THE past 12 months have seen plenty of big sporting books hit the shelves with the autobiographies of Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand, Kevin Pieterson and Gareth Thomas causing a few ripples.

Although Steve Prescott’s life story One in a Million – which was launched at Wembley on Challenge Cup Final day – has sadly not been given the same national publicity as those high-profile sportsmen, it has nevertheless earned really positive reviews.

The book, which Steve began writing with the assistance of the Star’s Mike Critchley in 2007, was essentially completed weeks before he died in November 2013.

His wife Linzi finished off the book with two exceptionally powerful closing chapters.

It is a book that has stirred many emotions since it went on sale.

Even people who believed they already knew Steve’s story inside out admitted to have even greater respect for the former Saints full back after reading the full picture – in his own words.

Although around one third of the 288-page volume deals with his sporting career, it should not be pigeon-holed as a book about rugby league.

Rather it is an often heart-rending tale which will take the reader on a rollercoaster ride.

And although parts of it are desperately sad, and have reduced even the most hardy of characters to tears, the over-riding message pouring out of the book is one of positivity and never, ever giving up.

Published by Vertical Editions, One in a Million is priced £17.99.

A recent addition to the rugby library came in November, with the publication of Peter Harvey’s fascinating autobiography Redhead With Fire in his Boots.

The book deals with Harvey’s transition from union to league – and charts his career in that four-cups winning team of 1966.

The book informs, educates, provokes and comforts the reader with a life story punctuated by series of punchy and thought provoking anecdotes.

Many a book can become dry with stats and facts, Harvey adds plenty of colour in this 222 page volume to give the reader entertainment as well as food for thought.

Although the core of the book is rugby – with Harvey’s ground-breaking career in both codes described in great depth – the scene is set wonderfully with the briefest of first chapters.

Those wonderfully crafted opening lines pour off the page like a good novel to the extent that you smell the coal dust, hear the bombs echoing round the Anderson shelter and see the faces on the crowded wartime train as Harvey describes how he came to be born in Renfrewshire, Scotland in 1940.

The son of a miner, the non rugby aspect of the book takes the reader through various of aspects of the region’s social history with Harvey’s story describing a route from coalface to chalk face.

In his own matter of fact way, Harvey describes how he became a headteacher in Kirkby in what statistics pointed to the ‘worst school in the worst authority in the country’ and despite losing half of the building to an arson attack, the team managed to turn it around.

But if those bits add an interesting backdrop, Harvey’s rugby story is the centrepiece.

Wonderfully written, priced at £14.99, it is a book that will warm readers’ hearts.

Saints’ epic triumphs of the 2006 season – when Daniel Anderson’s class won every single trophy available and only lost four league games, with none more than a margin of four points, is chronicled in As Good As It Gets.

It is largely put together with the words of Daniel Anderson, but there is insightful input from Jon Wilkin, Paul Wellens, Ade Gardner and Apollo Perelini too.

The book is made up of monthly reviews of that year - but the chapters in between each month cover a range of subjects and delve into the personalities that made that team tick - Jamie Lyon, Jason Hooper, the awesome foursome in the front row, the tremendous twin hooking routine of Keiron Cunningham and Hames Roby and the pure magic of Sean Long.

The book mixes as they happened interviews with a reflective look back from some of the club's key  men that year.

Published by Vertical Editions and written by the Star's Mike Critchley, the book is also wonderfully illustrated with Bernard Platt's brilliant photographs.

Prolific ghost writer Andrew Quirke this year helped popular kit man Stan Wall write his colourful life story - Stan the Man.

This is the story of the former miner and referee Wall, who became one of sports most popular kitmen.

The book is a punchy account of life on the pitch, under ground and in the dressing room.

There are some fascinating tales in there - not least the story of when he sent Neil Fox off for the only time in his long, illustrious career.

And the tone is set for that volume with an honest but hilarious foreword from Sean Long.

That too is on sale at £11.99.

All four books are on sale at Wardleworths in Westfield Street or Saints Superstore.