Product Description

Subbuteo Table Soccer, the 'replica of Association Football', grew out of the 1920's game 'New Footy'. Developed by Peter Adolph in 1947 (chalk pitches were drawn out on old Army blankets), the heyday of the game was in the 1960s and 1970s when more than 300,000 miniature teams were sold each year. By 1980 Subbuteo Rugby Sevens, Cricket and Hockey 'for girls' were in existence, and Peter Adolph was convinced he could more or less 'Subbuteoize' almost any aspect of real life: hence replica Subbuteo models of the Beatles came to pass and Subbuteo Moon Landings were investigated. The comparative failures of Subbuteo 'Snooker Express' and Subbuteo Angling to take off in the eighties, the increased involvement of black players in the (real) game and the rapid changing of club strips all posed individual problems for the manufacturers, and, despite heroic attempts to keep up with the changing game, Waddington's sold Subbuteo to the American toy giant Hasbro in the mid-nineties. Fans feared this was the end and in 2000 Hasbro duly caused national outrage by annnouncing plans to cease production. Retrospectively (a la Heinz Salad Cream) this has been viewed as a cynical attempt to boost flagging sales and secure some free advertising space. Today, over 300,000 games are sold worldwide, 70,000 of those in the UK. The book will be illustrated (approx 150 photographs) in full colour, and will feature approximately 30,000 words.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #161675 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 112 pages

HAM & HIGH, 3 September
"Packed with a host of absorbing facts and anecdotes"

Review
"Packed with a host of absorbing facts and anecdotes" (HAM & HIGH, 3 September )

"Fascinating reading" (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

"Written with trainspotterish enthusiasm... Tatarsky covers every possible angle. The brilliant retro-hip colour design greatly add to the nostalgic appeal of the book." (THE TIMES, The Game, 27 September )

"The best football book not actually about football ever! An endlessly entertaining compendium of the best table football game ever invented." (LEEDS, LEEDS, LEEDS fanzine, September )

"A fantastic book, lovingly written and lavishly illustrated." (VALLEY REVIEW (CHARLTON ATHLETIC FANZINE), 27/10 )

"A dandy little book, illustrated in a way that will have you moist-eyed with nostalgia." (LADSMAG.COM, September )

"A gem, abundant with images, facts, myths and nostalgia, all lovingly couched in a suitably retro layout. The witty narrative holds the attention and creates a pace that conveys some of his lasting schoolboy enthusiasm." (FLUX magazine, Nov/Dec 04 )

"Beautifully produced." (PROGRAMME MONTHLY, December )

VALLEY REVIEW (CHARLTON ATHLETIC FANZINE), 27/10
"A fantastic book, lovingly written and lavishly illustrated."

Customer Reviews

Flick to Kick: An Illustrated History of Subbuteo
I have just obtained my review copy of Daniel Tatarsky's "Flick to Kick - An Illustrated History of Subbuteo".

Though I do not have the entire finished version, I can reveal that it comprises 7 main chapters (average 15 pages in length) under the headings..."The glory of Subbuteo". "Life before Subbuteo" "The father of Subbuteo" "Up for the Cup" "The peak years" "Collecting" and "It's not Football but it is Subbuteo"

The most striking feature of the book for me was the fine picture quality. It contains 100 illustrations altogether, mainly in colour apart from some old archive material, and these are nicely interspersed with the text as each chapter unfolds. How much hard information you derive from it depends on your level of Subbuteo knowledge, but it's certainly written in a lively, often humourous style which holds the reader's attention throughout.

This is clearly a well-researched piece of work at least on a par with "50 years of flicking football" (which I thought was excellent) released back in 1996. The two are actually quite similar in some respects, but due to being more up-to-date and in full colour, "Flick To Kick" could be deemed a successful (and long overdue!) upgrade of its predecessor. I'm sure it will be the new Subbuteo reference book for a good while....at least until book 2 comes along, as briefly alluded to by the author.

I'm looking forward to this already!

Nostalgia is not always discarded
For a true subbuteo enthusiast, this one comes as a "holy book" of faith. Packed with information about the origins and the evolution of the game, guides the reader form the early years when we really played the game on our knees to the glorious era of the 80's when hundreds of players attended every major local or international event, sometimes in front of hundreds of spectators like it happened in Athens 1986 Subbuteo World Cup. Recalling rhousands of memories with the help of splendid coloured photos, showing old and rare equipment or advertisements and catalogs of the game through the years, this book can't go without notice by any devoted subbuteo fan. Perhaps not useful to people who would wish to improve their technique, this book is definitely NOT a training manual for table football players, but it certainly helps discovering (or remembering) a magic that no longer exists around modern football tables. If "Roy of the Rovers" used to be your favourite read, if you ever tried the "long swerve" successfully, if you ever felt your heart beating out of control before you flick for a penalty kick, if you still have a laugh talking about that match you lost in extra time with some old friends, DON'T MISS this one!!

BUY IT FOR YOU AND YOUR KIDS
I have read this lavish hardcover three or four times.I wish it was 400 or 500 pages,i feel that although it is so detailed and accurate is too small for describing the SUBBUTEO PHENOMENON.
Every man around 35 years old SHOULD have been an owner of a SUBBUTEO set when he was young.I cannot remember any other toy with so many devoted fans that years and so fanatic for those vintage original sets and teams these years we are living now.
This piece of art is not a British property anymore.A large toy company located at the USA bought the rights of this toy some years ago and unfortunately decided to "kill this game".Tons of such notes and articles have been posted by various lovers of SUBBUTEO the last years about the decision of the above mentioned toy company.
Anyway this book has been written by an author who trully loves and knows trivia and facts about SUBBUTEO.
Please buy it for you and reserve an extra copy for your male kids.They have to learn about SUBBUTEO and the real fun that can provide during playing.
I can hardly wait till the second volume.The author promised it will be out soon.
Till then enjoy this superb reading.