The definitive book about soccer. With a new foreword for the American edition.

There may be no cultural practice more global than soccer. Rites of birth and marriage are infinitely diverse, but the rules of soccer are universal. No world religion can match its geographical scope. The single greatest simultaneous human collective experience is the World Cup final.

In this extraordinary tour de force, David Goldblatt tells the full story of soccer's rise from chaotic folk ritual to the world's most popular sport-now poised to fully establish itself in the USA. Already celebrated internationally, The Ball Is Round illuminates soccer's role in the political and social histories of modern societies, but never loses sight of the beauty, joy, and excitement of the game itself....

For courses in Art Philosophy. Unlike traditional anthologies, this gives special attention to popular arts as to the "fine arts". A variety of selections give the instructor plenty of options and opportunities to plan courses. This wide range of readings should appeal to teachers in various disciplines. The book divides articles into sections according to specific arts, while also providing sections on classical and contemporary sources regarding the arts in general. As with the first edition, this book brings together readings in continental and analytic philosophy. It also contains helpful introductions by the editors for each section, as well as a useful general introduction....

The work of David Goldblatt - as recipient of the 2006 Hasselblad Foundation Award undoubtedly South Africa's most prominent active photographer reflects a life-long exploration of the relationship between individual South Africans and the society they live in. His first extended photographic essay was compiled in the 1960s. When it was finally published in 1975 as 'Some Afrikaners Photographed', the book created quite a stir locally. Eventually most of the small print-run had to be sold off for a song.

Considered one of the major photographic works in this genre, 'Some Afrikaners Photographed' was never reprinted and is almost impossible to obtain. 'Some Afrikaners Revisited' offers an additional twenty images from the period which were not included in the original book, notes by Goldblatt on how both books came into being, a contextualizing essay by Ivor Powell and Antjie Krog's impressionistic response to the images....

Whether you want to bend it like Beckham or dribble like Ronaldinho, The Soccer Book is the ultimate visual guide to soccer skills, rules, tactics, and coaching, illustrating every aspect of every variant of the sport more clearly, and in more detail, than any other book has done before....