{"product_id":"james-harkin-a-load-of-old-balls-2024","title":"James Harkin: A Load of Old Balls [2024]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE CHARLES TYRWHITT SPORTS BOOK AWARDS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTop Bins! A personal best, a lap record and a hole in one for when rain has stopped play.' ALAN DAVIES\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The trivia book of the season . . . magnificent.' \u003ci\u003eSPECTATOR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDid you know that Henry VIII owned the first pair of football boots? Or that David Attenborough is responsible for yellow tennis balls?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Load of Old Balls\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eQI\u003c\/i\u003e and co-hosts of \u003ci\u003eNo Such Thing As A Fish -\u003c\/i\u003eshow us sport as we've never seen it before.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublished in hardback as \u003ci\u003eEverything to Play For\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harkin, James \u0026 Ptaszynski, Anna","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51247305589075,"sku":"9780571372546","price":11.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/harkin-james-ptaszynski-anna-james-harkin-a-load-of-old-balls-2024-9780571372546-1174743977.jpg?v=1750707094","url":"https:\/\/theirishbookshop.live\/products\/james-harkin-a-load-of-old-balls-2024","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}