It’s the Interlull, it’s quiet, perhaps you fancy picking up a book?
We’ve compiled a list of 50+ Arsenal-related tomes that might be worth a peruse if you’re looking to brush up on the club’s history, players, managers and more.
It’s not an exhaustive list, they just happen to be ones that have caught our eye over the years.
We think they’ll keep you ticking over until Monsieur Wenger writes his…it’s about time, he’s been teasing us with the prospect for an age.
| Title | Theme | Authors | Published date |
| Fever Pitch | Fandom | Nick Hornby | 1992 |
| So Paddy Got Up | Fandom, History | Various, edited by Andrew Mangan | 2011 |
| Arsenal: The Complete Record | History, Statistics | Josh James, Andy Kelly, Mark Andrews | 2018 |
| Arsenal, 125 Years in the Making: The official illustrated history 1886–2011 | History | Phil Soar, Martin Tyler | 2011 |
| Arsenal: The Making of a Modern Superclub | History | Kevin Whitcher & Alex Fynn | 2016 |
| Red Letter Days: Fourteen Dramatic Events That Shook Arsenal | History | Jon Spurling | 2014 |
| Woolwich Arsenal – The Club That Changed Football | History | Tony Attwood, Andy Kelly, Mark Andrews | 2012 |
| Royal Arsenal: Champions of the South | History | Tim Stillman, Andy Kelly, Mark Andrews | 2018 |
| The Miracle of Copenhagen: Arsenal’s Unbelievable European Cup Winners Cup Run and Triumph | History | Layth Yousif | 2016 |
| Almost Invincible: Arsenal: The Class of 1991 | History | Dan Betts | 2018 |
| Heroes And Villains: The Inside Story of the 1990-91 Season at Arsenal And Tottenham Hotspur | History | Alex Fynn, Lynton Guest | 1991 |
| Invincible: Insider Arsenal’s Unbeaten 2003-2004 season | History | Amy Lawrence | 2015 |
| Together: The Story of Arsenal’s Unbeaten Season | History | Andrew Mangan, Andrew Allen | 2014 |
| The End, The: 80 Years of Life on Arsenal’s North Bank | History, Highbury | Tom Watt | 1995 |
| Highbury: The Story of Arsenal In N5 | History, Highbury | Jon Spurling | 2014 |
| Rebels for the Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club | History, Highbury | Jon Spurling | 2004 |
| The Arsenal Shirt: The History of the Iconic Gunners Jersey Told Through an Extraordinary Collection of Match Worn Shirts |
History, Kits | James Elkin & Simon Shakeshaft | 2019 |
| The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman: The Story of One of Football’s Most Influential Figures | History, Manager | Patrick Barclay | 2015 |
| On Football | Manager, 20s, 30s | Herbert Chapman | 2010 |
| Tom Whittaker’s Arsenal Story | Manager, Player, 40s, 50s | Tom Whittaker | 1957 |
| Bertie Mee: Arsenal’s Officer and Gentleman | Manager, 70s | David Tossell | 2005 |
| The Glory and the Grief: The Life of George Graham | Manager, Player, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s | George Graham | 1996 |
| Arsene Wenger: The Inside Story of Arsenal Under Wenger | Managers, Arsene Wenger | John Cross | 2018 |
| The Wenger Revolution: The Club Of My Life | Managers, Arsene Wenger | Amy Lawrence, Stuart MacFarlane | 2018 |
| Arsene Wenger: Fifty Defining Fixtures | Manager, Arsene Wenger | Layth Yousif | 2014 |
| Arsene Wenger: The Biography | Managers, Arsene Wenger | Xavier Rivoire | 2008 |
| Unai Emery: El Maestro | Manager | Romain Molina | 2018 |
| Football Ambassador | Player, 30s | Eddie Hapgood | 2010 |
| Cliff Bastin Remembers: The Autobiography of Arsenal’s Greatest Outside-left | Player, 30s | Cliff Bastin, Brian Glanville | 2010 |
| Forward, Arsenal! | Player, 30s, 40s | Bernard Joy | 1952 |
| Behind the Network: My Autobiography | Player, 60s, 70s | Bob Wilson | 2003 |
| Charlie George: My Story | Player, 60s, 70s | Charlie George | 2005 |
| Life in the Beautiful Game | Player, 60s, 70s | Bob Wilson | 2009 |
| Geordie Armstrong On The Wing |
Player, 60s, 70s | Dave Seager (in collaboration with Jill Armstrong) | 2014 |
| True Storey: My Life and Crimes as a Football Hatchet Man | Player, 70s | Peter Storey | 2011 |
| Alan Ball: The Man In White Boots | Player, 70s | David Tossell | 2018 |
| Stuck in a Moment: The Ballad of Paul Vaessen | Player, 70s, 80s | Stewart Taylor | 2018 |
| Viv Anderson: First Among Unequals | Player, 80s | Viv Anderson, Lynton Guest | 2010 |
