The Little Book of Middlesbrough


Book Description

The Little Book of Boro is a neat collection of words of wit and wisdom by and about Middlesbrough FC's players, managers and officials, past and present. From Brian Clough and Sir Bobby Robson waxing lyrical about pre-war Boro legend Wilf Mannion to musings on the financial difficulties of the 1980s through to the club's spectacular revival under Chairman Steve Gibson, this highly entertaining book contains over 130 Teeside football quotes. Each quotation will be dated and attributed to its source and, where appropriate, entries will be accompanied by explanatory asides and/or supporting statistics. The sayings will appear in no particular order, but where connections and themes emerge these will be taken into account.




The Little Book of Berkshire


Book Description

The Little Book of Berkshire is an intriguing, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of places, people and events in the county, from its earliest origins to the present day. Here you can read about the important contributions Berkshire has made to the history of the nation, and meet some of the great men and women, eccentrics and scoundrels with which its history is littered. Packaged in an easily readable 'dip-in' format, visitors and locals alike will find something to remind, surprise, amuse and entertain them in this remarkably engaging little book.




The Little Book of Newcastle


Book Description

The Little Book of Newcastle is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts (plus some authentically bizarre bits of historic trivia). John Sadler’s new book gathers together a myriad of data on Newcastle. There are lots of factual chapters but also plenty of frivolous details which will amuse and surprise.A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the city. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.




The Little Book of Birmingham


Book Description

The Little Book of Birmingham is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the city's most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts. Norman Bartlam's new book gathers together a myriad of data on Brum. There are lots of factual chapters but also plenty of frivolous details which will amuse and surprise. A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something you never knew. This is a remarkably engaging little book, and is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.




The Little Book of Staffordshire


Book Description

Did you know? A gravestone in the churchyard of St Edwards at Leek suggests that the deceased died at the ripe old age of 438! The ashes of Hanley-born Sir Stanley Matthews are buried beneath the centre circle at Stoke's Britannia Stadium. The sun sets twice in Leek each summer solstice. Sarah Westwood from Lichfield was the last woman to be executed at Stafford Gaol, in 1844. The Little Book of Staffordshire is a compendium of fascinating information about the county, past and present. It contains a plethora of entertaining facts about Staffordshire's famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its towns and countryside, history, natural history, literary, artistic and sporting achievements, customs ancient and modern, transport, battles and ghostly appearances. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.




Middlesbrough Past and Present


Book Description

Contrasting a selection of eighty archive images with new photographs taken from the same location today, this fascinating selection traces some of the changes and developments that have taken place in Middlesbrough during the last century, as many old agricultural communities were swallowed up by the development of modern industry. With sections on work, streets, buildings, leisure, and recreation, all aspects of life in the town are covered, revealing the changing face of Middlesbrough and providing a fascinating insight into a way of life now lost. Featuring many previously unpublished images, this pictorial record will appeal to all who remember the town as it was, and offers a snapshot of the past to new generations.




The Little Book of Wrexham AFC


Book Description

Welcome to Wrexham! Everyone in the world is talking about Wrexham AFC – the Red Dragons are on fire. In 2023, the team achieved their fairy-tale dream of promotion after 15 agonising years of languishing at the very bottom of the lowest league. They did it, in part, thanks to two Hollywood superstars, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who purchased the club in 2020, and promptly took the team on a superhero-inspired adventure back to the top of the turf. This provincial Welsh football club has now been catapulted onto the world's stage, thanks to the hit Disney+ documentary that followed the celebrities' acquisition, the mega-watt signings, and the dramatic twists and turns that felt straight out of a Hollywood script. "I love every second of hating it. Wrexham AFC is the greatest drug on earth." Ryan Reynolds Founded in 1864, the same year Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president amidst America's Civil War, Wrexham is the oldest football club in Wales.




The Little Book of Cardiff


Book Description

DID YOU KNOW? The city’s coat of arms reads Deffro, mae’n ddydd – ‘Awake, it is day’ Cardiff City Football Club played in chocolate-and-amber colours before they became the ‘Bluebirds’ Brains Beer, said to be Wales’ most famous drink, was first brewed in Cardiff during the 1800s Authors David and Gareth take a trip through the places, peculiarities and past practices of Cardiff, stopping off to sample the culinary (and alcoholic) delights of the city along the way. From Clark’s Pies and a heaped helping of ‘half and half’ to the oddities of the ‘Kaairdiff’ accent, this fact-packed compendium reveals the contributions Cardiff has made to the history of the nation and recalls some of its famous faces – Shirley Bassey, Charlotte Church and Shakin’ Stevens amongst them – and popular attractions. This book is sure to entertain, amuse and surprise everyone who picks it up.




My Only Boro


Book Description

DO YOU LOVE FOOTBALL, HISTORY, WAR AND POLITICS? Then this is the book for you. DO YOU HATE FOOTBALL, HISTORY, WAR AND POLITICS? Then this is the book for you. After more than a century of immaculate footballing underachievement, Middlesbrough Football Club enjoyed its most successful period beginning with victory in the 2004 League Cup Final and ending on a disastrous night in Eindhoven. How did we get there... not just the extraordinary run in that tournament, and not just in sport, but historically, as a town, and as a community? My Only Boro is not just about Middlesbrough Football Club, it's not just a history book about the town and it's not just a social commentary on a town once described as the worst place to live in Britain - it's all this and more.




Little Fella


Book Description

Cast your mind back to the mid-1990s. The Premiership was shiny and new, England weren't terrible at football, and exciting foreign players like Gianfranco Zola, Eric Cantona and Georgi Kinkladze were lighting up our game. In an industrial town in the north-east of England, a little Brazilian magic was the catalyst to thrust a previously provincial, middle-of-the-road club into the full glare of the global footballing spotlight. The Little Fella: How Middlesbrough Fell in Love with Juninho is the story of Juninho Paulista and his three-act association with Middlesbrough, culminating in the League Cup win of 2004, which today still remains Boro's only major trophy. It examines the World Cup winner's part in a rollercoaster 1996/97 season, which saw Boro lose two cup finals and end up being relegated; to the redemptive, triumphant 2003/04 season. With contributions from some of Boro's other star names of a golden period, such as Fabrizio Ravanelli, Emerson, Gaizka Mendieta and Gareth Southgate, The Little Fella attempts to translate into words the magic football fans witnessed on the pitch during those heady days.