James Corbett

Infobox Writer


imagesize = 150px
name = James Corbett
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1978|11|12|mf=y
birthplace = Liverpool, England
occupation = Writer
nationality =
period = 2002 - Present
subject = Sport
Crime
notableworks =
influences =
influenced =
website = http://www.jamescorbett.co.uk

James Corbett is a Liverpool-born author and journalist, best known for his best-selling history of Everton Football Club, (Macmillan, 2003) and his history of the England football team "England Expects". His journalism has appeared widely in the national press and he is Contributing Editor of The Observer Sport Monthly.

Early life

Corbett was brought up in Great Crosby, a suburb of north Liverpool where he was the oldest of five children. He lived with his family until the age of nineteen. He was educated at Great Crosby Catholic Primary School and Holy Family High School, both local state state schools. Both of his parents are local teachers and still live in the town.

His first move into journalism came in 1994, when he founded the Everton fanzine Gwladys Sings The Blues from his bedroom with two schoolfriends. The fanzine ran for three years and was sold outside Everton's ground Goodison Park on matchdays and throughout an array of retail outlets across the city. Corbett's involvement with the fanzine scene brought him local and national prominence and often appeared on local radio and TV. He also began writing for national publications, such as Goal magazine.

In 1997 he disbanded Gwladys Sings The Blues to concentrate on finishing his A Levels and a year later he took up a place at the London School of Economics after leaving school. At university he continued writing for the LSE newspaper, "The Beaver", where he was political editor. He later studied for a Master's Degree, also at the University of London.

Career

James Corbett's career began in 2002 as London Correspondent of the English language Egyptian newspaper, Al Ahram Weekly, but he later fell out with the editor over its coverage of the invasion of Iraq and censorship issues. In 2003 he signed a book deal with Macmillan Publishers for his history of Everton Football Club, Everton:The School of Science. This was published in October of that year to coincide with the club's 125th anniversary to critical and commercial acclaim.

In May 2006 Corbett's second book, England Expects, was published by Aurum Press. An updated paperback with details of the 2006 Fifa World Cupis due for publication in 2008.

Corbett's official website states that he is currently at work on a history of America's prohibition era.

Due to the popularity of his books, Corbett has written widely for various publications. He is a regular contributor to FourFourTwo magazine and The Guardian and is Contributing Editor of The Observer Sport Monthly, which was voted British Sports Magazine of the Year in 2006.

Publishing history

* Everton: The School of Science ("Macmillan 2003")
* England Expects ("Aurum Press 2006")