German for door or gate, Tor! ($25) by Ulrich Hesse-Lichtenberger provides brilliant insight into the mental and emotional development of German soccer from the beginning of the 1900's through the 2002 World Cup.

Tor! begins with an explanation of the names and dates used by traditional German clubs.  The early history is interesting both in the ways that they mirrored the English and avoided them.  The entire reason for using the term Tor was to prevent English culture from invading the German mindset.  As the book moves through the World Wars, the changes to Football as a political tool become more and more obvious.  The book even delves into the psychology of the Nazi propaganda machine intentionally destroying longstanding clubs and replacing them with "the peoples clubs."  Hesse-Lichtenburger does an outstanding job of describing why some leaders chose to collaborate with the government "for the sake of football" and why others went so far as to create a separate national team.  You will have to read the book to understand that last part.

There are many interesting tidbits in this book.  There are light touches on the philosophies of major personalities that molded Germany through the years from Fritz Walter to Sepp Blatter (current FIFA President) to Franz Beckenbauer.  The book describes the evolution of the German 4-4-2 with a sweeper. 

Tor! also describes the changes in rivalries over the years including England, Austria, and most recently, the Netherlands.  Hesse-Lichtenburger describes the evolution of the game and the changes in what international football meant to Germany.  There is a tremendous insight into the ostracizing of players that left Germany to play for teams in Italy or Spain.  It is an engrossing book for both the history and the soccer.