Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain

A Social and Cultural History

Tony Collins

$357

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Routledge
10 April 2006

Social & cultural history; Rugby football

Called ‘the greatest game of all’ by its supporters but often overlooked by the cultural mainstream, no sport is more identified with England’s northern working class than rugby league.

This book traces the story of the sport from the Northern Union of the 1900s to the formation of the Super League in the 1990s, through war, depression, boom and deindustrialisation, into a new economic and social age.

Using a range of previously unexplored archival sources, this extremely readable and deeply researched book considers the impact of two world wars, the significance of the game’s expansion to Australasia and the momentous decision to take rugby league to Wembley. It investigates the history of rugby union’s long-running war against league, and the sport’s troubled relationship with the national media.

Most importantly, this book sheds new light on issues of social class and working-class masculinity, regional identity and the profound impact of the decline of Britain’s traditional industries. For all those interested in the history of sport and working-class culture, this is essential reading.

By: Tony Collins
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 21mm
Weight: 612g
ISBN: 9780415396141
ISBN 10: 041539614X
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 10 April 2006
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational , A / AS level , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction: the origins of rugby league 1 Rugby league and the First World War 2 League on the dole? The game in the depression years 3 Masters and servants: the professional player 1919–39 4 Wembley and the road from Wigan Pier 5 Rugby league in the ‘People’s War’ 6 From boom to bust 1945–70 7 ‘Chess with muscles’: the rules of the game 8 The Kangaroo connection: Anglo-Australian rugby league 9 ‘Sporting apartheid’: rugby union’s war against rugby league 10 The working-man’s game: class, gender and race 11 The other amateurs: beyond the heartlands 12 From slump to Super League 1975–95 13 A proletariat at play

Tony Collins is Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University,Leicester,UK and editor of the jour□nal Sport in History. His publications include the award-winning Rugby’s Great Split

Reviews for Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain: A Social and Cultural History

'It is only a slight exaggeration to say that this is the book rugby league has needed for the past 111 years.' - The Independent, September 2006 'There is no doubt that Tony Collins's Rugby League in 20th Century Britain is the major [sports] publishing event of the year. Treasures lurk on every page to make it worth every penny.' - Independent 'A landmark in the historiography of British sport', Matthew Taylor, Sport in History