{"product_id":"a-load-of-old-balls-james-harkin-9780571372546","title":"A Load of Old Balls: The Qi History of Sport","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe most improbable, fascinating and endlessly entertaining sporting facts and stories, from prehistory to the present day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\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 \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\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 skillful. 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\u003e - show us sport as we've never seen it before. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"The trivia book of the season . . . magnificent.\" SPECTATOR\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e** Published in hardback as \u003ci\u003eEverything to Play For\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James Harkin, Anna Ptaszynski\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0571372546\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780571372546\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Faber \u0026amp; Faber\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/04\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"James Harkin","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45898789159167,"sku":"9780571372546","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_84ba497e-434b-484c-ae8f-9306b121efe3.jpg?v=1721377111","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-load-of-old-balls-james-harkin-9780571372546","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}