This guide takes the reader on a journey throughhistory, tracing the origins of soccer from its humble beginning to an establishedsport beloved worldwide. It is a story that spans five thousand years, fromancient Egypt toMesoAmerica, from the Greek Empire to Chinese Dynasties, and from the RomanEmpire to medieval Britain. From the Middle Ages onwards, Britain and Ireland unfurl their lineage, fromthe lesser-known trapball and stoolball to the lamentably extinct camping andknappan. All forms find a voice in this book, as do hockey and hurling,baseball and bowling, tennis and golf. Primarily a narrative of British andIrish ball games, esteemed foreigners are welcomed: baggataway, knattleikur,soule, kolven, calcio. Many games come to life, revealing their motivations,and their complex inner world. Still, soccer is firmly center stage. This is,after all, its picaresque journey. As the games sweep across history, the social,religious, and political contexts are threaded throughout, and this book ispeppered with news snippets, anecdotes, comedy, and intrigue, which gift thecenturies life. Crammed with eccentric sports ephemera, untold tales, andunearthed facts, The Game That Would Be King is the most comprehensivework on the early history of ball games ever written.