My Father and Other Working Class Football Heroes by Gary Imlach. A great insight into how football was in the maximum wage era, when players lived in the same streets and travelled on the same buses as the fans. A moving story about Imlach's relationship wiith his father too.

Fiction
The Celebrant by Eric Rolfe Greenberg about the friendship between a jeweler and the brilliant (but doomed) real-life pitcher Christy Mathewson, genuinely great book.

The Great American Novel by Phillip Roth. Hilarious satire on Americana. The first fifty pages or so are unreadable if you don't know what follows so I imagine it's on a lot of peoples "I never finished that" lists.

Non Fiction
The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn. Predates the Don Henley song by a decade or more. It follows the lives of many of the 50's era Brooklyn Dodgers into the 1970's and retirement. A clue to the feel of the book comes from the fact the title comes from a poem by Dylan Thomas which goes, "I see the boys of summer in their ruin."

One of the players is Jackie Robinson, who was the first black man to play in the Major Leagues. That alone gives the book a resonance that will echo for decades to come. It's a genuine classic.

Similar but lacking the presence of Robinson is "The Glory of Their Times." A bunch of old codgers reminisce about the olden days. I loved it. Hugely enjoyable.

by Gordon Burn - if you like David Peace you'll probably like this.

but despite the title A Social History of English Cricket by Derek Birley is something close to a masterpiece. It won the William Hill sports book of the year a few years back and deservedly so. Very well written and very entertaining it's as far from the usual bucolic cliches trotted out about cricket as possible though at the same time incredibly affectionate about it all.
'A left-wing assault on cricket's history' says a reader on amazon. Not exactly it isn't, but I'd say that was a selling point.

A Mazy Dribble Through North East Football by Harry Pearson, hilarious book about all levels of football around the region.

Some great playful observations of the characters on the terraces (not that many grounds have terraces anymore) really sums up the humour, hassles and frustration of people following lower league teams too.

is wonderful. Hugh McIlvenney is a great writer who happens to write mainly about football. He could describe a rain-lashed first round FA Cup tie between two lower divison teams and make it seem like a Homeric tale of legend...

Two excellent football books

The Miracle of Castel di Sangro by Joe McGinnis

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miracle-Castel-di-Sangro/dp/075152753X/ref=sr_1_...

and A season with Verona by Tim Parks

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Season-Verona-Tim-Parks/dp/0099422670/ref=pd_sim...

Both books written by "outsiders" who get into the hearts and minds of footballers and football fans alike.

Sport books have dominated my summer:

I loved 'Provided You Don't Kiss Me' - the Brian Clough book. It really is terribly moving as well as darkly hilarious. Some of the stories are beyond belief but it might just restore your faith in football.

Otherwise lots of cricket books the best of which were 'Fatty Batter' by Michael Simkins and 'Penguins Stopped Play' by the late Harry Thompson.

Best cricket writer is (or was) C.L.R James - a socialist campaigner who writes about the game beautifuly. Highly recommended.

Best sports book i have read so far is Brilliant Orange by David Winner. Examines dutch football and how it is influenced bty dutch culture. Facinating. Infact any of Winners books.

Also agree with above. A season with Verona is great.

David Renwick. Best book on the best sportsman of the 20th century.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/King-World-David-Remnick/dp/0330371894/ref=sr_1_...

I love the book The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Mile-Neal-Bascomb/dp/0007173725/ref=sr_1...

It's about Roger Bannister and the two guys he was battling against to beat to make the four minute mile, an Australian and an American - both technically better runners than he was. It's a really great account of how sporting rivalry can push people to do amazing things.

Has anyone read this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Northern-Soul-J-R-Endeacott/dp/1901927172/re...

Two great novels on boxing, The Harder They Fall by the incomparable Budd Schulberg and Fat City by Leonard Gardner ( I had to look his name up, I confess). I read both of these twenty -odd years ago and since lost them. I recently came across the Budd Schulberg and it was even better than I remembered.
The Americans do an awful lot of Baseball books, Michael Chabon wrote Summerland , which is quite good for kids. It´s all about fairies and baseball

I promise you this is just a brilliant read. Its honest, witty, sad and its amazingly well written. And that's before you consider its a book about football. One of the best, and just for you.... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Full-Time-Secret-Life-Cascarino/dp/074328531X/re...

You will not be disappointed.

Although its not really a conventional book on sport, it has won a prize for sports books. In that spirit I thoroughly recommend it. While teaching in 1990s Tokyo the author begins to feel that he is getting old and slobby. So he decides to sign up for the toughest Aikido course he can find - one that the Japanese riot police and Body-guards for various global personalities push themselves through. Its a year's commitment and broken bones are guaranteed. The book has a lot to say about Japanese culture and the cult of machismo.

