- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CHARLES TYRWHITT SPORTS BOOK AWARDS
'
Top Bins! A personal best, a lap record and a hole in one for when rain has stopped play.' ALAN DAVIES
'The trivia book of the season . . . magnificent.'
SPECTATOR
Did you know that Henry VIII owned the first pair of football boots? Or that David Attenborough is responsible for yellow tennis balls?
A Load of Old Balls is the curious story of us and sport. It's about our mind-blowingly determined attempts to be the fastest, the strongest, the most skilful. In this endlessly entertaining tale of play and belonging, astonishing violence and jaw-dropping cheating, we learn what led ancient Egyptian athletes to have their spleens removed and discover why Michael Palin was disqualified from a conker tournament. Crossing millennia, continents and cultures, Harkin and Ptaszynski - the brainy researchers for BBC's
QI and co-hosts of
No Such Thing As A Fish -show us sport as we've never seen it before.
**
Published in hardback as
Everything to Play For.
**
For more from the team behind QI's hit TV show, check out the QI FACTS series of books, @qikipedia, their weekly podcast at nosuchthingasafish.com or visit qi.com.
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Information
Table of contents
- Landing Page
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1: Wrestling for the Pharaohs
- 2: The Daredevil Innkeeper of Garmisch
- 3: Why Golfers Hate Rabbits
- 4: Shoeless Joe’s Redemption
- 5: Two Glasses of Wine for Breakfast
- 6: Exploding Billiard Balls and Formula 1 Toothpaste
- 7: The Duke of Suffolk’s Misshapen Knob
- 8: There Aren’t Enough Books About Throw-Ins
- 9: The Globe Girdler’s Wager
- 10: The Archer Who Wouldn’t Let Go
- 11: Eric the Eel, Eddie the Eagle and Paula the Crawler
- 12: The Great Australian Ball-Dodger
- 13: We’re Gonna Deep-Fry Yer Pizzas
- 14: The Premier League of Ploughing
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
- Photo Credits
- Index
- About the Authors
- Also from QI
- Copyright