Andy Bollen explores the history, tradition and violent nature of football's biggest clashes.In unravelling the history of these infamous feuds, Bollen gets to the crux of each conflict, exploring why the fans dislike each other so vehemently.Football is often a search for political identity, as in Spain's El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, while in Buenos Aires' Superclásico, it's poverty and privilege at the heart of the rivalry between working...

An alternative take on European football, covering match-fixing, bribery, extortion and murder. In this fantasy football museum, Bollen delves into the archives to uncover idiocy and chaos from across the continent. The exhibits highlight the very worst of the human condition: greed, cheating, match-fixing, bribery, extortion and murder. Learn about the French captain who joined the Gestapo, the notorious football-mad Stasi boss, Erich Mielke and Gaddafi's son playing in Italy, the 1970s L...

From Socrates to Arthur Montford, via Bovril, Buckfast and, of course, pies, this is a unique journey through the extraordinary world of Scottish football.Packed with anecdotes and observations, Andy Bollen wallows in a nostalgic haze, a time of hatchet-men with moustaches, a magic sponge that should have been granted miracle status and big-money strikers who couldn't hit a cow's posterior with a banjo.Opinionated, forthright and funny, Bollen reluctantly concedes that tatt...

What makes the number-ten jersey so special? It's merely material and thread - the number only used for administrative purposes. Yet the number ten represents much more than football. Those wearing it carry the weight of expectation for club and country. Andy Bollen forensically examines the world's greatest players - from Puská s to Pelé , Maradona and Messi - and asks, what makes them tick? How did they reach legendary status? He explores how their will to win at all costs comes from the...

In 1983, aged 36, Johan Cruyff, one of the world's most iconic football superstars, guided Ajax to a league and cup double. Out of contract, most people, including the player, expected a valedictory final season and a one-year extension. Inexplicably, Ajax let him go. They grossly underestimated the fierce genius of Johan Cruyff. He signed for bitter rivals Feyenoord, leading them to a league and cup double, silencing his critics and thrilling football fans everywhere. Fierce Genius analys...

Ride the Oasis rollercoaster ahead of Live '25.Oasis were Artful Dodgers from a housing estate who created stadium anthems that connected with millions. They became the band of the people by giving the people what they wanted: rock 'n' roll.Ahead of the Live '25 Tour, Definitely Maybe offers a unique take on their story. The euphoric highs, spectacular implosions, chaos, excesses and sibling rivalry. How the Gallagher brothers captured the zeitgeist of the 1990s ...

'… an instant classic and a required part of the library of anyone fascinated with the record business.' – Danny Goldberg, bestselling author of Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt CobainChess Records tested their acquisitions out on people waiting at a nearby bus stop: if the crowd were bopping, they had a hit.Sub Pop rejection letters start with the harsh, yet funny, 'Dear Loser'.Atlantic Record...

When Nirvana first exploded onto the music scene in 1991 with the anthemic 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', few people could've predicted their subsequent global impact. No one knew then that Nevermind would become one of the seminal albums of the decade, selling over 30 million copies worldwide and spearheading a whole new 'grunge' movement. In so doing, the band's lead singer Kurt Cobain was transformed into one of music's most enduring and iconic figures.As drummer for the British group Capta...

As the assistant editor of Melody Maker, Everett True was the first journalist to cover the Seattle music scene in early 1989 and interview Nirvana. He is responsible for bringing Hole, Pavement, Soundgarden, and a host of other bands to international attention. He introduced Kurt Cobain to Courtney Love, performed on stage with Nirvana on numerous occasions, and famously pushed Kurt onto the stage of the Reading Festival in 1992 in a wheelchair. Nirvana: The Biography is...

In this compelling biography, Christopher Sandford explores the full, inside story of Kurt Cobain.From the disruptive childhood which had such a crucial impact on Cobain's personality to the ambitious career musician who, as a friend said, "lunged for success", and the worldwide breakthrough of Nirvana's Nevermind, Sandford also writes about Cobain's stormy marriage to Courtney Love, his heroin addiction, and how he became more and more of a recluse. Finally, he wr...

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING FIRST NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL“Riveting.”—PEOPLE“A terrific debut . . . elevated by sharp writing and sharper insights.”—STEPHEN KING“Keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.”—CHICAGO TRIBUNEFresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: sh...

I was only sixteen when I bought an electric guitar and joined a band. A year later, I formed an all-girl band called the Marine Girls and played gigs, and signed to an indie label, and started releasing records.Then, for eighteen years, between 1982 and 2000, I was one half of the group Everything But the Girl. In that time, we released nine albums and sold nine million records. We went on countless tours, had hit singles and flop singles, were reviewed and interviewed to within a...