The first edition of “The Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers” was published in the time before the internet, so it was the essential reference guide as to who had played a senior game in the VFL/AFL. Indeed, I once inadvertently caused a rift between one of my university friends and his father when I showed him that his father, who had claimed that he had played three senior games for Hawthorn, was absent from the Encyclopaedia. I hope they have patched their relationship up by now.

Now that the internet allows us immediate access to a player’s stats and more, “The Encyclopaedia of AFL Footballers” is not so indispensable but still worth a leaf through, marvelling at the time it took Holmesby and Main to initially gather the names and stats of all VFL/AFL players. ( )

An invaluable record of every VFL/AFL player since the inception of the league in 1897. Each entry contains a brief summary of the player's career, including the number of games played for all clubs, goals scored and list of major achievements and awards. Most players with more than a handful of games contain a brief written record of their career, while more prominent, infamous, or colourful players receive longer entries. Recent editions have given larger entries for current and more famous players. More recognition has also been given to players who played a handful of VFL/AFL games but were particularly prominent in other states, such as Western Australian great Jack Sheedy. First published in 1992.

One of a series which covers each AFL club in existence as of 2004.

First published in 1992, this has become the standard biographical reference work for all players who have played at VFL or AFL level. It contains brief biographies of every player's career, with longer entries for famous or infamous players. All editions include statistics such as number of games played for clubs and state, goals kicked, and significant awards. Later editions also include jumper numbers, player height and weight measurements, and junior clubs players were recruited from.

Review by Tim Hogan