Full Description
This guide takes the reader on a journey through
history, tracing the origins of soccer from its 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, which gift the
centuries life. 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.
