A whirlwind history of soccer’s improbable rise—from ancient traditions to worldwide cultural focusHow did a simple kicking game conquer the world? In this concise yet comprehensive history, sports historian Brian D. Bunk traces soccer’s unlikely, meteoric rise, showing how a pastime humbly rooted in English schoolyard contests grew to become the planet’s most popular sport. Today, soccer is a cultural and economic juggernaut: The World Cup, the sport’s crown jewel...

The Shortest History of Football takes readers on an epic journey from the game's humble origins to its place today at the pinnacle of global popular culture.From the muddy trenches of Flanders to the stadium-palaces of Saudi Arabia, from the ancient Mayans to Leo Messi, from the first recorded women's football match to today's Lionesses, this is a concise yet comprehensive history of the world's best-loved and most influential sport.For history buffs and football fa...

Played by both migrants and native-born Americans, soccer created communities across the United States. Brian D. Bunk ranges from Pawtucket to Honolulu as he illuminates the deep and diverse origins of the American sport.Soccer took root as immigration, urbanization, and industrialization triggered immense changes across society. Matches built local pride as teams battled rival neighborhoods and towns. Teammates and supporters shared meals, raised money for fallen players, and atte...

The question of what caused the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) is the central focus of modern Spanish historiography. In Ghosts of Passion, Brian D. Bunk argues that propaganda related to the revolution of October 1934 triggered the broader conflict by accentuating existing social tensions surrounding religion and gender. Through careful analysis of the images produced in books, newspapers, posters, rallies, and meetings, Bunk contends that Spain’s civil war was not inevitable. Comme...

Rediscovering soccer's long history in the U.S.Across North America, native peoples and colonists alike played a variety of kicking games long before soccer's emergence in the late 1800s. Brian D. Bunk examines the development and social impact of these sports through the rise of professional soccer after World War I. As he shows, the various games called football gave women an outlet as athletes and encouraged men to form social bonds based on educational experien...

Several contributions in our first book about schizo affective disorders (Marneros and Tsuang, Schizoaffective Psychoses, Springer-Verlag, 1986) supported the assumption that schizoaffective disorders differ in relevant ways from schizophrenic disorders. The classification of schizo affective disorders as a subgroup of schizophrenia has also been criticized, and empirical research in clinical, genetic, therapeutic, and prognostic areas supports the idea that there are some strong similari ...

The classic bestseller that changed how the world thinks about football'Quite magnificent – a sort of Freakanomics of football.' Jonathan Wilson, Guardian**'If you're a football fan, I'll save you some time: read this book' Daily Telegraph__________Football truly is the world’s favourite game, followed in over 200 countries by hundreds of millions of people pourin...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST SPORTS WRITING OF THE YEAR AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDA GUARDIAN SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEARA WATERSTONES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'A marvellous football book, although it is much more than that' The Times'More Than A Shirt shows why geopolitics keeps invading the pitch' The Economist

Whether you want to impress friends and colleagues with new-found football wisdom, brush up on details you're unsure about (the offside rule, anyone?) or improve your practical skills, this is the book for you! Covering all the basics of the game, rules and tactics, as well as giving an in-depth history of the sport and how it has evolved to the present day, this indispensable guide will get you up to speed on the most popular game in the world in no time. With dream team formations, tips ...

WINNER OF THE SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2026'A master at telling football's greatest ever stories... Breathtaking. Wilson's eye for detail and his elegant writing brings the World Cup to life like no other book on the topic I have ever read' ELIS JAMES'Epic in scope, awesomely rich in detail, and compulsively entertaining' TOM HOLLAND'So much of what we know of football's history we know thanks to Wilson...

Football School Epic Heroes is part of the bestselling Football School series, which teaches you about the world through football, packed with superstar stories, fun facts and laugh-out-loud illustrations. Perfect for readers 7+ and recommended by the National Literacy Trust, BookTrust, the Premier League and parents and teachersCelebrate the greatest names and teams in football history with this collection of 50 true stories.Discover the g...

Tracing Canadian men’s soccer’s emergence from global obscurity to international powerhouse, featuring insight from star players like Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David and manager John Herdman.The last time Canada qualified for a men’s World Cup was in 1986. For a generation afterwards, the Canadian national men’s soccer team struggled in obscurity, an afterthought in a country that was not yet soccer-mad. The twenty-first century brought a wave of soccer passion ...