Elegance Borne of Brutality: An Eclectic History of the Football Boot

by Ian McArthur, Dave Kemp

Interspersed with illustrations, reproductions of advertisements, and anecdotes, this book charts the development of boots from the 19th. century through to the advent of the lightweight boot in the 1950's. From the 1950's boots were mass produced for all players (not just professionals) and we entered the age of boots as fashion objects and the world of mega-sponsorship for the world's leading players. The story of football boots is told in a continuous narrative style, and takes a retrogressive look at football.

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 1995