City Books

[nelsons willie]

has anyone read a book called george best and 21 others? its about the youth semi final between them and us and what became of the players that made it and didnt make it.

No. It irritates me a bit that Schindler yet again used Man United to sell his book.

schindler was on radio few weeks back..he did seem a bit of an arseole..do what i do get it out of library..

 

[allblackcitizen]

Someone got me the Goat "autobiog" for my birthday a couple of years back. Only City book i've ever read. Mildly interesting about his early days in Bermuda. Can keep the rest.

If anyone wants it and will pay postage pm me

 

[Gary James]

I have both versions of Manchester the Greatest City and didn't realise they are worth a bit now but I'd never part with them anyway. Going back further The Pride of Manchester that follows the derbies up until 1991.

I enjoyed Bell, Marsh, Buzzer and Doyles books but Joe Corrigans is excellent - highly recommended.

However I think Farewell to Maine Road is my personal favourite. The quality of photography gathered from over the years and the research that must have gone into make it second to none. It's a treasure on my bookshelf and a pleasure to own.

Thanks for the comments about my books - most people don't seem to know about The Pride Of Manchester (that was my second book) but that was great to write. As was The Greatest City and Farewell To Maine Road. That was a highly emotional journey - no one believed a book of that type could be produced on a football ground and most bookshops wouldn't stock it. All 3 of those books plus my biog of Joe Mercer are now highly collectable. I had to buy a Pride Of Manchester off ebay last year at an inflated price myself to ensure I had a copy.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Gary, i've got two copies of Farewell to Maine Road, too. I'm delighted they're now collectable.

You won't remember, but I contributed the first piece in the section at the end with fan's memories.

Wonderful books and photos.

 

[nelsons willie]

I have both versions of Manchester the Greatest City and didn't realise they are worth a bit now but I'd never part with them anyway. Going back further The Pride of Manchester that follows the derbies up until 1991.

I enjoyed Bell, Marsh, Buzzer and Doyles books but Joe Corrigans is excellent - highly recommended.

However I think Farewell to Maine Road is my personal favourite. The quality of photography gathered from over the years and the research that must have gone into make it second to none. It's a treasure on my bookshelf and a pleasure to own.

Thanks for the comments about my books - most people don't seem to know about The Pride Of Manchester (that was my second book) but that was great to write. As was The Greatest City and Farewell To Maine Road. That was a highly emotional journey - no one believed a book of that type could be produced on a football ground and most bookshops wouldn't stock it. All 3 of those books plus my biog of Joe Mercer are now highly collectable. I had to buy a Pride Of Manchester off ebay last year at an inflated price myself to ensure I had a copy.

Bit careless that isnt it gary, writing the book then not having a copy..!st thing i do whenever i start a new job..have a look round see if theirs anything worth taking home..know what i mean chaps..cushty

 

[greasedupdeafguy]

best books are man city miscellany and Manchester city a complete record.

 

[City_Shirts]

Cant wait for Danny Millis's to come out !!!!

On serious note Mark Ward is in the process of finalising his book, which in his words not mine, will be the most explosive football book ever written.

The Goat’s is also a very good an honest read from a very humble man - LEGEND !!

 

[Rosler81]

I'll have to try and buy a copy of The Greatest City.

 

[City_Shirts]

Farewell to Maine Road the Official History of Manchester City's Grounds by Gary James has become an extremely collectable City football book with copies starting price at around £150-£200 !!

Why is this Gary ?

 

[Gary James]

Farewell to Maine Road the Official History of Manchester City's Grounds by Gary James has become an extremely collectable City football book with copies starting price at around £150-£200 !!

Why is this Gary ?

The price tends to vary depending on how much people are prepared to pay. I doubt anyone has ever paid over £60 for a copy of any of my books. Often a seller will try and make some money out of desperate fans. I've seen Farewell To Maine Rd; Manchester The Greatest City; The Pride Of Manchester; and Football with A Smile all advertised at over £100 in the past, but I've also seen some of those sellers drop their prices after a few months.

Why are they collectable? I guess I'm not the right person to answer that, but obviously I think the quality of the research, writing and design has a lot to do with it. Some books are thrown together but each of the books I mentioned took at least a couple of years to write and research (I often work on a couple of books at a time, so it's difficult to quantify but I was researching and writing The Greatest City from Jan 1994 to last Summer 1997).

Another reason I guess is quantity produced. Manchester The Greatest City was produced twice (1997 & 2002) and each time around 5,500 books were published. Farewell To Maine Road had 3,000 copies made; The Pride Of Manchester 5,000; Football With A Smile 2,000 hardback and 1,000 paperback. This makes them rare within a few years as new/younger fans start to show interest in earlier books on City.

Another reason why they seem to be advertised at ridiculously high prices is pure greed by the seller. I don't blame anyone cashing in if something's collectable, but I am aware of some memorabilia dealers who have inflated prices in the past. My first book, From Maine Men To Banana Citizens, was a fairly lightweight paperback with poor production and sold at £5.95, but when The Greatest City came out 13 years later one dealer was selling my first book at over £30 and advertising it as Gary's first book. It was not worth anywhere near that.

My tip is always to buy the book when it's first advertised and always try to subscribe - my publishers usually advertise them cheaper before publication and often you get your name in the book; it delivered before it appears in the shops; and a couple of quid off. My next book "The Big Book Of City" will be out in October, but will be sold as a subscriber edition soon (watch <a class="postlink" href="http://www.manchesterfootball.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.manchesterfootball.org</a> at the end of the month).

Incidentally, the final copies of "Manchester A Football History" have now been distributed, so as far as the publishers are concerned this has now sold out. So if you were thinking of buying it do so soon before book dealers start to inflate the price of it.