Faster, Higher, Stronger. But now add Stranger! Stranger, as in the 1908 Olympic marathon, which featured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a 22-year-old pastry chef, and Champagne (yes, it was the runners’ drink of choice). Or the 1948 “austerity games” in London—teams had to bring their own food, female athletes sewed their own uniforms. Or imagine rooting for these one-time Olympic sports: tug of war, firefighting, rope climb, live pigeon shooting, and—wait for it—painting. (Picasso for the gold!)

Compulsively readable, highly entertaining, trivia- and curiosity-packed, Total Olympics is a glorious, photo-filled tapestry of legendary characters, forgotten records, crazy accomplishments, unbelievable feats, wacky contests, controversial moments, and more. As the author, Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Fuchs, writes, each Olympics is a mishmash of thousands of little stories during a glorious two-week adventure; multiply those thousand stories by 54 Olympic Games over 122 years, and voilà—a collection of sports yarns unlike any other. Like the story of the “missing marathoner” whose official time was 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds. Or the rower who had to make way for ducklings—literally—yet still managed to win the gold. Or the gymnast who brought his team to victory while fighting through the pain of a broken knee.

It’s pure pleasure for the sports fan.