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Roy of the Rovers
Following on from his bestselling All-Round Genius (HB 9781845131371, PB 9781845132408) about a real life sports man who resembled a comic strip hero, Mick Collins turns his attention to a comic strip hero that many thought was a real life striker. Roy of the Rovers delighted fans from the early '50s right up to the strip's closure in the 1990s. This affectionate, entertaining book takes the reader through Roy's many incarnations and gets the inside stories from the editors, illustrators and story creators who worked on the comic through the years. It also has memories and contributions from sports celebrities involved in the comic, such as Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker. This is a 'biography' of Roy, but it sets the comic in the context of the times showing how the rise in computer games eventually spelled the death knell for Britain's most famous sporting hero. Written in a light, entertaining style and illustrated with strips from across the years and a colour plate section, Roy of the Rovers is the perfect guilty pleasure for every childhood fan who is now a nostalgic adult. Mick Collins is a freelance sports writer, BBC radio host and author of the hugely popular All-Round Genius, also published by Aurum. He lives in London.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
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July 19, 2022
This is a very informative and entertaining book, albeit with a somewhat misleading title. It is not in fact a biography of the character (already done by Giles Smith: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...).
I would have considered five stars, but it is not quite there. Contrary to what is stated on p. 228, there was no ban on *British* clubs participating in European competition. There was a ban on *English* clubs. If I were a Dundee Utd supporter, I would feel most aggrieved that my team's progress to the 1987 UEFA Cup final had been, in effect, wiped by Collins from history. For everyone else, it is perhaps a minor error in itself, but it is also an inexcusable one and raises questions about the reliability of the author's account. Nonetheless, this is a decent piece of work.
I would have considered five stars, but it is not quite there. Contrary to what is stated on p. 228, there was no ban on *British* clubs participating in European competition. There was a ban on *English* clubs. If I were a Dundee Utd supporter, I would feel most aggrieved that my team's progress to the 1987 UEFA Cup final had been, in effect, wiped by Collins from history. For everyone else, it is perhaps a minor error in itself, but it is also an inexcusable one and raises questions about the reliability of the author's account. Nonetheless, this is a decent piece of work.
Displaying 1 of 1 review