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Transworld sports editor Giles Elliott has bought a memoir of life as a youthful football fan by Dave Roberts, author of The Bromley Boys.
Elliott bought world English language rights to 32 Programmes from agent Kate Hordern. The memoir relates how, on instructions from his wife, Roberts was forced to whittle down a collection of over 1,100 football programmes to a mere 32 before a move to the US. The book tells the story of how Roberts made his selection, with the process bringing back a flood of nostalgia for the simplicity of his youth in the 1960s and 70s, when he was obsessed with football, working in rubbish jobs, and unlucky in love.
Elliott described 32 Programmes as "a brilliant concept for the book, and beautifully delivered", comparing it to Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch and 31 Songs. Bantam Press will publish in summer 2011.