Full Description
This
is a time traveller's guide to the history of soccer, tracing its origins from a
humble beginning to an established sport beloved worldwide. It is a story that
spans five thousand years, from ancient Egypt to MesoAmerica, from the Greek
Empire to Chinese Dynasties, and from the Roman Empire to medieval Britain.
From
the Middle Ages onwards, Britain and Ireland unfurl their lineage, from the
lesser-known trapball and stoolball to the lamentably extinct camping and
knappan. All forms find a voice in this book, as do hockey and hurling,
baseball and bowling, tennis and golf. Primarily a narrative of British and
Irish ball games, esteemed foreigners are welcomed: baggataway, knattleikur,
soule, kolven, calcio. Many games come to life, revealing their motivations,
and their complex inner world. Still, soccer is firmly center stage. This is,
after all, its picaresque journey.
As the
games sweep across history, the social, religious, and political contexts are
threaded throughout, and this book is peppered with news snippets, anecdotes,
comedy, and intrigue. Crammed with eccentric
sports ephemera, untold tales, and unearthed facts, The Game That Would Be
King is the most comprehensive work on the early history of ball games ever
written.
