Stephen Harper's much anticipated book on the history of the game of hockey is going to be available on shelves on Nov 5, 2013.

The Canadian prime minister took more time than usual to complete the book, but Mr Harper seems to be perfectly in time in terms of getting the book published as his book named A Great Game will be available during the Christmas season.

The complete title of the book, A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs and the Rise of Professional Hockey, appears to attract the admirers of Toronto Maple Leafs. Simon & Schuster Canada is going to publish the book which will introspect on the history behind professional hockey teams of the yesteryears.

According to the press release of the publisher, Mr Harper's book will draw references with the help of extensive archival illustrations and records, including newspaper files. It will talk about the early days of ice hockey and the heroes of the game. It will also refer to the business professionals who were instrumental in building the same. The prime minister of Canada appears to have shown the passion of a fan as well as the sagacity of a historian to portray the fluctuating social conventions related to the game.

Mr Harper, on the other hand, does not claim to be a profession historian even though he does not lack in the enthusiasm for the game. It is more of an amateur effort to capture the impact of the game on the places and the people that define the nation. He has been working on the book for quite some time as the book was supposed to be published in 2012, although it was in 2005 when it was known that Mr Harper was working on writing such a book. A friend of Mr Harper mentioned it to the Globe and Mail.

However, it was in 2006 when Mr Harper first informed CBC that he had expected to finish the book by the same year. Later in 2011, he informed that he would publish the book in 2012. He also mentioned that he had been working on the book for 15 minutes every day for 8 years by that time. It seems like the hard work of the prime minister is finally going to materialise.

On the contrary, some critics find the book as a political tool which is used to portray Mr Harper more like a "common man".

Video source: YouTube/SimonSchusterCanada