On The Corinthian Spirit

Oct 2, 2024 12:21 AM

Author:D J Taylor

In January 1929, before 20,000 spectators, Norwich City of the Third Division South went down 0-5 in the third round of the FA Cup to an amateur side composed of ex-public school boys who disdained professional tactics in favour of instinct and teamwork. Within a decade, the Corinthians, the club that for forty years had supplied the entire English national side, had all but ceased to exist. The world was changing. By the time of the last 'Gentleman vs. Players' cricket match in 1962 a whole era in English sport had come to an end.

But the passing of amateur sportsmen - footballers, cricketers, golfers, tennis players - had implications beyond the playing field. A century ago 'amateur' was a compliment to someone who played a game simply for love of it. A hundred years later it is a byword for cack-handed incompetence. In this brilliant study of the patterns of sporting and cultural life, D J Taylor examines the process that led to professionalism's triumph and the long rearguard action fought by sportsmen - and literature - on amateurism's behalf.

On the Corinthian Spirit has many heroes - from 'Charlie Bam', the legendary Corinthian defender, who once played a game with a broken leg, to the boys' school story hero Strickland of the Sixth, Old Etonian cricket-lover George Orwell and the 14th Norwich Cub Scout XI of the early 1970s. Drawing on his own experiences of 'amateurism', D J Taylor describes a changing moral universe with profound consequences both for sport and the world beyond it.

Reviews

Riveting and powerful; an extraordinary story of an extraordinary tragedy. Reading No Way Down is the closest you can come to being on the summit of K2 on that fateful day

—— Sir Ranulph Fiennes

A gripping hour-by-hour dissection of events in the Western Himalaya over three deadly days... a fitting shelfmate to the modern classic Into Thin Air

—— Brian Schofield , Sunday Times

Stories of heroism, sadness and extraordinary endurance against all the odds are woven into a thrilling drama

—— Christopher Hudson , Daily Mail

Unputdownable... a portrait of extreme courage, folly and loss, leavened by a small dose of survival'

—— Financial Times

Artfully and assiduously pieces together an account of a fractious day in brutal real time. Fatality by fatality... devastating

—— New York Times

A tour de force of a book...a triumph of storytelling

—— Associated Press

Probably the best mountain-disaster memoir since Into Thin Air

—— Mail on Sunday

One of the best books I've ever read. But take it to the beach at your peril - it's impossible to put down. Sunburn is guaranteed

—— Outdoor Science

In this sympathetic portrait he comes across as clever, warm and witty man

—— Independent on Sunday

A revealing account of friendships, rivalries and doping scandals from one of the giants of modern cycling

—— Cycling Weekly

A fine account of a sparkling career in the saddle

—— Sunday Business Post

A fine account of a professional sport on the verge of fundamental change

—— Times Literary Supplement

A gripping insight into an unrelenting hard world

—— Independent

A stylish, whimsical and ultimately tragic jaunt through one of cycling’s golden ages

—— Daniel Friebe , Outdoor Fitness

Laurent Fignon gives cycling fans a fascinating glimpse of what really went on behind the scenes of this epic sport

—— Cycle Sport

Bright and breezy ... it reflects on a lifetime watching football matches big and small and of bumping into all the heroes of the game

—— Sunday Express

Strangely compelling memoir by one of the best-known sports commentators of his generation. If you cannot remember what colour shirts Newcastle United wore in 1972 when they were drummed out of the FA Cup by Hereford ... this is the book for you

—— Financial Times 'Books of the Year'

Motty's knowledge and passion for football are unrivalled as he shares his story for the first time with humour and honesty.

—— Oxford Times

Filled with a multitude of detail about Motson's background and the sporting times he lived through ...Motson is one of the most intelligent and accomplished commentators in history, a voice that has conveyed the best (and worst, depending on your allegiance) moments in the recent past of the game. His book offers a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes of football broadcasting, as well as a trip down memory lane for many supporters. A must-read for any football fan.

—— Sunday Business Post

The voice of the sheepskinned sage and cult hero John Motson will doubtless be heard at the 2010 tournament, and he reminisces on his career to date in the amusing Motty: Forty Years in the Commentary Box

—— Independent on Sunday 'Books of the Year'

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