Product Description

Charles Buchan's Football Monthly was Britain's first ever football 'glossy'. Packed with hand tinted photographs and celebrity articles, its arrival on the bookstands in September 1951 brought colour and glamour to the nation's football hungry public after years of wartime deprivation and austerity. At its peak in the late 1960s the magazine was sellilng 254,000 copies a week.

The Best of Charles Buchan's Football Monthly was one of last year's best selling Christmas annuals - this year Charles Buchan's Manchester United Gift Book promises similar treats.

After an introduction by Simon Inglis, editor of the Played in Britain series, Manchester United historian Mark Wylie sets the scene: Old Trafford lies in ruins after the Blitz, United are renting their neighbour's ground, they have a young and untried Scottish manager, Matt Busby, soon to sign the Dudley wonderkid, Duncan Edwards...

As the years go by the hairstyles change, the stars emerge - Edwards, Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor, all to die so tragically at Munich in 1958, Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Nobby Stiles, George Best... triumph and tragedy in Europe, losing Cup Finalists in 1957 and 1958, winners at last in 1963. From the Busby Babes to European Champions in 1968, Charles Buchan's Football Monthly spanned almost the entire Busby era, watching the legend grow...The book also reprints for the first time since 1958 the magazine's poignant post-Munich tribute.

Simon Inglis, editor of the Played in Britain series, has many titles to his name. Engineering Archie (English Heritage) was runner up for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year Award in 2005. His earlier book, The Football Grounds of Great Britain (Harper Collins) was selected by the Guardian's Frank Keating as the best sports books of the 20th century.

Mark Wylie knows Manchester United from the inside out. He is the curator of the Manchester United Museum at Old Trafford and the author of dozens of articles and papers on the club.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49951 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

A powerful emotional journey into football and Manchester
This book has the feel of an old style football annual like the ones I bought as a kid in Manchester in the 60s. Most football books are disappointing but this book is different because it gathers a collection of real time stories from the time period covered. The introduction and description by Simon Inglis is moving and I felt myself transported back to my childhood I guess and to growing up in time when United and Busby and Best and Law and Charlton were as much a fixture as the house we lived in. It is a nostalgic ride but also one that shows how teams evoke cities and times. My dad spoke of "Munich" like he did the Second World War.....distant but always there. A book will I will return to again and again at times I am sure.

A Must Buy For Christmas
I bought this book as a present for my two teenage sons. Apart from Harry Potter this is the only other book that I've seen them read cover to cover and really enjoy. Highly recommended as a Christmas present. I think I'll be buying the rest of the series for birthday and Christmas presents for the next few years.

Brilliant Nostalgia
This is a fantastic book. I loved everything about it - the layout, the old ads for umbro and adidas, but above all the way it transported me back to my youth, to a time when George Best was the epitome of glamour and transcendent skill. Anyone who loves football will love this book. You don't even have to be a Manchester United fan. Thoroughly recommended for men of a certain age and those who may want to understand them.