The real stories of Celtic

Celtic fans have never had it so good- when it comes to reading material.

Thirty years ago, come Christmas time, there would be Playing for Celtic aimed at the younger market with a few chapters about players cobbled together and little more to sustain the young supporter beyond St Stephens Day.

Rather than kill off the written word and the old art of print, the developing on-line Celtic community has triggered an avalanche of books as the real fans with typewriters/motherboards get to work developing ideas covering every area of the clubs rich history.

Inspired by the likes of Pat Woods, Tom Campbell and Kevin McCarra who have set the benchmark in Celtic literature, there is no shortage of material or inspiration for budding authors to tap into with the benefit of social media to share ideas with and promote their works.

Various histories of the club have been produced, the greatest games and biggest names, have all been celebrated by books forcing the new market in Celtic off in various different directions- with no lack of material.

This Christmas whatever takes your fancy is catered for with three books illustrating the diversity of Celtic with another dozen sitting behind and no doubt dozens more in the making for the expanding Celtic bookcase.

First out of the blocks was Paradise Road by Stephen O’Donnell, a fictional tale of supporting Celtic starting within one of the many colourful and charismatic supporters clubs in the mid-nineties through the eyes of football ‘starlet’ Kevin McGarry.

Paradise Road follows McGarry’s life, hopes and prospects wrapped up with the fortunes of Celtic in a language that is distinctly Glaswegian and easy to understand both for those close to Glasgow and for those further afield drawn by the magic of the club transmitted through supporters.

McGarry observes the changes in Celtic from the early days of Fergus McCann at the newly rebuilt Celtic Park noting the changing characteristics of the support with his own personal journey.

Examining a number of issues that intertwine between Celtic and his own life Paradise Road is an absorbing read and adds another thoughtful strand to the world of Celtic literature.

CONTACT StephenODauthor on twitter to get your copy

‘Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants’ by Frank Rafters, and friends, is a different type of book entirely and the product of interaction with the popular Maley’s Bhoys website and twitter account.

Discovering some details of William Borland, who played four first team matches for Celtic, triggered the idea of the book that runs to 460 pages full of different ideas and areas of Celtic’s history mixing up a Best Ever Celtic XI (pre-Lisbon Lions) alongside various support stories cultivated by Rafters who runs his own commentary through the chapters.

Dozens of little known Celtic stories are put on the record with contributions from supporters around the world including tales from Denmark, Chile, Kenya and Singapore of how supporters have moved away from the Glasgow area and kept in touch or how far flung fans have discovered a football club a little different from the norm and developed that love.

To get your copy of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants send an email to maleysbhoysenquiries@hotmail.co.uk , or contact the author on twitter @maleysbhoys

Finally we come to The Gift of Celtic, a lively punchy book full of stories mixing up the legends of the club with amusing stories from supporters.

From the despair of John Thompson’s death to the triumph of Lisbon, the story of Celtic and their supporters represents an incredible journey. However, above all these are the stories of those amazing supporters without whom Celtic Football Club would have been stillborn like so many other clubs which appeared and then vanished in late Victorian Scotland.

The Gift of Celtic reflects the experiences of ordinary Celtic fans and the depths of affection they have for the club. Through the language of the terraces rough tongues tell tales expressing their love of their club.

CLICK HERE to buy The Gift of Celtic

All of the above books are by supporters for supporters, contact them directly to lend your support and encourage more books that ensure that Celtic remain a club like no other.