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Thursday March 27, 2025

Published: 01 July 2003 RECOMMENDED READING by Pete Hargreaves Recently somebody wrote to me privately and said....:>>> BTW, Can you recommend some good Manchester United reading material? Books and such. I thought that if anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be you. What I really need to do is study my United history. <<< As there may be some on this List who are new to Manchester United I thought I would share my response with you. Plainly my list is by no means (by NO means) definitive - there are bloody hundreds of books about Manchester United - but I find the three listed below absolutely ESSENTIAL. There are three books without which I could not live my life. All are updated periodically and all are quite expensive. I recently got an update to one for my birthday (the Player by Player book). These three books offer me endless pleasure as I never stop (re)reading them. They are......... 1. The Illustrated History of Manchester United 1878-2000. Written by Tom Tyrrell and David Meek (NOBODY knows more about Manchester United than these two men). Priced (in 2000) £20.00 ISBN - 0600601765 2. Manchester United Player by Player. Written by Ivan Ponting. Priced (in May) £20.00 ISBN - 1899538186 3. The United Alphabet. Written by Garth Dykes. Priced (in 1994 - so almost certainly updated since I got my copy) £18.95 ISBN - 0951486268 N.B. There are a few books with the words 'History of Manchester United' in their title. The one I refer to contains not just narrative and pictures, but a record of all the matches, teams etc. When my memory stops working (as it does more and more often these days) the book helps! Obviously there are lots of other books. I must have over a hundred books on Manchester United related subjects (perhaps more), but these three books are my 'bibles'. As each day goes by I seem to struggle more and more to remember things. These books help me to fill in the gaps. I thoroughly recommend the books to you. Though, as I said, all are quite expensive. By the way, don't forgot that Tony Smith's absolutely SUPERB book about the innermost thoughts of a Manchester United supporter/fan(atic) will be published soon. Contact Tony via his website at http://www.unitedroadtakemehome.co.ukKeep the faith, Pete