Spurs Books
writings on the boys from White Hart Lane

From winning the FA Cup as a Southern League side at the turn of the century, through the style-minded glory of the Sixties, to the power and corruption of the mid-90s, the history of Tottenham Hotspur FC has always been colourful and well documented. In fact, a bookshelf containing Spurs publications would compete with Manchester United for the literary Premiership.

The first major chronicle, and a very accomplished work at that, arrived in 1947. Tottenham Hotspur FC, Its Birth And Progress 1882-1946 was one of the first club histories - many teams waited until their centenary season to such publish books. At 224 pages and larger than a standard hardback, its quality production was matched by a hefty price of 15 shillings, quite a sum at the time. The splendidly titled Mr Wagstaffe-Simmons, a Spurs director, wrote this opus and apparently died only days after its publication, so signed editions must be ultra-scarce. This book is the cornerstone of all Spurs collections. Complete with a dust-wrapper you are looking to pay a three-figure sum. The majority turn up without a cover, but worry not, the dust-wrapper is bland and unimaginative and the hook looks better without. If you see a copy around the £86 mark don't have second thoughts - buy!

The success of the Sixties resulted in a surge of publications. Luckily for Spurs fans, they had an author, one of their own, who was happy enough producing a volume for every occasion, Between 1961 and 1972, journalist and novelist Ralph I. Finn wrote five quality histories. Spurs Supreme (1961) concentrates on the Double team; Spurs Go Marching On (1963) traces the 1962/63 Cup-Winners Cup campaign; The London Cup Final (1967) shares the billing with Chelsea; Spurs Again (1971) is a celebration of the team that won the League Cup, and when the trophies dried up, Mr Finn went for a standard stroll through the decades in the form of Tottenham Hotspur FC Official history 1882-1972 (1972). His work isn't to everyone's liking, his style being slightly on the tabloid side, but he certainly churned them out. His most sought-after hook is The London Cup Final. It was never reproduced in Book Club form, and sales were not that heavy, perhaps because Spurs fans didn't want to read about Chelsea and vice-versa. Anyway, not many crop up so expect to pay around £25.

For many years football writing was regarded as a joke by well-read Kingsley Amis types. Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch was certainly a classic, and a real kick up the backside for journalists and players who had been churning out sub-standard, self-satisfied rubbish. But pre-Hornby, one or two gems do exist, and one of the best books concerns Spurs. Personally, I reckon Hunter Davies is a bit of a twit, but in the way Bowie produced a quality album amongst the tat, Davies wrote The Glory Game and, like Bowie, should have retired. A fly-on-the-wall account of the 1972/73 season, it includes chapters on individual players, big games and so on, but the groundbreaking work is about the fans, the Skinhead Special trains, and the souvenir traders. On returning from a disappointing draw at Wolves: 'The Spurs jails, marching and shouting their way back to the station, banged on die windows of the coach as it threaded its way through. the crowds. 'Go on, smash the town up, said Cyril (Knowles), encouraging them.

In The Glory Game the players say what they like and there's little or no editing from the club which makes for a truly great behind-the-scenes view of early-Seventies Tottenham There are plenty of copies around (the book has been reproduced and tip-dated), and I've also seen quite a few American editions. But don't settle for anything less that the original edition with Martin Peters on the cover. Sadly, rather than heralding a more creative edge. Officialdom tightened up on free speech after The Glory Game was published. Say anything controversial now and expect a disrepute charge in the post, which is a shame as it feeds the image of footballers being inarticulate fools. Football has its folklore and Tottenham Boys We are Here, a semi-professional production from 1978 it contains many photos and oral accounts from Spurs supporters between 1976-78. Bordering on a celebration of football aggro it didn't was banned by the club. The author produced the degree course, and sold it in the shops surrounding the stadium. to the people whose photos and tales it contains. Only a few hundred were printed, so expect to pay at least £100 for a copy.

You don't hold your breath when footballers release their heavily-ghosted autobiographies - Spurs players are no exceptions. Forward With Spurs by Cliff Jones (1962) and Football My Life by Ron Burgess (1952) have a rarity value having never appeared in Book Club form and go for around £30. Two other valuable books suffered from poor timing Ossie: My Life In football by Osvaldo Ardiles (1983) was published soon after the Falklands war, and When The Going Gets Tough by Graham Roberts U 988) was released while he was between clubs and sticking the boot into Tottenham for good measure. Danny Blanchflower's Double And Before (1961) isn't particularly rare because it was reprinted a number of times. But in the eyes of the fans, especially those of 40 plus, he is a footballing God. Also look out for Danny Blanchflower's Soccer Book, an annual from 1959. Although annuals sponsored by famous footballers rarely contain anything of note from the author, Danny goes against the grain by writing the whole thing himself It also contains many memorable photos. Spurs fans hold Bill Nicholson in similar esteem as Blanchflower, so his Glory Glory My Life With Spurs (1984) would find a place on to bookshelf of most book-collecting fans.

Although Jimmy Greaves was a Spurs great, his books aren't collectable. lie's released at least five biographies and his less than serious image has not endeared him to the more studious reader. Terry Venables has also swamped the market, so books about his time at Spurs tend not to be collectable so much written about so little achievement.

written by David Brown