For any kit collectors, Blues buffs, students of the shirt, or simply Chelsea fans who enjoy reading about their club and viewing great images of the past, the brand-new Blue is the Colour book is an ideal gift or a treat to buy yourself.

Following the pre-order window, it will be on sale at the Stamford Bridge Megastore and via our online store and with its launch come questions to ponder…

• Who made Chelsea’s kits in the years before manufacturers logos appeared on them?

• Why do barely any shirts worn by the team in the early decades still exist?

• Which colour combination did Chelsea favour for our away kits for around half-a-century?

• When and why were variations of a home shirt worn during a single season?

You might know the answers to those questions already but if you do there are plenty more to ponder…

• Why did Chelsea start manufacturing our own range of kits?

• Which seasons did Chelsea Women shirts carry the words TAKE A STAND?

• When in recent times was a set of shirts hastily disposed of and did any survive?

• Do any images exist of kit designs that were never worn?

These are all questions that may intrigue fans with a passion for the designs the players, and in many cases, the supporters themselves wear on their backs – and that is another question too – when did replica shirts become a thing?

All the answers plus thousands more facts and a stunning array of shirt photos combine to make Blue is the Colour the most comprehensive book on the Chelsea kit ever produced.

This coffee-table official publication, which is priced £35, has sourced the all-time biggest collection of match-worn shirts, some donated by the players themselves, and put it on the page, complete with the story of how the Chelsea colours and designs have evolved over the years and across our home, away and in more recent times, third strips.

The changes are catalogued design by design, season by season, and are illustrated in match action too. It is a feast of fabric history and colour – even if by far the most prominent shade is royal blue!

Frank Lampard writes the foreword and having counted up how many of the kits he himself wore in action, he allows some he has kept to be part of the beautifully photographed collection featured in the book’s 350-plus pages.

As a bonus at the back there is the Complete Kit History, an illustrated timeline diagram of every kit combination worn since 1905. A simple shift from white to red socks worn is enough for a new entry among the hundreds shown, as are the odd occasions when we had to borrow shirts from the opposition. This final chapter is bound to fascinate fans flicking through.

Many of the kits featured can also be viewed in the Chelsea Museum at Stamford Bridge, and we have a retro kit range available to purchase too.

The progress made in kitting out our women’s team players is chronicled – from the ultra-baggy men’s-issue shirts with obscure sponsor names to the specifically tailored jerseys of today – not that the men’s team haven’t advertised intriguing sponsors on their shirt fronts too – a tale also told in the book.

Blue is the Colour is researched and written by Nik Yeomans, the foremost expert on the Chelsea kit over the years. Whether you are also an aficionado, a collecting enthusiast or a fan who simply wants to know more about this fundamental part of the club’s heritage, this book is simply a must-have.

It can be pre-ordered here now and it will be on sale in-store and online in mid-November.

And now revealing the answer to one of those earlier questions – yes, it’s true, pictures of kit designs never worn do exist – and you know where you can view them!