LA ROJA: A JOURNEY THROUGH SPANISH FOOTBALL. by BURNS, JIMMY:

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Complete number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2.] FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright crisp,clean,matt colour photographic illustrated dw/dj,with red+black lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - virtually pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - appears unread - apart from my own collation. Immaculate,bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original,plain red cloth bds with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white eps.UK,8vo HB+ dw/dj,1st edn,x-xixpp+2-394pp,includes preface,author's intro,29 chapters+epilogue,contemporary b/w photographs as chapter tail or head pieces - either to recto of last page of each chapter or a separator page before begining of each chapter - interspersed throughout the book,a select biblio,note on the author,acknowledgements and an index.Plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,dedication and contents list/table and another note about the author - as the last page.
From its early beginnings,when the first football on the shores of Bilbao and Buenos Aires was played by British sailors and engineers,through to the influx of South American stars,and similarly inspirational Italians,Dutchman and Scandinavians,this lively and thoughtful history shows how the engagement of foreigners with home-grown Spanish talent overcame political adversity and produced football of sublime skill,passion,and unparalleled entertainment value. The book takes us on a journey through some of the extraordinary characters, games,and moments that have defined Spanish football; from the early days when a few enthusiasts developed their talent kicking a ball around on a piece of industrial waste-ground or beach,to the emergence of rival giants,FC Barcelona and Real Madrid - the most powerful and successful football clubs in the world - and a national team that,encompassing all that was most brilliant in the Spanish League,became the World Champions.
The author of a best-selling biography of Diego Maradona,and similarly widely acclaimed books on FC Barcelona and Real Madrid,Jimmy Burns digs deep into the roots of the most popular sport,to look at how football played in Spain became the most admired in the world.
Burns's books on Spanish and South American football have earned him a reputation internationally as a master of the genre,mixing acute observation,telling anecdote,and colourful profiles and interviews with players,managers and fans in an absorbing historical and social context.
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