Also great - a classic really - is The Fight by Norman Mailer. Norman heads out to Zaire for the build up for the Ali-Foreman Rumble in the Jungle. His description of the fight itself turns it into an archetype. Never was an author better matched to a subject.

by Gary Nelson, who played for Charlton the season they were promoted to the Premiership in the mid-90's. An insight into what it is like to be a professional footballer, who earns a living but not a fortune. Sequel was Left foot in the Grave, about playing and coaching down the leagues.

about Provided you dont kiss me - very good indeed. I am going to throw in one which is not absolutely about sports but is written by a famous American Sportswriter about a dear friend dying from Cancer and how his professional obseesion with sport nearly overshadowed a great friendship.

Its called Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and without being too soppy it might just make you cry.

Anyone read "Friday Night Lights"?

I was really hoping that book was going to be about Tranmere Rovers.

many of which already adorn my bookshelf.
In addition to these may I also add "Rain Men" by Marcus Berkmann about his travails as cricket fanatic, both as a watcher and a "player".
I have little or no interest in Rowing but "True Blue" by Daniel Topolski about the University Boat race in 1987 was a fascinating read.
I would also recommend "Playground of the Gods" by Ian Stafford which is an account of a year spent playing and practising around the world with the very best sportsmen.

Just ordered it from Amazon after reading the Wikipedia about it. Sounds interesting how the fortunes of the town are intertwined with the (American) Football team. Looking on the Amazon website it appears there is also a movie and a soundtrack although I dont recall reading about either.

Billy Bob Thornton was in the movie.

Fantastic book by David Conn documenting the increasing injection of money into football, flotations on the stock market, the creation of the breakaway Premiership and much else. It is fairly bleak, but always balances every travesty (the forcing through of the Emirates stadium by the all-powerful Arsenal in cahoots with the unforgiveably money/kudos-hungry Islington Council at the expense of local residents/businesses or memorably the hilarious shift of Wimbledon to Milton Keynes - the MK Dons?!?) with a genuinely uplifting tale of grass-roots nurturing in Crewe or the fightback of Wimbledon fans to restart their team from scratch. I only have a casual interest in football but this was never anything less than entertaining, moving and informative. Highly recommended.

the Gary Imlach book is a beautiful story of when footballers were serfs and a lovely touching Father/Son book too..how times have changed???..The Glory of The Game-Eamonn Dunphy is also a fine version of the Manure years of the sixties...John Arlott's biography written by his son is also a cracker...I used to love televised Sunday afternoon cricket when Arlott would read cricket poetry from a deck chair as the players took tea...There is also a book about Reading footballing legend Robin Friday, "The Best Footballer You Never Knew" which I haven't read but is regarded as a classic. Good subject!!!

two of the best ever sports books. One is the Cascarino biog mentioned above, which is a fantastic if harrowing read.

The other is "Rough Ride", the story of his time as a pro cyclist. If you're naive enough to think that these guys aren't on drugs then read this.

My favourite football book is Brilliant Orange. I love the way the chapters are randomly numbered just like the squad numbers the Dutch wore on their shirts!

One of the best general sports books - spends time training with some of the best sportsmen / teams in the world (SA Rugby, Australian Cricket team, Steve Redgrave......).

Author is a New Zealander who follows Ipswich Town FC and was beguiled as a child by grainy, shaky footage of the 1978 World Cup tournament on NZ TV. An obsession with the 4-yearly tournament follows. Entire chapter devoted to a fantasy dinner date with the World Cup trophy itself. Funnier than it sounds.

Most of sport books from my shelf have already been covered above, but for something completely different try "Paralympian" by Stephen Miller. This guy has cerebral palsy and has won three consecutive Paralympic gold medals for Britain. (He's competing for a fourth next week!) Whatever you think of the Paralympics, this is an amazing story about overcoming limitations and chasing dreams. Some good honest stuff about athletics, funding etc. It's actually pretty funny too!
www.tontobooks.com/miller

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the book Pete Davies wrote about the year he spent with the Doncaster Belles - England's leading women's football team at the time. The reader's journey parallels the writer's; you start off deeply cynical about women's football, and by the end you're kicking every ball with them and suffering through every setback. I defy you to read it all without welling up, if not blubbing openly.

It's all the more poignant now that the club is in severe danger of going out of business.

Pete Davies also wrote All Played Out, a brilliant account of the 1990 World Cup.

Or am I just dreaming?
The book on the Doncaster Belles was a classic.

is a classic, I'm on my second copy, after a sports journo nicked the first one. Duncan Hamilton's Clough book is great, as is David Peace's novel about Clough, 'The Damned United', currently being filmed. 'McIlvanney on Boxing' is one of my all time faves.

..is a great book. My personal favourite of any genre.

Lance Armstong's biography is very good, as is John McEnroes.
Marcus Berkmann's 'Rain Men' is a brilliant book describing a cricket obsessive's life.
Gary Imlach 'My Father and Other Working-Class Football Heroes' is a very touching read about his father's football career with Nottingham Forest (amongst others) and Scotland in the 50s and 60s. An era of the maximum wage, hardly rercognisable to the pampered lifestyle modern players enjoy.
Gile Smith 'Midnight in the Garden of Evil Knievel' is a compilation of his columns from The Daily Telegraph, really funny and so much superior to his new stuff where his Chelsea bias comes to the fore.
Norman Mailler 'The Fight' is a wonderful account of the Ali/Foreman fight in Zaire.

