1966

Name: 1966
Price: 65 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9780857508638

The Year that Changed Everything from Fashion to Football

Michael Calvin

$65

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
28 June 2026

General & world history; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000; Social & cultural history; Football (Soccer, Association football)

A vivid portrait of the world in 1966, centered around the storied World Cup tournament and its backdrop, published to mark the 60th anniversary.

1966, with London declared 'a swinging city' and John Lennon proclaiming the Beatles 'more popular than Jesus', the year's football World Cup convenes an international community standing at an inflection point, emerging from the long shadow of the Second World War and hurtling towards the future.

Propelled by social change, civil rights movements and technological advancement serve as beacons of hope and possibility. Yet, Cold War tensions, the escalation of the Vietnam War, and the space race between America and the Soviet Union project a different image. As China's Cultural Revolution begins, and talks are initiated to reunify Germany, football has the potential to inflame ideological rivalries, unite old enemies, and allow nations to demonstrate their prowess on a global stage.

Through the prism of the extraordinary tournament and the eight teams that reached the quarter finals - England, West Germany, Uruguay, Argentina, Portugal, Soviet Union, North Korea and Hungary - Michael Calvin provides a vivid portrait of a critical moment in world history. Examining the sporting, social and cultural significance of the competition and its backdrop, this hugely entertaining book brings to life a world and a sport caught in a tide of change, and shows how this critical year would change both forever.

By: Michael Calvin
Imprint: Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 750g
ISBN: 9780857508638
ISBN 10: 0857508636
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 28 June 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Michael Calvin is an award-winning writer and Sunday Times bestselling author, whose books have been hailed for their insight and influence. He has collaborated with such celebrated sportsmen as Sir Alastair Cook, Dylan Hartley and Gareth Thomas, and is the only writer to win the British Sports Book of the Year award in successive years. Most recently, and in a wider context, he has collaborated on critically acclaimed autobiographies of Toby Gutteridge, a quadriplegic former Special Forces Soldier, and of Josef Lewkowicz, a Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter.