ROOM AT THE TOP has now gone into production and updates on progress will be posted on this site. Once a delivery date is confirmed details will be circulated to subscribers and through tweets. Please note that the hard cover books will take slightly longer.
The original plan had been to produce a single book covering the history of Bradford football through to 1908 when City won promotion to Division One and Bradford Park Avenue were admitted to the Football League. Instead there will now be two books which ensures that everything can be included and the number of illustrations do not have to be cut – the alternative was a single book of 600+ pages and the risk of the spine splitting.
The two books will each be of the same size. The first will be published as ROOM AT THE TOP and cover the period to 1892. The second will be published as LIFE AT THE TOP to cover the period 1892 to 1908.
Those people who have subscribed will receive both publications this summer with LIFE AT THE TOP planned for release in July. The timing of the retail release and prices will be confirmed later.
NB The title of both publications were originally adopted by Bingley author John Braine. His novel, Life at the Top (published in 1962) followed Room at the Top (1957) and continued the story of his central character, Joe Lampton. Other than the fact that the titles capture the themes of my own books, the link with John Braine is fitting for his coverage of the personalities he knew of in Bradford. The story of football in the district involved similar characters to those he wrote about – variously stubborn, proud, ambitious and ruthless.
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