Those who have been football supporters all their lives can never forget the first match they ever saw, although they might not recall the result. This is because it is the players that stay in the memory and the magic moments they provided for millions of spectators in their time.Every generation throws up its own football field magicians and The Scottish Football Hall of Fame encapsulates the Saturday afternoon spell cast by fine footballers for ordinary working men who lived to cheer on their heroes every week. Fervour was passed down from father to son, and in this way the future of the clubs as well as the fame of a few golden greats was guaranteed. Players like R.S.McColl (Queen's Park), Bobby Walker (Hearts), Alan Morton (Rangers), Denis Law (Manchester United) and Kenny Dalglish (Celtic) are in this pantheon, and they span the arc of Scottish football from its earliest days till modern times. These, and more than a hundred like them, are the men you will read about in these pages. Men who were once household names are captured here in their sporting immortality and introduced to generations of football enthusiasts who never saw them play. The Scottish Football Hall of Fame gives a unique overview of the beautiful game, where by means of illuminating narrative and anecdote, legend can unite with historical fact to honour not only the wearers of the famous dark blue shirt but every foot-soldier in the Tartan Army who has ever shouted 'Scotland! Scotland!' from the terraces.

Scotland may not have won a World Cup (yet!), but many of the country’s sportsmen and women are revered as global legends, including Olympic and US Open champion Andy Murray and winner of six Olympic gold medals, Sir Chris Hoy. In football, the likes of Denis Law, ‘Slim’ Jim Baxter and Jimmy ‘Jinky’ Johnstone would not have looked out of place in the canary yellow of Brazil, while managers Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein have become part of football folklore, as has Sir Alex Ferguson in more recent times. Amazingly, Scots have reached the top in just about every major sport: Jim Clark and Sir Jackie Stewart in Formula One; Andy Murray in tennis; Ken Buchanan and Benny Lynch in the boxing ring; Chris Hoy in cycling; sprinters Allan Wells and Eric Liddell on the Olympic track; and, as befits a nation renowned as ‘the home of golf’, Sandy Lyle was recognised as the greatest player on the planet upon winning the Masters in 1988. Scottish sport is the richest of tapestries and in Scottish Sporting Legends the cream of the crop are entertainingly profiled in a revealing collection of pen portraits of stars past and present.

The King of Cappielow, with a fitting Foreword by Sir Alex Ferguson CBE, is a tribute to the much-loved Scottish footballing legend, Andy Ritchie. He was born in Glasgow in 1956 and developed a passion for football from a young age. As a teenager he went for trials with several English clubs, but in the end joined Celtic in 1971 at the age of 15, signing professional forms in 1973. In 1976, after one too many alleged disputes with manager, Jock Stein, he became part of a transfer deal, moving to Greenock Morton in exchange for their goalkeeper, Roy Baines. And thus, for the next seven years, Andy Ritchie built his reputation as the ‘King of Cappielow'. Adored by the fans, but attracting less regal labels by the media, such as the ‘Idle Idol' and the ‘Ambling Alp’, due to his large build and less than energetic footballing style, Ritchie proved his incredible ball skills time after time, netting 133 goals in 246 matches and achieving the honour of top goalscorer in the Premier League for three consecutive years. He became renowned for his ability to curl the ball into the net from free kicks, particularly corners, an expertise he purportedly developed from watching the Brazilians training for the 1974 World Cup, even though he sadly never got to play for Scotland. On leaving Morton, Andy Ritchie played briefly for Motherwell and was player/manager at Albion Rovers for a season before retiring from football in 1985, aged 28. The call of Scotland and football ever strong, he eventually returned to his roots from a management position at the Barbican in London and, after some time as a football scout, he took on his current role of SPL delegate/match observer. Although he received the coveted Football Writers’ Player of the Year award in 1979, he is yet to be inducted into the Scotland Hall of Fame. Maybe with this publication his time for full recognition will come.

A truly mammoth football quiz book covering over twenty years of the Premier League and the entire history of the beautiful (and sometimes not so beautiful) game. All the major international tournaments are covered, as well as the full history of the domestic game, both recent and historical - even grandad can show off! Nick Holt has compiled a satisfyingly hefty and wonderfully challenging collection of 3,000 questions, arranged in quizzes of varying difficulty and subject matter covering the games that mattered, the personalities, the controversies, the goals and the glory. SAMPLE QUESTIONS It wasn't until 2007 that a South American player scored a Premier League hat-trick; who scored three in a 5-3 derby win over Wigan Athletic in December that year? There have been some noticeably bad-tempered Merseyside derbies in the Premier League era; which Everton player saw red at Goodison Park in December 2005, and again in October, 2007? Which two uncapped overseas players were the captains of Manchester City and Portsmouth respectively for the 2004-05 season? Germany 1, England 5: Who let in five goals for the only time in his international career? Italia 90: Who was the unlikely scorer of the game's only goal when England beat Egypt 1-0 in a group match of bewildering tedium? Italia 90: Defeat by which country in their opening match cost Scotland a chance of progressing past the group stage for the first time?

Scotland's history has been told many times, but never exclusively by its women. This book takes a unique perspective on dramatic national events as well as ordinary life, as experienced by women down the centuries. From the saintly but severe medieval Queen Margaret to today's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, it encompasses women from all stations of class and fame and notoriety, offering a tantalising view of what happened to them, and how they felt. Drawing on court and kirk records, exchequer rolls and treasurer's accounts, diaries and memoirs, chap books and newspapers, government reports and eye-witness statements, Scotland: Her Story brings to life the half of history that has for too long been hidden or ignored. Features material by from a hugely diverse range of authors, including: Princess Matilda • St Margaret • Margaret Tudor • Mary, Queen of Scots • Lady Grizel Baillie • Elsie Inglis • Mary Slessor • Jane Carlyle • Marie Stopes • Nan Shepherd • Leila Aboulela • Winnie Ewing • Muriel Spark • Liz Lochhead • Jackie Kay • Ali Smith • Nicola Sturgeon

Eye of the Tiger is the story of one of the most legendary figures in Glasgow Rangers' rich history, a man who epitomised what it meant to be a Ranger. Jock Shaw was a no-nonsense full-back whose fierce, uncompromising tackling earned him the nickname 'Tiger' from club supporters. He joined the Gers from Airdrie in 1938 for &£2,000 and was a key figure in the Ibrox defence in the immediate post-war years. That defence was dubbed the 'Iron Curtain' because it seemed as unyielding as the barrier that divided Europe at the time. The book charts Jock's extraordinary journey from the coal pit at Bedlay (Annathill) to becoming Rangers' first treble-winning captain. His signing for Rangers started a remarkable association with the club, which lasted over 40 years and saw him serve as team captain, third-team coach and groundsman. He also captained Scotland and shared the distinction of beating England with his brother David. Ian Stewart worked with Tiger Shaw's family to bring you the inside track on his life and career.