MANCHESTER - THE GREATEST CITY

TITLE: MANCHESTER: THE GREATEST CITY - The Complete History of Manchester City Football Club
AUTHOR: Gary James
PUBLISHER: Polar Print Group Ltd., Uxbridge Road, Leicester. LE4 7ST
ISBN: 1-899538-09-7
PRICE: £24.95

I haven't bothered with the last few City books and was in 2 minds about getting this one. I'm glad I did though - this book is absolutely brilliant and worth every penny. This is the definitive story of the Blues; well written, thoroughly researched, and superbly illustrated. There are some great old photos, ground plans, maps, memorabilia, even a season ticket from 1892. A must for all Blues, this is the best book I've seen on City (or anything else for that matter). Buy it now. Did I mention that this book is brilliant?

Having already written two of the essential books in the (limited) Blue canon, Gary James was determined to fill a yawning gap and write the definitive history of our club. Assisted by Polar Publishing, he has succeeded magnificently. He charts the story of our club from its beginnings as a Gorton church team in 1880 to the present day multi-million pound concern.

Manchester: The Greatest City is a big book. 464 beautifully produced A4 pages, profusely illustrated with well over a thousand photographs, illustrations and newspaper cuttings. The club's history is related chronologically in twenty-odd chapters, and throughout the book significant players are accorded "Maine Citizen" status and profiled separately. Included amongst these is Ian Bishop, and it is indicative of the author's approach that a player who made less than two dozen appearances for the Blues should be considered for inclusion. For this is no stuffy sanitized history: it is written from a deeply involved fan's perspective. The author stresses the significance of the City fan in as "THE MOST important part of this great club": to flavour the book he has obtained first-hand accounts from fans who saw City before WW2 and also quotes from present day fanzines.

James has avoided the temptation to linger overlong on the heady days of Mercer and Allison and the subsequent long decline, and gives due consideration to the club's rich heritage. Indeed, well-researched and richly illustrated, the first half of the book superbly documents the pre-Mercer age.The author treads carefully and evenly through the difficult shambles of the last few years and manages to faithfully record the events both on and off the pitch which have seen the club reach its nadir. Peter Swales is given fair recognition for his pioneering work in the seventies Also included is a "Maine Mediography", a comprehensive Blue bibliography which also gives details of City videos, films and Internet sites. Whilst there is still scope for other books to be written about City, Gary James has fulfilled his ambition and our desire and produced what may be unequivocally regarded as the definitive history of Manchester City Football Club. A City history with its Blue heart on its sleeve. Buy it.