The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup

by Sean Wilsey and Matt Weiland

Book Overview

The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup features original pieces by thirty-two leading writers and journalists about the thirty-two nations that have qualified for the world's greatest sporting event. In addition to all the essential information any fan needs--the complete 2006 match schedule, results from past tournaments, facts and figures about the nations, players, teams, and referees--here are essays that shine a whole new light on soccer and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061132268
• ISBN13: 9780061132261
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Neat little book.

This book's got interesting info. about each participating nation of the last World Cup. If you love the nations of the "beautiful game", this book is for you.

Know I know why it's the World's Game

I was a soccer novice until the 2006 World Cup...this book is a wonderful tribute to the event! Any American who says soccer (football to the rest of the world) is boring should read this and a whole list of other books I could name including: "Soccer Against the Enemy", "How Soccer Explains the World" and "Fever Pitch". I live in Europe now and enjoy football, live, in all its glorious passion. I have bought numerous copies of this book for friends...even those who are not soccer fans since the used copies of this book are now so inexpensive because it is dated. The writers are chosen for each country predicted to be among the final teams in the World Cup and as countries are knocked out of the competition so are the writers, much to the dismay of the editors. I'm looking forward to the edition for the 2010 World Cup...it's a creative concept that allows great writers to wax eloquently about their love of the game and their country.

Great context to the World Cup

Not only were the essays well written, but they also helped provide some context to the teams which competed in Germany. The stories of national pride, political history, and intertwined factions that surround the sport across the globe gave me some rationalization for the hours and hours spent watching matches during June and July! Highly recommended, even after the tournament!

Great Read

This book is a wonderful companion to the World Cup. The Thinking Fan's Guide gives the reader new insights into the personalities of each country. Benjamin Pauker's remarkable contribution on the Ukraine is one of my favorites. A Must Read!

Great reference and reading.

I picked up this book and wasn't sure what to make of it at first. 32 different writers writing about the countries in the World Cup? But it all works. In addition to those essays that give you a glimpse into each country, there are statistics about not only the teams and the tournament, but about the various countries that are envolved. Very interesting to read the articles and then compare the size of the countries, the population, the incomes, and lots of other facts. What you end up with in this book is a good world picture. Congratulations to the people who put this one together!