the highs and lows of football, brought to life in comic form…

The Illustrated History of Football

This is football comic-ery, but not as you know it. Welcome to the inimitable work of illustrator David Squires.

Stunningly illustrated by David Squires (as featured in the Guardian), The Illustrated History of Football is a wry look at the highs and lows of the beautiful game. Laugh-out- loud and occasionally moving, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves football. 
 
'Squires is the master of the football comic strip and this collection is recommended reading for enlightened football fans everywhere' -- Late Tackle 
'No one captures the absurdities and ugliness of football better than him ... hilarious' -- Coach Magazine 
'[Illustrated History of Football] is the funniest football tome since Viz's Billy the Fish Football Yearbook, published 26 years earlier' -- Esquire 
'Simply brilliant - my favourite football book' -- ***** Reader review 
'Completely amazing cartoons with beautiful insight as to the how, why, when &amp; wow' -- ***** Reader review 
'Simply wonderful' -- ***** Reader review 
'One of the funniest books I've read in a very long time. A must for anyone who loves football' -- ***** Reader review 
********************************************************************************************* 
Football and comics. Once a hearty Saturday combination to match cartoons and cereal, in recent years they've drifted apart. Thankfully for us, illustrator Squires is here to change all that. 
 
In The Illustrated History of Football, his first book, Squires relives some of football's most glorious moments and meets its greatest figures. In a sport full of handsome paycheques and corporate sponsors, he also casts a critical eye over corrupt backroom workings and helps pierce football's overblown balloon. 
 
Funny, good-looking and preternaturally astute, this book is everything Sepp Blatter wishes he could be. 
More than the archetypal loo book, this is a satirical look at the highs and lows of football and the perfect gift for all fans...

Squires exhibits his personal knowledge of the game in a way that is thoughtful and, as with all comic satirists, really very funny . . . On the face of it this may look like a perfect lavatory book for dad for Christmas. But it is a lot more than that and well worth the read.

David is unparalleled in his ability to highlight how ridiculous modern football can often be with his unique brand of caustic satire.

Squires is the master of the football comic strip and this collection is recommended reading for enlightened football fans everywhere.

If you’re not familiar with the work of David Squires, then you really have been deprived up to now

No one captures the absurdities and ugliness of football better than him … hilarious

Squires’ opening lines sets the tone for a lively, tongue-in-cheek history of the beautiful game, accompanied by some excellent illustrations.

This is an absolute landmark of football literature – worthy of the same status as Football Grounds of Europe , Inverting the Pyramid and All Played Out . This is not least because of the mind boggling amount of work involved – all the more prodigious given that Squires is a regular provider of comic strips for The Guardian . . . this is a genuinely funny book

[Illustrated History of Football] is the funniest football tome since Viz's Billy the Fish Football Yearbook, published 26 years earlier.

This is football comic-ery, but not as you know it. Welcome to the inimitable work of illustrator David Squires. 
 
Football and comics. Once a hearty Saturday combination to match cartoons and cereal, in recent years they’ve drifted apart. Thankfully for us, Squires is here to change all that. 
 
In The Illustrated History of Football, his first book, Squires relives some of football’s most glorious moments and meets its greatest figures. In a sport full of handsome paycheques and corporate sponsors, he also casts a critical eye over corrupt backroom workings and helps pierce football’s overblown balloon. 
 
Funny, good-looking and preternaturally astute, this book is everything Sepp Blatter wishes he could be.

David Squires is a Sydney-based artist and illustrator. His work has featured prominently in a wide range of publications, from the Guardian to Pickles magazine. His work focuses on football and his hilarious comics and detailed illustrations cast a critical eye on the beautiful game. His first book, The Illustrated History of Football, was published in 2016. This is his second book.

Stunningly illustrated by David Squires (as featured in the Guardian), The Illustrated History of Football is a wry look at the highs and lows of the beautiful game. Laugh-out- loud and occasionally moving, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves football. 
 
'Squires is the master of the football comic strip and this collection is recommended reading for enlightened football fans everywhere' -- Late Tackle 
'No one captures the absurdities and ugliness of football better than him ... hilarious' -- Coach Magazine 
'[Illustrated History of Football] is the funniest football tome since Viz's Billy the Fish Football Yearbook, published 26 years earlier' -- Esquire 
'Simply brilliant - my favourite football book' -- ***** Reader review 
'Completely amazing cartoons with beautiful insight as to the how, why, when &amp; wow' -- ***** Reader review 
'Simply wonderful' -- ***** Reader review 
'One of the funniest books I've read in a very long time. A must for anyone who loves football' -- ***** Reader review 
********************************************************************************************* 
Football and comics. Once a hearty Saturday combination to match cartoons and cereal, in recent years they've drifted apart. Thankfully for us, illustrator Squires is here to change all that. 
 
 In The Illustrated History of Football, his first book, Squires relives some of football's most glorious moments and meets its greatest figures. In a sport full of handsome paycheques and corporate sponsors, he also casts a critical eye over corrupt backroom workings and helps pierce football's overblown balloon. 
 
Funny, good-looking and preternaturally astute, this book is everything Sepp Blatter wishes he could be. 
More than the archetypal loo book, this is a satirical look at the highs and lows of football and the perfect gift for all fans...

David Squires

A fresh look at the beautiful game

Squires exhibits his personal knowledge of the game in a way that is thoughtful and, as with all comic satirists, really very funny

In The Illustrated History of Football: Hall of Fame, David Squires will celebrate some of the games greatest players.

David Squires is king of the football comic strip, hallway between David Baddiel and Asterix, which is quite a cool place to be

This book is a perfect Christmas gift for the football-loving fanatic in your life

He’s able to combine his brilliant illustration skills with jokes about the stars and amusing cultural references about the likes of Donald Trump and Nigel Farage. […] It’s perfect to dip in and out of, and will keep you chuckling’

[Illustrated History of Football] is the funniest football tome since Viz's Billy the Fish Football Yearbook, published 26 years earlier. [The second volue] Hall of Fame is more of the same.

Squires is arguably football’s best and funniest cartoonist, treating the sport with the (lack of) seriousness it truly deserves

David Squires is a fantastic satiric cartoonist. What I did not know is that he is equally a fantastic satiric writer

Hall of Fame

‘A fresh look at the beautiful game’ - NME 
 
Welcome back to the inimitable work of illustrator David Squires. 
 
Most football fans can only dream of pulling on the shirt of their favourite team and running out in front of thousands of adoring fans. Pitch invaders aside, few of us get to experience that adrenalin rush. Of those who do make it as a professional footballer, even fewer realise the giddy heights of success. 
 
In the Illustrated History of Football: Hall of Fame, cartoonist David Squires returns to celebrate those who straddle the game like giants; those talented, determined souls who were juggling tennis balls in the back streets before they could talk. 
 
There’s more than one way to attain football immortality though, and Squires also turns his comic eye to the mavericks, the pioneers, the forgotten legends and the anti-heroes. From Pele to Meazza, Maradona to Socrates, you will be taken on an unforgettable journey through the good, the bad and the Hagi.

David Squires

Praise for The Illustrated History of Football

David is unparalleled in his ability to highlight how ridiculous modern football can often be with his unique brand of caustic satire.

A ruddy good artist

A fresh look at the beautiful game

David is unparalleled in his ability to highlight how ridiculous modern football can often be with his unique brand of caustic satire.

A ruddy good artist

A fresh look at the beautiful game

David is unparalleled in his ability to highlight how ridiculous modern football can often be with his unique brand of caustic satire.

A ruddy good artist

A fresh look at the beautiful game

Books by David Squires

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter