{"product_id":"9780571372546","title":"A Load of Old Balls","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE CHARLES TYRWHITT SPORTS BOOK AWARDS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eTop Bins! A personal best, a lap record and a hole in one for when rain has stopped play.' ALAN DAVIES\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The trivia book of the season . . . magnificent.' \u003ci\u003eSPECTATOR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\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 skilful. 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\u003eshow us sport as we’ve never seen it before.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePublished in hardback as \u003ci\u003eEverything to Play For\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more from the team behind QI's hit TV show, check out the QI FACTS series of books, @qikipedia, their weekly podcast at nosuchthingasafish.com or visit qi.com.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James Harkin, Anna Ptaszynski","offers":[{"title":"Faber \u0026amp; Faber |  Paperback \/ softback | Trade paperback (US) |  2025-02-04","offer_id":46299077411071,"sku":"9780571372546","price":22.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_ee9df23b-96ad-4647-9fac-4c087e22999a.jpg?v=1730482824","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9780571372546","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}