Manchester
United Books |
| Brought to you by www.PrideofManchester.com |
A
huge number of books has been written about Manchester United
over the years and the list continues to grow. Heavily researched
histories & encyclopaedias, players' biographies, fans'
own stories - there's something out there on just about every
conceivable aspect of United. In recent years so many books
on United have been written that, inevitably, there have been
many lightweight efforts, often trying to cash in on the popularity
of the Reds . Our aim is to help you find the gems - and there
are many. We concentrate our efforts on the best Manchester
United books.
As the owner of one of the largest collections of United books,
PrideOfManchester is pleased to share its' passion with you
by providing the Internet's most comprehensive guide to publications
on the Reds and its' players.
We're always happy to hear from you or to give advice if you're
looking for something in particular ...... just email us |
Recent Manchester United Books & Forthcoming Releases |
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| • A DENIS LAW SCRAPBOOK: It's always refreshing to read a United book written by a fan purely as a labour of love. Even better if the book is about one of our all-time heroes. This offering by Douglas Graham ticks all the boxes. Douglas is a lifelong fan of "The King" and, in this sumptious 172 page offering, he has brought to life his personal scrapbook to tell the career story of Denis in a terrific, beautifully illustrated way. We give this limited edition book top marks and encourage you to splash out £15, in the knowledge that all the proceeds go to Cancer Research UK, which is particularly apt for those who know about Denis's personal battle with prostrate cancer. |
| Sir MATT BUSBY; The Definitive Biography is exactly that. A very readable, immaculately researched book by one of our most respected journalists, Patrick Barclay. There are many biographies of Sir Matt but this is up there with the very best. 380+ pages, beautifully written and nicely illustrated. The book will appeal to the full spectrum of fans, from those who lived through his era to the younger fans who want to get closer to United's history and particularly to the man whose name still rings out to the rafters of Old Trafford. |
| • The MEN WHO KILLED UNITED is written by Bruce Thomas, the ex-bassist of Elvis Costello's band, the Attractions, and a lifelong fan of the Reds. Covering the most difficult period in United's recent history, the book is an excellent analysis of the post-Fergie years and the frustrating search for renewed success. Very readable and well-researched, the Moyes/Giggs/Van Gaal tragic managerial story is sandwiched between accounts of the tenures of SAF and Jose Mourinho, skilfully told. |
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| • THE
IMPOSSIBLE TREBLE by
Steve Bartram, Paul Davies and Ben Hibbs. We never miss a chance
to relive the greatest moments in Manchester United's greatest
season and this book tells the story of that unforgettable season
in superb manner. |
| • RED REBELS; The Glazers and the FC Revolution tells a story many of us didn't want to emerge. The takeover of United by a family who hocked the club to the hilt with massive debts alienated a massive number of fans, some of whom, controversially, decided to clear off and do their own thing. This is the story of the club they created (by John-Paul O'Neill) |
| • The
MANCHESTER UNITED SUPPORTERS BOOK is a new offering from a lifelong fan, John White, who has delivered several good quality books in the past. Due out late 2017, we have yet to see a copy but based on past experience, we would expect it to be a good addition to the library. |
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| • RED GLORY; Manchester United and Me is the autobiography of Martin Edwards, written in collaberation with Robert Sellars. It's fair to say that Edwards would not feature on a fans' list of Old Trafford favourites but, as the lifelong President of the club and the son and successor of the controversial Louis Edwards, he is a seminal figure in the history of United and his story is an important one. |
| • The
FORGOTTEN LEGENDS gives detailed life stories of Charlie Roberts, Sandy Turnbull,
Joe Spence, Johnny Carey and Jack Rowley. It's good to see a
book which puts the focus onto Co-authored by Charbel Boujaoude,
Iain McCartney and Frank Colbert. |
| •The
UNITED TOUR of MANCHESTER has been created
by two Red stalwarts, Iain McCartney and Tom Clare, to give
a detailed guide to the places which are part of United's history,
from the early days at Clayton to the present day.An excellent
book which is particularly informative in respect of the Busby
Babes' era. |
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| • RED
LEADERS - THE OFFICIAL STORY OF MANCHESTER UNITED's CAPTAINS by Ben Hibbs. Full details awaited but this promises to cover
United's captains from 1910 onwards. Penned by an experienced
journalist, this should be a good read. |
| • ROY
KEANE - THE SECOND HALF. An eternal legend as a player but not every United fan's cup
of tea these days, Roy has always got something to say for himself
and this book gives him yet another platform to spout his
pearls of wisdom. |
| • GREENHOFF! is
the late Brian Greehoff's autobiography and tells the story
of the popular player who started well over over 200 games for
the Reds. An interesting insight into what life was like under
Tommy Docherty's management. The book was published in 2012
and we list it here as a tribute to Brian who sadly died at
the age of just 60 in 2013. |
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• BUSBY'S
LEGACY by
Iain McCartney covers a period which has generally been neglected
by writers: the turbulent years immediately following on from
Sir Matt's retirement. Another excellent book from a writer
who is well on his way to producing the perfect library for
Red fans. Well researched, and told in a way that takes you
back to those difficult days, when managers came and went
quickly, superstars faded and the team slid steadily towards
the big drop. Highly recommended |
| • Manchester
United - THE FIRST HALCYON YEARS 1907-1911 by Mark Metcalf. An in-depth study of United's first great Championship
winning team. Released
June 2014 |
• FERGIE'S
LAST STAND, A correspondent's diary 2012/13 is Mark Payne's first book but
he's no stranger to writing about United as he is the official
United blogger for ESPN. In fact, the book comprises the story
of Sir Alex's last managerial season as told via his blogs.
