From the earliest days of Celtic Football Club, it has been defying the odds, and often logic, to deliver incredible moments which we as supporters will never tire of recounting or reliving. Ours is a truly wonderful history, which simply must be shared, devoured then passed on for the next generations of Celtic supporters to enjoy.
At Celtic Star Books, we take real pride in making sure that incredible history is shared across the Celtic diaspora. Our stories and our songs, honouring our heroes who wore those famous green and white hoops across so many generations.
And not forgetting the early Celtic legends who pre-dated those iconic hoops, Willie Maley’s Bould Bhoys, who kicked the whole thing off in such dramatic style in our very first season, proud and fearless as they took on the establishment clubs of the day to reach the Scottish Cup final at the first attempt.
One of the early offerings from Celtic Star Books was the collaborative Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys, which told the story of the Founding Fathers who made the dream a reality by creating the club we know and love to this day, and of our early superstars such as James Kelly, Sandy McMahon and Dan Doyle.
Into the Hoops era we go to discover the record-breaking career of Alec McNair, Celtic’s defensive Icicle for more than two decades as Willie Maley’s side became the first anywhere to secure six successive League championships before the outbreak of a terrible war, then followed that up with another four-in-a-row as an uneasy peace descended across the globe.
Spirits were lifted at home and in the battlefields throughout the horrific conflicts as the exploits of Jimmy Quinn, Patsy Gallacher and Jimmy McMenemy were shared, a story beautifully told by David Potter.
Two current projects (both books will be out in 2023) are looking at the decades which followed the break-up of those great sides. For the biggest part of this year Matt Corr has been researching and writing about Celtic in the 1930s, a decade where tragedy and triumph seemed to go hand in hand with Celtic, the beauty and sadness of John Thomson, the bravery and incredible achievements of Jimmy McGrory and the silky genius of Jimmy Delaney.
Liam Kelly picks up that thread as a new deadly worldwide conflict threatens everything we know, looking at how Celtic dealt with this new set of challenges through and beyond the Second World War. A decade which saw Celtic’s top-flight status as a club seriously under threat for perhaps the only time in our 135-year history.
David Potter is back to take us through the dazzling skills of Willie Fernie, as he turned on the style throughout the Fabulous Fifties, “Coronation time was year” and so was “Hampden in the Sun” with a supporting cast which included Celtic immortals such as Charles Patrick Tully and Bobby Collins, Sean Fallon and Neilly Mochan, Bobby Evans, Jock Stein and Bertie Peacock.
And David returns again in our latest superb book, The Celtic Rising, looking at how Jock Stein’s arrival in early 1965 transformed the fortunes of a club going nowhere quickly. David was one of those long-suffering Celtic diehards who dreamed of the glories to come, and then personally witnessed the change which delivered those dreams…and then some.
Like so many of our triumphs of the past, it was as unexpected as it was thrilling, a wonderful old club rising from the depths of so many heart-breaking defeats and false dawns to once again become the dominant force in Scotland and position itself for an even greater adventure to follow. David will take you with him every step of the way of that journey through 1965, each emotion, each setback, then each of the fabulous, joyous moments which are now Celtic folklore. There is no one better placed to do so.
Matt Corr picks up the story from a different perspective with his Harry Hood biography Twice As Good, the boyhood Celtic fan making his way to Paradise via Clyde and Sunderland to weave his own brand of sorcery as Jock Stein’s side evolved from Lisbon Lions into a second magnificent team which played at the very top level of European football and dominated Scottish football with that fabulous nine-in-a-row.
Harry plays with perhaps the greatest Celtic squad of all time in seven magnificent years in the Hoops, names which trip off the tongue. Danny McGrain and Tommy Gemmell; Bobby Murdoch, Billy McNeill and George Connelly; Bertie Auld and Davie Hay; Jimmy Johnstone and Bobby Lennox; Willie Wallace and Kenny Dalglish.
And if you order a copy of Harry Hood Twice as Good from Celtic Star books please tell us your t-shirt size in the notes section when placing your order and we will send you this brilliant Harry Hood t-shirt!
And in the more recent past, of course we had the wonderful, magical Invincibles, undefeated as they brought home the first of what would eventually be a quadruple of domestic Trebles. Matt’s debut book took us step by step through that incredible season, whilst bringing half a century of personal Celtic memories back to mind as the golden anniversary of Lisbon was played out against a backdrop of an excellent new team in those famous Hoops setting new standards. As Moussa Dembele, Scott Sinclair, Kieran Tierney and Scott Brown and co sought to add their names and achievements to our roll of honour.
And we also can include this Invincible t-shirt with your order when you order a copy of Invincible from Celtic Star Books.
Just as Ange and the current crop of Celts never stop, neither do we at Celtic Star Books. Several other ideas are being developed or indeed are already underway. We aim to ensure that every era is covered and that those who wore our colours are properly recognised and their stories shared.
If you love your Celtic history as much as we do then there are plenty of splendid reading choices over at Celtic Star Books…
The Celtic Star is getting set to publish The Celtic Rising ~ 1965: The Year Jock Stein Changed Everything and you can pre-order your copy now, this beautiful hardback book is out on Friday 4 November 2022. Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered, your support is much appreciated as it allows The Celtic Star to ‘fill in the gaps’ in terms of the wider Celtic story….
