As part of Wolves’ ongoing 150th anniversary celebrations, the club has produced an official commemorative book to mark the landmark birthday of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC.
‘Wolves At 150’ is a limited-edition publication which spans and details the whole 150-year history of the club, with a season-by-season look back at Wolves’ glorious and turbulent past.
It highlights key moments, matches and players, accompanied by focussed insights on items and imagery relating to each of the 150 seasons and telling a deeper story of some of the little known and more obscure moments in the club’s varied history.
Many of the items within the commemorative book belong to the collection of the Wolves Museum and have been carefully chosen to create a vibrant picture of the stories of yesteryear.
Pre-order the commemorative 150th anniversary book here
Sharing the story of Wolves, which started with a humble beginning as St Lukes FC in 1877, ‘Wolves At 150’ tells how the club grew into an icon of the game as Wolverhampton Wanderers, over a glittering history spanning 150 years.
From being founders of the Football League, to international exploits and the domestic dominance in the 1950s, Wolverhampton Wanderers and the unmistakable gold and black have been pioneers of the football world.
Penned by a trio of authors – museum, tours and heritage manager Sam Warrington, club historian Peter Crump, and journalist, university lecturer and Wolves fan Niall Hickman – the combined effort of writing this momentous publication has been 18 months in the making, with countless hours of research, investigating, compiling and condensing 150 years down into 350 fascinating pages.
Each double page spread focusses on a single season, meaning the book is an easy pick up for casual readers and hardcore fans alike.
Alongside the historical research, many former players, managers and people associated with the club have assisted in bringing the story to life with never-before-heard stories, making this publication an extra special celebration with quotes from those who have donned the famous gold and black.
Reflecting on his part in creating the new book, Crump said: “It has been an honour and privilege to help write the official 150th anniversary book which is part of our 150th legacy.
“Wolves’ birthday is being marked in so many ways, but we felt a book was a must for the supporters of our great club. It has allowed us to utilise our club’s museum and extensive archive collection, which wouldn’t exist without people like Graham Hughes, John ‘Foz’ Hendley and Pat Quirke championing our history and preserving our heritage.
“I really hope the supporters enjoy this book. It is another addition to the extensive Wolves library which so many excellent authors have contributed to over the years.
“Thank you to everyone who has helped us with this project, you’re a credit to the club, and happy birthday Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club. Here’s to the next 150 years.”
Warrington added: “What a momentous occasion our 150th anniversary is, and we felt that it was only appropriate to mark the anniversary with something tangible that our wonderful supporters can enjoy and keep to look back on in years to come.
“Eighteen months and almost 160,000 words later and we’re there. I’m so proud to have been part of this project, and as a die-hard supporter myself, it is an absolute dream to be able to share my love of Wolves and our history with others like me; the fans in the stands, the supporters at home, and all those who bleed gold and black across the world.
“We have such a special club with so many unique and quirky stories that we could’ve written another 160,000 words and still only told part of what makes our club so interesting and vibrant.
“But we wanted to utilise items from the Wolves Museum, along with items kindly loaned by other parties, as part of this project to tell a different side to the story. We all know the big moments, and of course they have to be recognised and celebrated as massive points in our history, but moments like the team becoming ‘Champions of Colchester’, those stories are worth telling just as much – if you don’t know anything about the Colchester Cup, I know a book that can tell you more!
“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the book, colleagues who have supported throughout the process, and particularly to Steve Gordos, whose guidance and help with editing and fact checking throughout has been invaluable.
“We can’t wait for you all the read this new book and sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it. We’ve had 150 years of amazing stories, and I’m sure there are many more to come.”
‘Wolves At 150’ is limited to 1,877 individually numbered copies, with all purchasers who pre-order the book getting their name in the back of the publication upon printing.
Priced at just £35+ P&P per copy, the commemorative book can be pre-ordered exclusively from publishers Curtis Sport here, ahead of the scheduled release in late October.
*Mock-up of final product. Cover subject to change. Exact release date to be confirmed. Delivery will be shortly after date of release.
