WORDS ROB FLETCHER
cov TOcover er Played in Glasgow
BY GED O’BRIEN HISTORIC SCOTLAND, PAPERBACK, £14.99
With the Commonwealth Games due to
take place there in 2014, this history of Glasgow’s sporting heritage is a timely addition to the literature of the city. And, in an era largely devoid of Scottish sporting triumphs, it is also a pleasant reminder that we once led the planet
at more mainstream activities than the likes
of cycling and curling – the sole sports that seem to offer us any possible medals in a time now bloated with booze and fast food. But before we all sink into our sofas in a Scotch pie-induced stupor,
perhaps this window to the past will inspire us to turn off our tellies and head for the racetrack, the football pitch or at least the nearest bowling green. After all, as O’Brien reminds us, following the fact that the rules of modern bowls were fi rst penned in Glasgow, the home of the ‘Dear Green Place’ soon sported a greater density of bowling clubs than any other city in the UK. And while Scotland’s pride might have taken something of a kicking on
‘More esoteric sporting pursuits were also very much part of everyday life and popular culture and the book delves into the doocots that were once the pride and joy of the city’s pigeon fanciers.’
the football pitch in recent years, and only men with fl owing grey beards remember the national side being included in a European, let alone World, Cup, it was once a stronghold of football, with stadia stuffed with spectators expecting to witness more than the occasional draw with the part-time whale slayers of the Faroe Isles. Indeed, in the early 20th century it boasted the three largest stadia in the world, only a few punts of a fi tba apart. More esoteric sporting pursuits were also very much part of everyday
life and popular culture and the book delves into the doocots that were once the pride and joy of the city’s pigeon fanciers, as well as the baths that used to serve for both hygiene and recreational purposes of Glaswegians. And, while it’s well known that Scotland is the home of golf, it’s less renowned as the birthplace of water polo – said to have been invented in Glasgow in 1877.
HIGHLAND DAYS BY TOM WEIR SAVAGE PUBLISHERS, PAPERBACK, £9.50.
A new edition of the classic autobiographical account of Weir’s
time spent in Scotland’s hills – an escape that meant a fresh-aired alternative to the drab and smelly tenements of the inter-war Glasgow in which he was raised. Written as Weir was
serving in the Second World War,
his recollections are undoubtedly infused with an element of nostalgia for the peaceful naivety of his formative years, but this only enhances the passion with which he writes about the delights of scrambling through the wilds.
BIRD MIGRATION BY IAN NEWTON COLLINS, PAPERBACK, £30.
While the appeal of some of the more subtle nuances of birdlife might fl it over the heads of all but the most dedicated twitchers, there are few who can fail to be impressed
by the vast distances travelled by our
feathered friends. Eminent ornithologist Professor Newton explains just how these delicate creatures can endure such gruelling feats of endurance on the wing.
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