The Greatest Stories Ever Told

So many great books have been published about Leicester over the years. But which are the must-haves - the ones that should be on every City fan's shelf?

Here's a personal top twelve.

Before we start, a word about what's in and what's out. The book has to be predominantly about Leicester City to qualify, which means some fantastic reads are omitted. So no place for these:

Steve Claridge - Tales From The Boot Camps

Mark Bright - From Foster Child to Footballer

Martin O'Neill - On Days Like These

Gordon Milne - Shankly, My Dad and Me

Right, let's go:

12)  Jamie Vardy - From Nowhere. My Story.       Jamie Vardy with Stuart James, 2017  

A fine account of his career up to the title win in 2016.  What we really need now is an update, with the full story of all the dramas of recent seasons.

11)  Here, There and Everywhere - The Steve Walsh Story.   David Joss Buckley, 1996

Steve Walsh wasn't one of my favourite players, but I loved every page of this. The quality of the writing helps it to rise above the standard footy fare.

10)  Lineker - Golden Boot.    Rob Hughes, 1987

The definitive Lineker biography has yet to be written. This is a slim volume, written fairly early in his career, which means a good proportion of it is devoted to his time with us. It’s Rob Hughes’ way with words and his coverage of Lineker’s family history that make this a must-have for City fans.

9)  Minding My Own Football Business.   Barrie Pierpoint with Matthew Mann, 2020.

I was in the anti-Pierpoint camp during the battle of 1999, but I have to admit, this is a really impressive piece of work. Telling the story of his nine years at Filbert Street, it is pretty one sided, but you get a great feel for what the club was like in the nineties. I really wanted Martin O’Neill to tell his side of the story in his book, but he barely gave it a mention, so Barrie’s version lies unchallenged at the moment. The best Leicester book published in the last five years (just beating the Rowley Brothers story).

8)  Fearless - The Amazing Underdog Story of Leicester City.     Jonathan Northcroft, 2016

Of all the books published in the wake of our title win, just two really stood out. One was David Bevan’s ‘Unbelievables’, written from the perspective of a City fan. But I can’t be handing out these gongs to friends, so let’s give it to the other candidate, Jonathan Northcroft, who took time to tell the story in real depth.

7)  O'Neill - Crest of a Wave.     Geoff Peters, 1998.

As mentioned, Martin’s recent autobiography is disqualified from this list, but instead, here’s a beautifully written tale of his first two years at Filbert Street. It followed a similar book, ‘Starting A Wave’, by Brian Little, which might have been included here had the prose style not been so faithful to Little’s less-than-inspiring manager-speak.

6)  Muzzy - My Story.    Muzzy Izzet with Lee Marlow, 2015

Neil Lennon, Muzzy Izzet and Robbie Savage were the heart of Martin O’Neill’s team, and their autobiographies should be side by side on every City fan’s bookshelf.  Muzzy’s story just shades it here. 

5)  Gibbo - The Davie Gibson Story.      Dave Gibson with Chris Westcott, 2013

Most City fans who recall the glory days of the early 60s pick Gibbo as their favourite player, and this book tells his story with real style. Of others from the ‘Ice-Kings’ era, Frank McLintock’s ‘True Grit’, despite being aimed mainly at Arsenal fans, gives you great insights into those times, and Gordon Banks’ autobiography 'Banksy' is also worth getting hold of.

4)  Can't Buy That Feeling.   Simon Kimber and Gary Silke, 2018

Full of little nuggets of LCFC history, this collection of interviews from the Fox Fanzine is beautifully edited and illustrated. A simple idea perfectly realized.

3)  One Hump or Two?    Frank Worthington, with Steve Wells and Nick Cooper, 1994

Of 1970s City players, you’d think it would’ve been perfectionist Peter Shilton who published the classic, and free-wheelin’ Frank who put out the rush-job. In fact, it’s the reverse. Shilts’ autobiography feels half-finished, while this rollicking read satisfies on every level - backing up the wild stories with a wealth of footballing detail. Not far behind this is another candidate from the Bloomfield years – Keith Weller’s highly recommended ‘White Tights and Bright Lights’.

2)  Bring Back The Birch.     Alan Birchenall with Paul Mace,  2000

Birch’s achievements on and off the pitch deserved celebrating in a high-quality publication – and this did the job splendidly. He says at the start that he wants it to be about all the special people he’s met rather than a game-by-game review, but the scrapbooks he gave Paul Mace to work with were so well stocked that each stage of his career is covered more than satisfactorily. 

1)  Of Fossils and Foxes.  The Official, Definitive History of Leicester CIty FC.         Dave Smith and Paul Taylor. 4th edition,  2016

This is so far ahead of the field it’s untrue. It’s not only the best Leicester book, it’s the best history of any club I’ve ever read (and I’ve got a shelf full of them). No doubt you already own a copy, but do yourself a favour and dive into some of those player profiles you’ve never read before – each one condensing hours and hours of research into a punchy mini biography. The other parts – the season-by-season narrative, the line-ups, the stats section – are similarly authoritative. Don’t try looking for any factual errors – you’ll have more luck finding a needle in a haystack.

So that's the top twelve.  It should be pretty easy to get hold of all the books mentioned here.  abebooks.co.uk is good for second hand stuff.

Well, I said it was a personal selection, and I'd love to hear some other views.