The definitive book about soccer. With a new foreword for the American edition.

There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final.

In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, The Ball Is Round illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself.

David Goldblatt is the writer/compiler of Dorling Kindersley's World Football Yearbook. Born in London in 1965, he now lives in Bristol, England.

Imprint: Riverhead Trade
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 01-02-2008
Pages: 992
Measurements: 8.90in X 6.08in X 1.53in X 1.96lb