Speaking of American sports writers, John Feinstein has a couple of good books - "Next man up" is a great insight into a year with the Ravens. You don't have to be an American Football fan to love the insights.

Two good golf books - Caddie for life is about the relationship between Tom Watson and his friend and caddie Bruce Edwards. In tears by the end.

Agree with the suggestion of Stephen Jones - he can be a little polemical in his newspaper articles, but the broader scope of a book really allows him to expand his thoughts. It alaso allows his love of the game through to come through fully.

And as much as I hate to say it as a Scot, Clive Woodward's 'Winning' is a thought provoking read. I'm also ashamed to admit that I've used some of his ideas at work.
Oh God - I think I need to wash my soul....

I cant wait to get stuck in to several on that list.

As another post mentions, there are some great baseball books. A favourite is 'Eight Men Out' by Eliot Asinof, the story of the fixed 1919 World Series. If you liked the movie 'Field of Dreams' (come on, you must have...) you'll recognise a few of the characters, like Shoeless Joe Jackson. A wonderful slice of history. I'm not American, I've never been to a baseball game but I fell right into this book.

C L R James's Beyond A Boundary and Mike Brearley's The Art Of Captaincy are 2 cricket books that transcend the formula of the history of a career. Beyond A Boundary asks "What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?" and answers in fine style in a book that some have hailed the greatest sports book ever.
There is also one by Eammon Dunphy about a season with Millwall when he played for them in the '70's, but I can't recall the title.
Tim Moore's French Revolutions, perhaps stretches it as a sport book as it his account of cycling the route of the 2000 Tour De France on his own. A very enjoyable read nonetheless.
The Dogs by Laura Thompson is an excellent account of greyhound racing by someone brought up inside the sport. Read it while dog racing still exists.
Confessions Of An Ivy League Bookie by Peter Alson is only tangentially a sports book, but is another good read.

by Nick Hornby. So insightful on the whole obsessive fandom thing. (I jusy skimmed through, so apologies if someone's already mentioned it).

Boxing - The Life and Crimes of Don King: The Shame of Boxing in America by Jack Newfield - what a story! Early in the book, Don kicks a man to death in the street - his dying words are "Don, I'll pay you the money". Boxing red in tooth and claw.

Football - Frank Worthington's autobiography "One Hump or Two?" is like spending a couple of hours in a saloon bar with the great raconteur.

Golf - Lawrence Donegan's "Four Iron In The Soul" is his tale of being a caddy for a year - elements of George Plimpton, good on self-deprecation, dry, and funny. (Yes, him out the Bluebells and the Commotions)

(Shocked! I tell you) that "Seabiscuit" by Laura Hillenbrand (sp?) hasn't been mentioned before now. Great story, brilliantly written, I have little interest in horse racing, but this was utterly gripping.
Another nod for "Eight Men Out", one of the bleakest things I've ever read.

"Man on Spikes" by the same author.
It's a fictional, but totally unsentimental, look at a players career from his days as a boy wonder to his Major League debut. Every word rings true. It's rare for the "American dream" to be portayed so sourly.

A similar but factual book is the autobiography "A False Spring" by Pat Jordan. A minor leaguer, Pat traces his career path with an honesty that can only be described as "unflinching."

'The life and legend of Roberto Duran' is a factual account of the turbulent life of the Panamanian boxing legend who ruled the lightweight division for many years before moving up to fight (and win world titles) at several higher weights. An interesting and detailed analysis of a complex (and somewhat flawed) human being with an insight into the so-called 'fight game' of the seventies and eighties. Apparently he was something of a musician as well!

shout out for Word Magazines very own Jim White. "Are You Watching, Liverpool?" and "Manchester United - The Biography" are wonderful, insightful and enjoyable for those of a red disposition.

I am in the market for a really good Rugby League book, any recommendations? I have read At The George by Geoffrey Moorhouse, and am looking for something, possibly an autobiography, with a bit more humour?

... but Joe Simpson (no euphemistic sex in it at all, surprisingly) and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - are two excellent books on what can go wrong up a mountain.

by Tim Krabbe. Like Herrigel's Zen and the Art of Archery, with added cycling.

As a father and coach of an under 10's footie team I spose this tale of Jim White's(I think, observer sports writer - again I think! A while since I read it) travails as a coach of a junior football side was always going to interest me. Even if only for the odd nugget from the 'best' managers in the world...it was genuinely interesting the way he charted his relationship with his sons the one who plays and one who doesn't. The nuggets from fergie, mourinho weren't, incidentally, bolts of never before realised brilliance (Mourinho: always train with the ball - always the ball) however interseting to hear.

I'd also give a vote to 'Provided you don't kiss me' and 'Damned Utd' was superb even if mostly fictional.