Manchester United: The Biography will do for the football team what Peter Ackroyd did for London in his huge bio of the same name. The book follows the club s extraordinary journey from its birth in the railway works of Newton Heath to its current status as Premier League and European champions.

The key stages in United s history will, of course, be covered: the Munich Air Crash of 1958, which saw the best part of an entire team (the Busby Babes) being killed; becoming the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968 (with Bobby Charlton and George Best); the dominance of the club in the Premiership; the controversial sale to American tycoon Malcolm Glazer, right up to Moscow 2008. But by drawing on the recollections of everyone from players and managers to fans and backroom staff, Jim has unearthed enough new material to interest die-hard fans and casual supporters alike.

A fascinating history of a remarkable football club, by one of Britain's best-known and most popular sports writers.