Consequently it's a lot more than just a straightforward
review of the season- Mark's blog subjects range from match
reports, playing style, form of individuals, pre-match analysis,
the speculation about players leaving (eg Rooney) and lots
more. It sets Fergie's last, memorable Premier League winning
season in context and fittingly ends on page 270 with a report
on United's first ever 5-5 draw. A book which does credit
to an historic last hurrah. |
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| • FLYIN'
HIGH as far as we are aware, is the first time that the passion of
supporting Manchester United has been presented in poetry. Mike
Whittaker, a lifelong avid Red, tells the story from his first
match in 1966 up until Sir Alex's final game at OT. His verse
is lively, full of Manc humour, passionate and brings hundreds
of great memories rushing back. Poetry? Dry? Not in this case! .......A word here in praise of a relatively small Manchester
publishing house, Empire Publications, which for many years
has produced a range of excellent books about United and all
things Manchester . Flyin' High is just one example of many
published by Empire 2014 and you will find many others in our
pages |
| •MATCH
OF MY LIFE - 17 Manchester United Stars relive
their greatest games by
Ivan Ponting. This book was first published in 2012 but it's
timeless and well worth looking at today. A good pub game would
be to guess which matches the following stars have chosen as
their greatest games. Will they match up to the personal choices
in the book, I wonder? Crompton, Doherty, Dawson, Foulkes, Sadler,
Stepney, Buchan, Greenhoff (J), Albiston, Stapleton, Martin,
Robson, Bruce, Parker, Pallister, Yorke and Scholes. |
| • A
DEEPER SHADE OF RED, by
Mark Nevin, is one of several books which examine the rivalry
between United and Liverpool, this
time from the point of view of a United supporter whose parents
are of the opposite faith. |
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| MERLIN, by
Gordon Hill with Wayne Barton, is the autobiography of a player
who became a cult hero in his relatively short period at United.
Three swashbuckling years under Tommy Docherty in the '70's
endeared him to United fans starved of success. His two FA Cup
semi-final goals in 1977 took United to th Final against Liverpool
where we were able, for the first time in a long time, to puit
one over our local rivals. Hill was a flying winger with a reputation
as a cheekie chappie and a scorer of great goals. It's a source
of regret for most Reds fans that Merlin didn't suit the mundane
style of Dave Sexton and left the OT stage so quickly. Published by Vertical Editions |
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| • CLASS
OF 92, by
Ian Marshall, is the official story of the team that transformed
United. The influence of that young group of players cannot
be over emphasized and this book takes us back to the early
days when Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, Butt, the Nevilles and others
were learning their trade. |
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| •FOOTBALL
WIZARD , by
John Harding was first published in 1984 and it is no surprise
that it is still in print . This is the second update of a
major book telling the story of one of the most important
players in the history of the British game. Billy Meredith
was the first superstar footballer and his impact was huge,
as a player and as one of the pioneers of a Players' Union.
Add to the mix, allegations of match fixing and bribery, long
term suspensions, transfers between the two Manchester clubs
and a stellar playing career that lasted until he was fifty
and you have a riveting story. Superbly written, sumptiously
illustrated and presented, very highly recommended! |
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| TOOTING
COMMON TO THE STRETFORD END, by
Alex Stepney with David Saffer, is the autobiography of the
goalkeeper who will forever be linked with 'that' save against
Eusebio in the 1968 European Cup Final. Alex played for United
for 12 seasons, winning a League Championship, a European Cup
and an FA Cup winners medal, but also seeing the other side
of the coin when the Reds were relegated. His story covers an
important slice of United's history and is an enjoyable read. Published by Vertical Editions |
| RELUCTANT REDFELLOWS byJohn
Oram covers a subject which has been written
about several times but we particularly like the way this book is constructed and presented. It is well researched, very
readable and has opinions to stimulate or challenge, dependent
on your perspective. It puts the rivalry between United and
Liverpool into the context of the social history of the two
cities and weaves the individual stories of fans into the picture.
