My Pride of Lions by Cotton, Fran
My Pride of Lions: The British Isles Tour of South Africa 1997
An Inside Game-by-Game Chronicle of the Historic, Early-Professional Era Triumph over the World Champion Springboks
An Inside Game-by-Game Chronicle of the Historic, Early-Professional Era Triumph over the World Champion Springboks
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: My Pride of Lions: The British Isles Tour of South Africa 1997
- Author: Fran Cotton
- Publisher: Ebury Press, London
- Publication Date: 9 October 1997
- ISBN-10: 0091854229
- ISBN-13: 9780091854225
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Printing. Standard Hardcover Release.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium red cloth boards with black-stamped spine lettering. Complete with signature yellow endpapers.
- Physical Format: Royal Octavo (8vo), 224 pages. Richly enhanced with an exclusive 16-page central archive of full-colour match action shots, portrait photography, and complete statistical logs documenting the historic tour itinerary.
- Language: English [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Used - Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original red cloth boards present beautifully, remaining exceptionally flat, bright, and defensively sharp-cornered. The spine casing exhibits structural health, retaining its block shape firmly without linear shelf-lean, vertical cracking, or heavy compression to the head and tail bands.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and exceptionally crisp. Internal leaves and dynamic colour photo inserts are clean, clear, and immaculate, entirely free of standard user annotations, highlighting, modern gift inscriptions, or dealer pencil markings. [1, 2]
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The Dust Jacket: Used - Very Good (VG)
- Condition Detail: The original illustrated pictorial dust jacket is completely whole, intact, and well-preserved. The jacket face panels display their original bright, glossy texture with only minimal, microscopic shelf wear along the topmost extremities, fully aligned with safe, standard domestic shelf sheltering. Completely free of sun-fading on the spine or unseemly open tears. [1, 2]
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in October 1997 immediately following the conclusion of the tour, My Pride of Lions is the explosive, definitive inside account of the legendary 1997 British & Irish Lions rugby tour of South Africa. Written by the legendary tour manager himself, Fran Cotton, this historic volume provides an unmissable, real-time chronicle of one of the most iconic sporting achievements of the modern era, capturing the Lions as they defied the oddsmakers to secure a historic 2–1 Test series triumph over the reigning World Champion Springboks. [1]
Cotton delivers an intricate, game-by-game analysis that tracks the team's meticulous preparation, tactical masterstrokes, and brutal on-field clashes, culminating in Jeremy Guscott's legendary, series-clinching drop goal in Durban. Crucially, the text positions this historic tour within the broader, high-stakes context of the recent professionalisation of Rugby Union, shedding light on the evolving financial pressures, player dynamics, and structural transformations that redefined the sport forever. This premium first-edition hardcover collectible copy is a vital used collectible book for rugby union purists, sports historians, and serious collectors of classic antiquarian sports literature. [1]
Author Profile: Fran Cotton
Fran Cotton is an iconic figure in international rugby union, renowned both for his uncompromising playing style as a world-class prop forward and his elite executive leadership off the field. Over an illustrious playing career spanning the 1970s, he earned 31 caps for England and represented the British & Irish Lions on the historic, undefeated 1974 tour of South Africa and the 1977 tour of New Zealand. His monumental legacy was further cemented when he was selected as the Tour Manager for the historic 1997 squad, where his strategic management and culture building engineered a historic triumph.
Beyond his legendary athletic career, Cotton is a highly successful entrepreneur and corporate executive. He co-founded the multi-million-pound sports clothing empire Cotton Traders alongside his longtime teammate Steve Smith, demonstrating a sharp acumen for brand positioning and international trade. His deep understanding of elite sports team dynamics and corporate mechanics ensures My Pride of Lions cuts through standard media clichés, providing readers with an authentic primary historical record.
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