As the clock ticks down on Tottenham Hotspur’s time at White Hart Lane, it’s time to draw your attention to a book that I hope captures the essence of what that stadium is all about. The Lane is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book that tells the story of the World Famous Home of The Spurs, and it’s on sale exclusively from the Club Shop until January, when it goes on general sale.
Publishers VSP brought me @adampowley and @dougcheese back together after Spurs asked them to produce the official commemorative book. We’d all worked together on the award-winning 61: The Spurs Double (signed copies still available on that link) and The Glory Glory Nights and it was great to get back into that particular groove again, especially as working with the Club gives direct access to so many people and so much material.
We were also lucky enough to get @robawhite to agree to contribute a photographic essay showing what the stadium meant to him and he produced a unique set of photos that add a lovely personal touch. Micky Hazard’s essay on what the stadium means to him is a great read, and we were also able to speak to many legends including Cliff Jones, Steve Perryman, Pat Jennings, Alan Mullery, Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, Glenn Hoddle, Ledley King, Gareth Bale and Harry Kane to get their memories and impressions.
The book features a full history of the ground along with special sections on the floodlit glory nights, what goes on behind the scenes, other sports played at The Lane over the years and a special feature on the lost and lamented Shelf terrace. There’s also a full set of stats.
The whole thing was put together under the watchful eye of Spurs historian and former press officer John Fennelly, a man who has been directly associated with the Club for longer than anyone still there. Bob Goodwin also provided his usual measured and forensic perspective, and Jim Drewett and Toby Trotman at VSP proved once again why we love working with them.
We wanted to tell the story not only of a football ground, but of what that ground means to the people who flock to it. The Club deserves credit for giving us the room to do this rather than opting for a simple commemorative brochure but, as always, the proof of the book’s quality will be in the reaction it gets from the fans and — hopefully–a wider audience that appreciates what football grounds mean to people.
The dustjacket blurbs are below should you need your fancy tickled any more.