There are comparisons between the records of the teams down
the years and those of managers such as Sir Matt and Bill Shankly,
Sir Alex and Benitez. Oram also goes into the sometimes difficult
subject of fans' chants and the lack of respect often shown. |
| •GREATEST
GAMES - MANCHESTER UNITED, by Rob Clark is another
volume in a current fashion to write about United's matches
in history. This very readable book covers fifty key matches from1892 to 2013,and puts each game into historical
context, telling the stories in atmospheric and incident packed
detail |
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| •UNITED
IN EUROPE - Manchester United's Complete European
Record by Chris Davies, a highly respected journalist, is a well researched
book presenting summaries of each season and complete teamsheets
and stats for every match. It lives up to its' claim to be the
most comprehensive coverage yet of United's European campaigns.
Chris isn't a United supporter though and that inevitably dilutes
the amount of passion in his reporting of some of those great
nights. |
| • Manchester
United BUILDING A LEGEND. THE BUSBY YEARS by Tim Hill. With rare photographs. We have yet to see the book
but think it will be a re-working of an earlier Daily Mail publication. |
| • FROM
THE STARS; Sir Matt Busby & the Decline of Manchester United 1968-1974 by
John Ludden is an ambitious book. Although described as a novel
it is actually a highly factual and well researched account of
United's rapid decline from the heady heights of European Champions,
1968, to the ignominy of relegation in 1974. It's an imaginative
concept as the story is told mainly through the eyes of Sir
Matt Busby and it is a well executed approach, which will keep
you engrossed throughout. For those of us who followed the Reds
through that difficult period it brings out all of the emotions. Published by
Empire |
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| • LOUIS
VAN GAAL by
Maarten Meijer is a biography of the manager culminating in
his appointment as United's manager. It is a well researched,
balanced study of the man and is recommended. |
| • O,
LOUIS, by Hugo Borst, is not a book that we would recommend, unless
you want to endure a 296 page blow by blow analysis of a relationship
between journalist and football manager turning sour. Yes, there
is some interesting stuff from time to time but a large part
of this book is, quite frankly, the rant of a very unhappy writer,
who, for example, takes pleasure in quoting old, sometimes very
old, interviews which serve to prove that Louis Van Gaal can
be a very difficult man to deal with or understand. In fact,
compared to the LVG described in this book, Sir Alex was a mere
pussycat! |
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| • GOT
NOT GOT - THE LOST WORLD OF MANCHESTER UNITED.
For anybody who collects anything to do with United and for
those of us who like nostalgia, this book is a treasure trove.
It is packed with photos and features about United memorabilia
down the years. Programmes, tickets, kits, badges, jam jar lids
- you name it and you'll probably find it in here. Very entertaining
and well presented. This is one volume of a series of books
which covers several of the top clubs. Painstakingly researched
and written by Derek Hammond & Gary Silke |
| Manchester United - Tales from History - The Official Graphic Novel Volume 1 is
the first United book of its' type that we've seen and it's
a fine effort by Philippe Glenowski. The storyline is told
through the eyes of a 14 year old who has developed a passion
for the club and is learning about the history by talking
to his Grandad. The artwork is excellent and The book is an
enjoyable read for any age and will be particularly appealing
to young supporters and all those who are keen on this format
of book. In 48 large sized pages the novel shines a light
on the roots of the club and the key moments in its' history,
and it succeeds in showing the passion involved in becoming
a real Red. |
| • United!
The Comic Strip History - Bob
Bond |
| • Manchester
United's Greatest Ever Matches - MUFC,
Adam Marshall & Steve Bartram |
| • Sir
Alex Ferguson - The Official Manchester United Celebration of
His Career At Old Trafford - MUFC |
| • The
Promised Land - Manchester United's Historic Treble - Daniel
Harris |
| Our Pick Of the Recent Books: |
| BUILDING
THE DYNASTY, MANCHESTER UNITED 1946-1958 : Having
previously covered the post-Munich years and the difficult
period after Sir Matt Busby's retirement, Iain MCartney now
takes us further back in time. This book is an informative account of the pre-war
period followed by a detailed look at: (1) Matt taking the
reins at a bombed out Old Trafford (2) the cobbling together
and shaping of the team which won the 1948 FA Cup and 1952
League Championship (3) the building of the youth system and
the blooding of the Babes and, finally, (4) the successes
of that great team .. This impressively researched book is
highly readable and covers a seminal period in United's history.
Another book from the excellent Pitch Publishing. |
| SOME
OF OUR ALL TIME FAVOURITES |
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Manchester
Utd History Books |
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United
Players & Managers Books |
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United
Facts
& Figures Books |
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