Programme Monthly PO Box 3236 Norwich NR7 7BE United Kingdom Telephone +44  (0)1603-449237  theeditor@pmfc.co.uk Programme Monthly & Football Collectable costs £3.30 per issue inclusive of UK postage Europe by airmail £4.35  ;   elsewhere in the world by airmail £5.50. Subscriptions are available for any number of months, in multiples of the above prices (e.g. a six month UK subscription is £19.80). Sterling cheques should be payable to J. Litster. For a sample, introductory copy of the current issue, send payment as above, or send 9 unused first class stamps (UK), or a 5 Euro note (Europe). WHAT ARE FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES,  AND HOW HAVE THEY DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS Modern match-day magazines, consisting of many glossy pages of full colour print, are  unrecognisable from the first simple team sheets of the early days of the game  in the 19th century. They retain two fundamental characteristics; they are the  official mouthpiece of the host club or organising authority; and they contain details of those participating in the match - players and officials - to help  spectators identify them. The development of football programmes over 130 years is described in the 32 page booklet FOOTBALL  PROGRAMMES DOWN THE YEARS. The evolution of the modern issue is explored from  nineteenth century teamsheets; the first recognisable programmes of the 1900's; early FA Cup Finals; more substantial issues before the Great War; universal  League issues in England in the 1920's; Wembley, and the advent of Big Match  Programmes; programme issues through the depression; war-time team sheets,  finals and representative matches; foreign issues which set new standards after the war; post war penny dreadfuls; isolated excellence in the 1950's; the boring  Fifties; mini programmes; some early sixties surprises; London Pride in the early 60's; vastly improved standards after the World Cup; the modernisation of  programmes in the 1970's; a brief flirtation with newspapers; insert and supplements; odd shapes and sizes; and finally glorious Technicolor and the modern magazine. FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES DOWN THE YEARS is  available from Programme Monthly, priced £1 plus 40p postage (Europe plus 70p,  outside Europe plus £1.30) , from PO Box 3236, Norwich, NR7 7BE. UK purchasers may pay  by 5 x unused first class postage stamps; Purchasers abroad may pay in Euro Notes. The Introductory chapter is reproduced below, to give a flavour of the booklet : Today's newspapers and magazines may use modern colour print and photographic techniques, but they would still be recognisable to a Victorian transported by time-travel to 1998. Similarly with other periodicals,  and certainly with books. It is most unlikely, however, that our time-warped  visitor would recognise the printed word as sold to him at a football  match.  The matchday programme has undergone dramatic change since it first  emerged as a means of identifying players in the 1870's. Today, it is a glossy,  colourful and sophisticated communications and marketing vehicle, sold in prodigious quantities and for sums far removed from the penny or halfpenny of  Victorian days. In the course of 25 chapters, the development of matchday  programmes will be chronicled, and put into the perspective of contemporary life and the game they represent.  Local industries were  prominent amongst the advertisements - razor blades in the Sheffield clubs  programmes, vehicle and cycle accessory manufacturers in the Birmingham clubs  issues, ship-builders advertising for workers on Clydeside. We can watch local economies evolve over the life of a club's matchday programme by reading the  adverts. Trends within the game are, of course, apparent in editorials and  features, while great teams, marvellous players, and some unhappy times in the game may be recalled from the playing and managerial personnel listed in the  programmes.  If the content of programmes down the years is varied, then so are the formats and styles used by clubs and associations. From the simple  teamsheet of Victorian days, listing players and their distinguishing features,  to the colourful, glossy booklets of the 1990's - the history of football programmes is as varied and interesting as the game itself, as we will discover  over the next 24 chapters.     advertisments - advice - awards - buying back  issues - booklets - binders black  list - collectables - collecting football  programmes collectors club - famous programme covers - fair dates - football history football programme prices - shops etc - this month's adverts scottish football historian - the editors collection - the magazine what are football programmes - what should i  collect   Programme Monthly & Football Collectable costs £3.30 per issue inclusive of UK postage Europe by airmail £4.35  ;   elsewhere in the world by airmail £5.50. Subscriptions are available for any number of months, in multiples of the above prices (e.g. a six month UK subscription is £19.80). Sterling cheques should be payable to J. Litster. For a sample,  introductory copy of the current issue, send payment as above, or  send 9 unused first class stamps (UK), or a 5 Euro note (Europe).