Beginning with a loving history of greyhound racing, Brian Belton tells the tale of a time and a place when the punters of the East End of London came together to urge their dogs on.
War Hammers II, the sequel to the fascinating story of the club during the First World War, looks at the achievements and developments of the Upton Park heroes throughout the Second World War. West Ham United was forced to adapt in the dark days of…
Brian Belton's powerfully original book examines Gypsy lives against the framework of social theories that illustrate how identity arises out of the cultural complexity of individual biographies, families, and communities. Addressing the lack of con…
This is a history of speedway at the West Ham stadium, from its first-ever dirt track meeting in 1928 to its final season in 1971. Exhaustively researched and supplemented with detailed statistical appendixes, this is a nostalgic but worthy tribute…
The Battle of Montevideo presents the compelling story of football's most violent match, the World Club Championship decider between Celtic and Racing Club of Buenos Aires in 1967.
This is a biography of one of West Ham United's greatest ever players, and the history of the club during his time in claret and blue. During those dozen years, Len Goulden had a glittering career, and became an England star. He scored the final goa…
In 1938 Arthur George Wilkinson became the first West Ham speedway rider to win the World Championship, and he remains one of the great names of the sport today. 'Bluey', as the diminutive Australian was universally known, carved his name into the a…
Located in the heart of London's East End, the Thames Ironworks might be described as characteristic of the industrial and social landscape of the Victorian era. This successful enterprise, headed by the respected Hills family, undertook projects in…
The book explores the notion of Gypsy and Traveller ethnicity and provides a critique of the conceptual basis of racial and ethnic categorisation. An analysis of the post-war housing situation is given in order to illustrate a connection between soc…
From the earliest days of West Ham United the club sought out competition from outside the British Isles. Building on this, the Hammers, led by England captain Bobby Moore, won their way into top class competition in Europe to become the first side…
This book presents a look at one of the first major railway disasters in Britain, the fall of the Dee bridge in May 1847, which occurred just outside Chester with the loss of five lives. The main line from Holyhead to Chester had only been opened si…
This book is a fascinating and entertaining mixture of the history and characters of the darts world. It features player profiles, trivia - including players' walk-on music, quickest matches, longest matches, 9-dart finishes, the most loved and hate…
The John Charles Story
This book tells the fascinating story of West Ham United Football Club during the First World War, charting the relationship between war and football by following the pursuits of West Ham from 1913/14 to 1918/19. In many ways, it was their success i…
West Ham and Preston North End in the FA Cup
The young men who played in West Ham's FA Cup Final victory over Preston North End in 1964 were all born and raised in England. In each tie from the third round, only English players had worn the Hammers over their hearts. This title tells the tale…
On 1 April 1972 West Ham United became the first club from the highest echelon of English football to field three black players in League competition. Clive Charles was born in Canning Town, just a few miles from the Hammers' Upton Park home; Ade Co…
The genesis of West Ham United Football Club is probably the most fascinating of any professional side. The team that would become the pride of East London and pioneers of the modern game first came into the world as Thames Ironworks. Its players we…
