Liverpool supporters aren’t exactly short of options when it comes to books about their beloved club. There are literally thousands of publications ranging from player autobiographies and season reviews, to songbooks, scrapbooks, quote compilations and plenty more.
Some are fantastic, some are... err, not so fantastic. So asked This Is Anfield Editor and well-read Liverpool fan Matt Ladson to compile a comprehensive list of the best Liverpool FC books from a few different eras.
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The best Liverpool books to read this summer: Klopp: Bring The Noise (Raphael Honigstein)
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We start with the current era and manager Jurgen Klopp. ‘Bring The Noise’ is the ultimate book about Klopp and what makes him tick, how he manages and it features plenty of insight from players he’s coached.
There's lots of details, like why Klopp chose England as his managerial destination (because he knew a bit of the language already and that is essential for how he can get his unique messages across to players).
You may also be interested in Jurgen Klopp: The Biography (by Elmar Neveling).
Quiet Genius (Ian Herbert)
It’s often said that Klopp is Bill Shankly in the modern era, and there are dozens of books on the great man who transformed Liverpool FC in the 1960s. However, when it comes to Shankly’s successor, Bob Paisley, his genius is often overlooked.
Paisley remains to this day the most successful British football manager of all time, having won six league titles and three European Cups in nine seasons. And he didn’t even want the job.
Having begun as a physio, the humble, soft-spoken Paisley spent 44 years at Anfield.
Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, Quiet Genius is expertly written by Ian Herbert, a book about more than just football. Paisley conquered Europe.
Red Machine: Liverpool FC in the ‘80s (Simon Hughes)
The 1980s was Liverpool’s decade: six league titles in nine seasons, two European Cups in four seasons, four league cups in four consecutive seasons. Ian Rush scored 47 (yes, 47) goals in a season - including four at Goodison Park. Kenny Dalglish conquered everything as a player, then scored the title-winning goal as player-manager. John Barnes, Peter Beardsley and John Aldridge formed one of the most attacking, exciting trios in the club’s history.
This was football before the Premier League era. Hughes tells player stories in a superbly entertaining way. Warning, the nostalgia hit is so strong it may have you harking back for times when football wasn’t so serious and was arguably more fun.
Hughes’ other books in this series; ‘Men In White Suits’ (covering the 1990s) and ‘Ring of Fire’ (covering the 2000s) are also worth space on your book shelf.
An Epic Swindle: 44 months with a pair of cowboys (Brian Reade)
If you thought Liverpool’s ownership situation was controversial now, or perhaps didn’t know how bad it was before, this is an essential read from Brian Reade.
Some of the stories of how Tom Hicks and George Gillett behaved are quite incredible, all the way up to when they refused to sit next to each other at Anfield, then there was the fan protests that ultimately removed the bizarre duo from the club. This is the inside story of the civil war that beset Liverpool for 44 bizarre months.
This book will leave you stunned, angry, but also appreciative ultimately that they are gone. You might just appreciate Liverpool’s current ownership and stability a little more after reading this!
Brian’s book ’43 years with the same bird’ is also highly recommended. There are few writers better than Brian on the subject of Liverpool FC.
This Is Anfield - Illustrated History of Liverpool Matchday Programme
Okay, you’re probably not taking this one to the beach as it’s a bit beefier than the other books on this list. But, it’s a beautifully crafted book that should sit on the shelves of every LFC supporters’ collection - or their coffee table.
Expertly put together by Liverpool’s programme collector, Andy Marsden, it’s a pictorial feast for the eyes of every Red!
The Untouchables: Anfield’s Band of Brothers (Kieran Smith and Jeff Goulding)
Not many supporters will know the story of one of Liverpool’s greatest-ever teams - who secured back-to-back titles in 1922 and 1923.
This is an epic story, which begins with the characters who eventually make up the Reds’ side, in World War 1. There’s Spanish flu, rebellion and plenty more.
Exceptionally well researched by Smith and Goulding and written with the support of the families of the players involved, this is an incredible read.
Goulding also has a fictional book, ‘Stanley Park Story: Life, love and the Merseyside derby’ which we highly recommend for an enjoyable insight into what life was like on Merseyside as Liverpool and Everton dominated on the pitch and the rivalry in the city was at its height.
Hillsborough: The Truth (Phil Scraton)
Understanding the events of the Hillsborough disaster, its aftermath, and the actual truth is something all football supporters not just Liverpool should take the time to understand.
Nobody knows the disaster and the cover-up that followed quite as extensively as Dr Phil Scraton, whose book ‘The Truth’ was first published in 1999 and is, without doubt, the definitive account of the disaster and its aftermath.
Scraton later sat on the Hillsborough Independent Panel, whose findings in 2013 eventually led to the inquests being reopened and a verdict of unlawful killing for all 96 supporters (now 97) being returned by jury in 2016.
When it comes to some of the most important people in Liverpool’s history, Scraton is overlooked.
Another recommended read is ‘The Hillsborough Disaster in their own words’ by Mike Nicholson, and ‘Hillsborough Voices’ by Kevin Sampson.
Local: A club and its city: Liverpool’s social history (Dan Fieldsend)
Liverpool as a city and its people are different to the rest of the country. ‘Scouse not English’ is possibly something difficult for those not from Merseyside to understand.
Dan Fieldsend’s book explains the social history and why this is the case, it is an education for those from Merseyside and further afield. This is a thought-provoking and insightful read, delving into the socio-political reasons for the character and culture of the city and its people.
As a Liverpool supporter, you should understand Liverpool as a city and Liverpudlians as people. Look no further.
And more
We’ve tried to make the above list a cross-section of Liverpool’s history. We’ve overlooked the obvious biographies and autobiographies, especially those from players who are still playing.
For more though, there’s Steven Gerrard’s ‘My Story’, The Red Odyssey series by Jeff Goulding, Shankly ‘My Story’, ‘Read or Dead’ (fiction) by David Peace, and the incredible ‘Liverpool Encyclopaedia' by passionate Icelandic duo and men behind the famous LFCHistory website, Arnie Baldursson and Gudmundur Magnusson.
