Best Books to Read About Liverpool FC

Whether you’re looking to buy a good book for the Liverpool supporter in your life or you just want to know as much about the club as possible, finding a decent one to read amongst the wheat and chaff that exists out there isn’t necessarily easy.

The truth of the matter is that every man and his dog has written about the Reds at one point or another, so it isn’t exactly outrageous to suggest that some of the books in circulation are better than others. Whether it be specifically about the club’s history or the individuals that have made it what it is that interests you, these books are a good starting point.

The Liverpool Encyclopaedia

If you’ve ever looked up any statistics or other form of information about Liverpool Football Club, there is a very good chance that one of the sites that you’ll have been greeted by is LFCHistory.net. The two men behind it are Arnie Baldursson and Gudmundur Magnusson, compiling any number of different facts and stats about the Reds over the years.

The pair decided to write a book that looks to offer a guide to what it is that makes Liverpool one of the most famous football clubs in the world, going in depth into numerous different aspects of the club’s history. It is a ‘kaleidoscope of facts, figures, anecdotes and opinions’, in the words of the Liverpool Echo review, so if you want to do a deep dive on the Reds, then this is where to start.

The Anatomy of Liverpool

If The Liverpool Encyclopaedia sounds a little bit too dry and in-depth for you, you might want to consider The Anatomy of Liverpool by Jonathan Wilson instead. This book looks at the history of the football club through the prism of ten specific matches and the eyes of a writer who has previously offered forensic investigations into the likes of tactics and what takes place on the pitch.

@storyofsport The Story Of Liverpool FC #fyp #foryoupagе #premierleague #liverpoolfc #liverpool ♬ sonido original – tntsportsmex

It is the latter that is his focus for this book, which looks back to the time of Tom Watson’s success as Liverpool manager at the turn of the century and takes in the likes of the 1977 European Cup success and through to the victory in Istanbul in 2005. He wants to know why what happened happened, exploring the millions of little moments that bring about success in a football game.

Red or Dead

It is widely accepted that Bill Shankly is the father of modern-day Liverpool FC, arriving at Anfield in the 1950s and completely changing almost every aspect of the club in order to make it the successful behemoth that it is today. If you want to get a better understanding of the Scot and what he brought to the club, there is no better place to start than by reading David Peace’s Red or Dead.

The club was in the Second Division when Shankly arrived and had never won the FA Cup, yet by the time he left, the Reds were competing for the top-flight title on a regular basis and had won two FA Cups as well as the UEFA Cup. The book looks at how Shankly took the club to the peak of English football, as well as exploring his shocking decision to retire in 1974. A must-read.

Quiet Genius

One of Liverpool’s biggest rivals is Manchester United, a football club that has essentially had two exceptional managers in former Liverpool captain Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. When those two left the Old Trafford dugout, the success dried up. The same was not true in the wake of Shankly’s retirement, thanks to the fact that Bob Paisley stepped into his place and continued winning.

@l.f.ckopites On this Day in 1996 – Bob Paisley passed away – the quiet genius. our most successful manager. the reason we can brag about what we’ve won. YNWA Bob. GBNF. #YNWA #LFC #lfcfamily #Liverpool #LiverpoolFC ♬ original sound – Lfc Kopites

In fact, in terms of trophies won in a short period of time, Paisley would go on to be the most successful British football manager ever. Paisley brought unprecedented success to Anfield and no other manager has been able to surpass what he achieved, which is a story told brilliantly by Ian Herbert in Quiet Genius. It is based on interviews with Paisley’s family as well as many of the players who helped him win so many trophies.

Hillsborough the Truth

Unarguably the most tragic moment in the history of Liverpool, if not football in general, was the Hillsborough Disaster. If you want to know more about it, then one of the best things that you can do is to read the book Hillsborough the Truth by Professor Phil Scraton. The title is a play on the disgusting headline published by the S*n in the days following the death of 97 supporters at Sheffield Wednesday’s football ground.

The account put together by Professor Scraton is the definitive one, detailing the appalling way in which the families were treated in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, as well as how those same families had to fight for the reputations of their loved ones for more than 30 years. This isn’t an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, but it is perhaps the most important one you can do.

A Season on the Brink: Rafael Benítez, Liverpool and the Path to European Glory

There have been so many important figures in the history of Liverpool Football Club, with Sir Kenny Dalglish perhaps the unluckiest not to feature on this list. It isn’t exactly outrageous to suggest that the Reds lost their way in the years after the Scot’s shock resignation, failing to win any major trophy until the arrival of Rafael Benítez in 2004 and the shock Champions League win that followed.

