A Load of Balls : Round Things to Hit, Kick, Throw, Pot, Pass, Smash and Catch

Why is a rugby ball oval? How long was the longest volleyball rally? What is the fastest a tennis ball has been served at?

Find the answer to all of these questions and many more in A Load of Balls.

As a nation of sports nuts Britain knows as much about the games it watches as any on earth, but what about the balls with which top notch professionals, and for that matter we humble participants, play with regularly?

Did you know French King Charles VIII died after banging his head playing "real" tennis in April 1498? Or that Aboriginees in Australia played the original Aussies Rules with inflated Possum skins? Or that King Henry VIII bowled with cannon balls? Or that the original hockey ball was a cube? If not then you need to delve into A Load of Balls and avail yourself of its plethora of spherical and ovoid facts, beautifully illustrated by cartoonist Tony Kitchell.

All known ball sports on the planet will be covered, including major sports such as football, cricket, rugby and tennis, through to the lesser known but equally fascinating Korfball, Tacraw, Torball, Gaelic Football and Stoolball.