Scottish sporting anthology

This is a personal selection of published articles and books on Scottish sport history. There is a wealth of interesting material online, from digitised books to scholarly research, which I will continue to add to, and I would welcome any suggestions for inclusion here.

To read any book, just click on the cover image to open a pdf file.

Scottish Football Annual 1875-76

The first ever Scottish FA annual, containing a wealth of detail on the early clubs and pioneers of football. 

Tales from Tynecastle, 1928

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This brief history of Hearts was published in 1928 by Simmath Press, who specialised in Scottish club histories and handbooks.

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History of Ayr FC, 1901

In 1901, Ayr Football and Athletic Club held a fund-raising bazaar, and the souvenir guide book contained a short history of the club which later merged with Ayr Parkhouse to form Ayr United FC.

Medieval Football in Scotland 

A chapter on medieval Scottish football from FP Magoun's classic work The History of Football from the Beginnings to 1871, which was published in 1938.

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Fifty Years of Kilmarnock FC

A rare booklet from 1919, the jubilee history of Kilmarnock FC.

The Story of the London Caledonians FC, 1924

History of the Caledonians, the football club for Scottish players in London.​

The Sport in War by John McCartney, 1930

The astonishing story of the Edinburgh charity that sent footballs to the front in the First World War.

Football Described by Giants of the Game, 1904

A fascinating guide by leading football players which gives an insight to training and coaching.

Glasgow, City of Football

This article, published in CB Fry's magazine in January 1905, captures the unique standing of Glasgow as a football city.
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History of St Mirren, 1924

One of a series of Scottish football club histories published in the 1920s by veteran journalist RM Connell.

The Story of the Scottish Football League, 1930

A history of the first 40 years of league football in Scotland, by John McCartney.

Football Reminiscences by Frank Walker

A rare booklet on 1920s football by Scotland international Frank Walker of Third Lanark.

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A thousand miles in a thousand hours

One of the earliest Scottish sports books was Pedestrianism ​(1813), which described the amazing exploits of Captain Barclay.

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Walter Arnott looks back

One of Scotland's first football greats, Walter Arnott (1861-1931) published this little booklet of memories in 1928.

Scottish Football Reminiscences, 1890

Published in 1890 by the journalist DD Bone, this was the first book about Scottish football.