This is almost certainly the first book ever published on the collecting of Rugby Union memorabilia – the jerseys, caps, cups, programmes, prints, photographs, autographs, cards, stamps, badges, medals, books, ephemera and whatever else might encapsulate and evoke a nostalgia for the development of the game. While association football, cricket, golf and, to an extent, tennis have had their sample artefacts and accessories recorded in print, the handling code that was born at Rugby School nearly two centuries back, and which drew over 2 million fans to the stadia of the Rugby World Cup in 2015, has not.

Now, at last, this volume surveys the field, from Victorian kit, cigarette cards and flimsy first programmes through to the ‘merchandise’ of the professional era. It is profusely illustrated with examples of memorabilia obtainable for a pound or two, or several hundred, or – in the case of a 2015 record-breaker – nearly £200,000. Whether you are a novice or an expert ‘anorak’ at the collecting game, this introduction should have much to arouse interest, delight – and envy!