The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby

A set of football rules was first produced at Rugby School in 1845, but the early growth of the game had much to do with the account in Tom Brown's Schooldays, which described the uncodified version of the 1830s. This comprehensive history of rugby traces its roots in medieval village football, describes how it spread around the world and explains how the rules and organization of the sport have evolved from Tom Brown's day to the modern professional era.