The Game of My Life (Pelham Practical Sports) by Robbie, John
The Game of My Life (Collectible First Edition Hardcover)
A Compelling Inside Look at International Rugby Controversies and the Formative Years of a Broadcasting Legend
A Compelling Inside Look at International Rugby Controversies and the Formative Years of a Broadcasting Legend
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: The Game of My Life
- Author: John Robbie
- Publisher: Pelham Books, London
- Publication Date: 1989
- ISBN-13: 9780720719369 (ISBN-10: 0720719364)
- Edition Details: First Edition, Standard Hardcover Release.
- Binding: Original publisher's premium cloth boards with gilt-titled spine, accompanied by the original illustrated dust jacket.
- Physical Format: Octavo (8vo), 195 pages. Features historical black-and-white plates and photographic sections documenting major match milestones.
- Language: English
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good (VG)
- Exterior / Boards: The original cloth-bound boards are square, stiff, and exceptionally clean. The gilt lettering on the spine remains bright and untarnished. The corner tips exhibit very minor shelf friction, consistent with careful upright storage.
- Interior: The text block is robustly bound, tight, and uncreased. Internal pages and photographic sections are crisp and free from ink inscriptions, name stamps, dealer pencil markings, or highlighting.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good (VG)
- Condition Description: The original illustrated jacket is complete and unclipped. It shows minor shelf rubbing along the gloss surface and faint bumping to the top spine edge and flap hinges, but remains entirely free of major chips, deep tears, or sun fading.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1989 as part of the respected Pelham Practical Sports series, The Game of My Life is the honest and absorbing autobiography of John Robbie. Before becoming one of South Africa’s most iconic and influential talk radio broadcasters, Robbie was a fierce international rugby union player, turning out as a talented scrum-half for Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. In this contemporary chronicle, Robbie details his formative early years, his competitive rise through amateur rugby, and the immense structural pressures of international test matches. Crucially, the book offers an unfiltered lens onto the intense global controversies, boycotts, and political crosswinds surrounding the game of rugby during the late 1980s. It stands as a vital piece of sports history for collectors of classic rugby lore and South African media biography.
Author Profile: John Robbie
John Robbie is a highly celebrated Irish-born South African broadcaster and former international rugby player. After receiving his education in Ireland and establishing himself as an elite scrum-half, Robbie toured South Africa with the British & Irish Lions in 1980, eventually settling in the country. Following his retirement from active play, he transitioned into sports journalism and later into talk radio hosting. For over two decades, he steered the prime-time breakfast slot on Radio 702, becoming one of the nation's most respected, candid, and formidable media personalities. His sharp journalistic instinct and deep knowledge of sporting dynamics make his early autobiographical writing highly prized by historians.
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