| Rock Bottom | Player, 80s, 90s | Paul Merson | 1996 |
| How Not to Be a Professional Footballer | Player, 80s, 90s | Paul Merson | 2012 |
| We All Live in a Perry Groves World | Player, 80s, 90s | Perry Groves & John McShane | 2007 |
| Addicted | Player, 80s, 90s, 00s | Tony Adams, Ian Ridley | 1999 |
| Sober | Player, 80s, 90s, 00s | Tony Adams, Ian Ridley | 2018 |
| Alan Smith: Heads Up | Player, 80s, 90s | Alan Smith | 2018 |
| A Life in Football: Ian Wright: My Autobiography | Player, 90s | Ian Wright | 2017 |
| The Romford Pele: It’s Only Ray Parlour’s Autobiography | Player, 90s, 00s | Ray Parlour | 2017 |
| Thierry Henry | Player, 90s, 00s | Philippe Auclair | 2013 |
| Vieira: My Autobiography | Player, 90s, 00s | Patrick Vieira | 2006 |
| Stillness and Speed: My Story | Player, 90s, 00s | Dennis Bergkamp & David Winner | 2014 |
| Safe Hands: My Autobiography | Player, 90s, 00s | David Seaman | 2000 |
| Footballeur | Player, 00s | Robert Pires | 2003 |
| Footballer: My Story | Player, 00s | Kelly Smith | |
| Sol Campbell – The Authorised Biography |
Player, 00s | Simon Astaire | 2014 |
| Jens Lehmann: The Madness is on the Pitch | Player, 00s | Jens Lehmann | 2017 |
| Mesut Ozil: Gunning for Greatness | Player, 00s | Mesut Ozil | 2018 |
| Theo Walcott: Growing Up Fast | Player, 00s | Theo Walcott | 2011 |
Just a quick note on the published date, that’s for the version to which we’ve hyperlinked.
If you’re looking for even more Arsenal book suggestions, there’s an even longer list by @N5Librarian on TheArsenalHistory.com
I tweeted you about this last week and you shared a great article from 2016.
Just want to share and extra big thank you for this, Andrew. Really appreciate this.
No probs…you were indeed the inspiration for the update!
Looks like I’ll be adding a couple books to the amazon basket, thanks for the list Blogs.
Particularly intrigued by the rather saucy sounding Together: The Story of Arsenal’s Unbeaten Season, not normally a romance fan but it’s written by two chaps and this is the 21st century, so it’s probably the kick up the arse I need to ‘get with the times’! ?
Recently read Perry Groves book. Pretty decent
The Paul Vaessen book is a hard read, just really sad.
Footballer’s autobiographies I generally find pretty dull but Tony’s & Dennis’ are a step above the usual.
The OFFICAL illustrated history of Arsenal by Phil Soar and Martin Tyler is also excellent read!
I don’t often read football books, and generally don’t wander too far from fiction, but really loved Amy Lawrence’s book. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Agreed. Arsene’s interview at the end of the book was quite an emotional reading experience, it pretty much sums up everything I love about the man.
I would get rid of well over half of these as they are tosh
No particular order and lost would make a top 10 all time
Arsenal, Arsenal !
Bernard Joy – Forward Arsenal
Bob Wall – Arsenal from the Heart
Allison Calling
Charlie Buchan – A lifetime in Football
Brian Gallanville – Chapman to Wenger
Layth Yousef – Miracle or Copenhagen
That’s for starters !!
Miracle of Copenhagen and Forward Arsenal are on the list already. Will make a note of the others.
I already have some of these, I’ll be adding a few more. I want to add one each month
As always, Theo Walcott succeeds in sneaking in there. Just about.
A great list. My only quibble would Merson’s book, on account of his snide bitterness towards AFC since Wenger got shot of him.
Wonderful. Thank you!
The Last Game: Love, Death and Football by Jason Cowley is a must. Simultaneously the story of that Liverpool Arsenal game, of English football’s change after Hillsborough and of the author’s relationship to his father.
Ian Wright’s autobiography and Arsenal All 4-1 are good reads along with Danny Karbssiyoon’s The Arsenal Yankee which gives great insight into how injuries can wreck a career.
I have some not on the list which are quite good
Allison inside story of football
Wall arsenal from the heart
Knighton scenes in big football
Hapgood football ambassador
Knighton especially interesting giving a take on arsenal under Norris before chapman. Not a happy bunny.
Sorry hapgood in missed that