Details
Title: Uniquely Celtic – The Soul and The Spirit (Celtic Football Club)
Author: Frank Rafters
Published: 9 Nov 2015
Synopsis
“Uniquely Celtic: The Soul and the Spirit” is the second book from Frank Rafters.
On this occasion however, the author changes tact, focusing predominantly on players who were somewhat overshadowed by other legends in their eras at Parkhead.
Included is one of the longest pieces ever penned on the life of Willie Fernie (with help from his family), the tales of numerous talented players, faithful supporters, and much more.
In all, this book aims to give the reader a greater insight into the stories of some of the individuals who have helped to make Celtic Football Club so very special.”
Review
(by joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki)
I guess it is easy to want to write a book on Celtic, but to actually sit there and get down to it is a mammoth task. There is such quality out there amongst the raft of Celtic books, that it’s become difficult to stand out. Especially at the moment, where in the past month alone 3-4 other exceptionally high quality Celtic related books have just been released (e.g. Celtic – the Early Years, Neil Mochan biog in paperback etc).
Despite the challenge, Frank Rafters has taken his own way and penned together his hefty tome of a book which more than holds its own, and I loved it. He has clearly followed the right method by simply writing about exactly what he would love to read about himself and it shows.
In this book, the author has chosen to write a varied selection of chapters covering a myriad of delightful subjects. There are numerous digestible sized chapters on historical characters many have only read either briefly about or in passing (e.g. Willie Fernie), chapters on the supporters and brief looks back at the events in the club’s history.
To give an idea of this, the first set of chapters include essays on ex-Celt James Hay, chronicles by the great Willie Maley (Celtic’s first manager), and the heart-warming life story of disabled Celtic supporter Gerry Cleary.
What he has clearly also done is avoid concentrating on the more obvious big names such as legendary players like McGrory, Jinky and Larrson and also thankfully avoided celebrity Celtic fans from politics, TV/Film & music worlds. That’s been a welcome move here, and this is a great tribute to the unsung players and supporters who have themselves played a notable but often major part in our club’s history.
Personally, I’m very thankful to read essays on much neglected players like Jackie Gallacher, whom I feel have been too often way overlooked in the annals of Celtic history writings.
There is even a chapter on classic match commentaries which will easily trigger memories flooding out of classic football moments.
The best aspect is that you don’t have to read the book through sequentially, but you can dip in and out to different chapters depending on what mood you are in and what you wish to read about. There is so much delightfully & breezily written that it is a joy to read, and you will return to it often over the next year.
There is the odd breather as well from the writing for Frank, as has included certain excerpts of writings from old Celtic luminaries such as Willie Maley which give a flavour of the past. The selective inclusion means we end up reading the best parts of his writing, and Maley didn’t half write like as if he thought he were Dickens.
Back to Frank’s writings, for myself the best chapters were those on the supporters. Others have also done similar in the books, and rarely does it fail. Frank really hits the high marks with some of his subjects, getting up close and personal with the subjects and showing how Celtic has been integral in their lives. It can be quite touching too and I loved it.
This book is huge, and quite a paperweight but don’t let that scare you off. It is more than worth the purchase and more than holds its own against the other hefty releases of late, and probably this is the most accessible of the lot. It’s come as a wonderful surprise to read, and as the title says it does capture the “soul and spirit of Celtic”.
I’d really recommend this book to all Celtic supporters, I can’t see anyone being left anything but warmed in the heart by it.
Product Details
- Paperback: 556 pages
- Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing Limited (9 Nov. 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1781489718
- ISBN-13: 978-1781489710
- Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 3.1 x 22.9 cm
Links
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