"The 1930s saw the birth of the football idol, the 'terrace hero' prototypes for today's powerful media sport stars." "The players of the 1930s were the first generation of what we now regard as 'professionals', yet until recently the lives and careers of footballers of this era have been little studied." "During the 1930s British football became increasingly commercialised, and the rise and development of both local and national media, in particular broadcast media, enabled players to become widely recognised outside of their immediate local context for the first time." Tracing the origins, playing careers and 'afterlives' of several First Division players of the era, Graham Kelly's history explores the reality of living in Britain in the 1930s and draws comparisons with lives of our contemporary 'terrace heroes', the football stars of today.