"The Story of What Made Villa Special"
From the very words of George Ramsay, Fred Rinder and other early architects and supporters of the great Club, published in newspapers of long ago, this book brings to light the character of those early leaders and the methods they used to keep the Villa ahead of the pack. The book also provides more light on the person of Jimmy Hogan, a famous coach who came to the Villa in 1936 with the order to get the Villa back on the map! He went on to serve the Villa for a total of 9 years, in two periods spanning 23 years, and left a blueprint for football that the world has since followed.
Moreover, John tells the tale of the Villa's first ground at Perry Barr and, drawing on the research of those that have looked into the origins of the Aston Lower Grounds, conveys the story of how Villa Park emerged from what was once part of Aston Hall's grounds.
Embedded into those accounts he records the main footballing triumphs of the Club in its first (mainly glorious) 70 years' history.
The book is well illustrated and includes some images not seen for many years.
In fact, John has not only included much new material, but also has managed to condense the essence of his 2-volume Aston Villa Chronicles (1874-1924, and after) into 220 A5 pages.
There's a lot packed into this book that will be of deep interest to avid followers of the Villa's history. John hopes that "The Villa Way 1874~1944" will prove to be a lasting testament to a great football club.
220 black and white glossy pages. Softback.
Price £9.90 (UK postage free)
Author: John Lerwill
Available from the Bookshop.
One happy purchaser (David) has written: “I must say you have completely upset my schedule today as once I started glancing through I couldn’t put it down! You clearly have invested a lot of time and effort in this book and it is worth every penny.”
In addition, ‘Mick’ has informed me that the book is “beautifully written” and 'Peter' concurs, saying "it is a very interesting and well-written read that all Villa supporters
will certainly enjoy."
will certainly enjoy."
Thanks to a successful launch in 2017, 'The Villa Way' is re-published
with additional pages.
From the very words of George Ramsay, Fred Rinder and other early architects and supporters of the great Club, published in newspapers of long ago, this book brings to light the character of those early leaders and the methods they used to keep the Villa ahead of the pack. The book also provides more light on the person of Jimmy Hogan, a famous coach who came to the Villa in 1936 with the order to get the Villa back on the map! He went on to serve the Villa for a total of 9 years, in two periods spanning 23 years, and left a blueprint for football that the world has since followed.
Moreover, John tells the tale of the Villa's first ground at Perry Barr and, drawing on the research of those that have looked into the origins of the Aston Lower Grounds, conveys the story of how Villa Park emerged from what was once part of Aston Hall's grounds.
Embedded into those accounts he records the main footballing triumphs of the Club in its first (mainly glorious) 70 years' history.
The book is well illustrated and includes some images not seen for many years.
In fact, John has not only included much new material, but also has managed to condense the essence of his 2-volume Aston Villa Chronicles (1874-1924, and after) into 220 A5 pages.
There's a lot packed into this book that will be of deep interest to avid followers of the Villa's history. John hopes that "The Villa Way 1874~1944" will prove to be a lasting testament to a great football club.
Thanks to a successful launch in 2017, 'The Villa Way' is re-published
with additional pages.
Price £9.90 (UK postage free)
Author: John Lerwill
Available from the Bookshop.