In A Season on the Brink, Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué takes readers on an enthralling journey into just how it was that his fellow Spaniard was able to carry out the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’, coming back from 3-0 down against AC Milan in order to win the club’s fifth European Cup. Interviews with players, members of Benítez’s backroom staff and the man himself give the book its incredible behind-the-scenes feel.

An Epic Swindle: 44 Months with a Pair of Cowboys

That Rafa achieved what he did during his time at Anfield is remarkable when you consider what was taking place in the boardroom of the club. The period of time in which George Gillett and Tom Hicks were owners of Liverpool Football Club was one of infighting, lies and broken promises, which is dissected brilliantly by local journalist Brian Reade and should be read by everyone.

15 years ago, almost to the day, Gillett and Hicks (*spits*) announced Roy Hodgson as the new #LFC manager.

From the depths of despair to the peaks of ecstasy. A lot can happen in 15 years.

Morning, #Redsky!

— Wiz Ball (@wizball50.bsky.social) 24 May 2025 at 08:30

If you have ever thought of Fenway Sports Group as bad owners, this should be required reading to help you learn about precisely what bad ownership actually looks like. It would be untrue to say that it is an easy read, but the majority of people have absolutely no idea how bad things had become under the American owners and how lucky we were that FSG arrived on the scene just in time.

Klopp: Bring the Noise

If Bill Shankly was the founder of modern-day LFC, Jürgen Klopp is the man who reminded us all what being a Liverpool supporter is all about. When the German arrived at Anfield in the October of 2015, he did so with the reputation of someone who liked to play ‘heavy metal football’. Although that isn’t precisely how things panned out on Merseyside, it’s fair to say that he did instigate something of a revolution.

@thefootballhistorian Jurgen Klopp swears after Barcelona win #jurgenklopp #klopp #klopp_the_g0at #kloppo #klopperfamily #jurgenklopp #jurgenklopp #jurgenkloppn #jurgenkloppedit #liverpool #liverpoolfc #liverpoolfcfan #lfc #lfcfamily #lfcfans #lfcedit #anfield #melwood #football #footballedit #footballtogether #footballquotes #soccer #footy #footyedit #footballhistory #footballhistorian ♬ original sound – The-Football-Historian

In Klopp: Bring the Noise, author Raphael Honigstein speaks to Klopp’s family members as well as colleagues and players in order to tell the definitive story of the German’s career. The book takes in both the 2019 Champions League-winning campaign, as well as how the Reds won the title at the end of the 2019-2020 season, allowing readers to relive one of the best periods in modern times.

Walk On: Inside Arne Slot’s Liverpool

Just as following Bill Shankly was seen as an impossible job that Bob Paisley carried out with aplomb, so too was the feeling in football that Klopp’s departure from Anfield would lead to a collapse for the club. Few people had even heard of Arne Slot prior to his arrival as Klopp’s replacement, yet he led Liverpool to Premier League success at the first time of asking.

Thanks to @reach_sport for this article about my book ‘Walk On: Inside Arne Slot’s Liverpool’ in Saturday’s matchday programme. The support is much appreciated. pic.twitter.com/uXIKI7JDof

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) December 16, 2025

In Walk On, James Pearce tells the story of not only how the Dutch manager was given the job as Liverpool boss in the first place, but also how he went about taking the Reds to top-flight glory. It has been well researched and offers a behind-the-scenes look at a club that was expected to fall apart but instead kept on rising. It also touches on the tragic loss of Diogo Jota and how that impacted everyone at the football club.

Simon Hughes

It is definitely a bit of a cheat to lump a wealth of different books together as one, but the truth is that it is very difficult to separate out the works of Simon Hughes when it comes to Liverpool FC. The journalist has written numerous books about the Reds, with The Red Machine being the first that you’ll want to read chronologically, as it looks at the club’s success during the 1980s.

Next up is Men in White Suits, which explores Liverpool during the 1990s and that infamous FA Cup performance. If you want to look at a more modern book, then Ring of Fire will be the one for you, given the fact that it is about the 21st century. Then there is Allez Allez Allez, which is all about the club’s Champions League success in 2019. All of the books are bursting with insider info, thanks to interviews with players and managers who were there when it happened.

The post Best Books to Read About Liverpool FC appeared first on Friends Of Liverpool.