What is the Best Cricket Book you've Ever Read?

[SJS]

For anyone who's interested there is a list of the top 50 sports books of all time as voted on by readers in today's Observer Sport Monthly. Link here:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/index/0,7432,1476499,00.html

Cricket is pretty well represented. The top placed cricketing book is CLR James's Beyond A Boundary @ 3 which, to my shame, I have never read. I am pleased to see Peter Obourne's wonderful D'Oliveira biograpghy make the list tho. Cricketing books in the 50 are:

3. Beyond A Boundary - CLR James;
6. The Art of Captaincy - Mike Brearley;
19. A Lot of Hard Yakka - Simon Hughes;
31. Anyone but England: Cricket and the National Malaise - Mike Marqusee;
34. Basil D'Oliveira - Peter Obourne;
39. Harold Gimblett, tormented genius of cricket - David Foot; &
44. Close of Play - Neville Cardus.

I have three of these. Beyond a boundary, The Art of Captaincy and Close of Play.

If these three are any indication, the others must be great books too. Must try to get them.

 

[SJS]

SJS
Yes A A Thomson was apparently one of Bradman's favourite authors.
Surprised at your No 20: I thought Hutchins simply constructed a number of hypothothesis of his own making and than systematically dismantled them, to fit his own conclusions.

I have read a number of times that 'Beyond a Boundry" is one of the three best books ever written about the game. I have also read that it would have been twice the book if it was half the size. imho some where in the middle would be about right.

Have only read about half the books on your list, but enjoyed the ones I have read except No. 20

I added Hutchins book because it is the first time I have read such an 'expose' on the Don. Of course, one can only guess at its authenticity but it doesnt look like that. I am not surprised at the reaction to his attacking an icon like the Don. Similarly, its true that such icons do attract people to come and attack them.

But its not a great cricketing book as the others, its just fascinating stuff because of its subject.

 

[Langeveldt]

I have a copy of the Wilde book, but have not had a chance to read it yet.
Was a little disappointed that the Kepler Bio was not for sale in this Country (OZ) as he played a large chuck of his Cricket here and was one of my favorites. In fact we do not seem to recieve any SA bios here. Do you see many Aus. bios in SA?

We get no SA bios in England, Except Rainbow Warrior (Francois Pienaar) .. Had to import all of mine

 

[steds]

16. The Great Cricketer by Thomson

18. The Great Cricketer - Thomson

cheater!

 

[steds]

Michael Vaughan's: 'A year in the Sun'.

interesting, but poorly written, according to my mam - a librarian and insatiable reader who gets through 2/3 books a week

 

[steds]

19. A Lot of Hard Yakka - Simon Hughes;

I love that

 

[archie mac]

For anyone who's interested there is a list of the top 50 sports books of all time as voted on by readers in today's Observer Sport Monthly. Link here:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/index/0,7432,1476499,00.html

Cricket is pretty well represented. The top placed cricketing book is CLR James's Beyond A Boundary @ 3 which, to my shame, I have never read. I am pleased to see Peter Obourne's wonderful D'Oliveira biograpghy make the list tho. Cricketing books in the 50 are:

3. Beyond A Boundary - CLR James;
6. The Art of Captaincy - Mike Brearley;
19. A Lot of Hard Yakka - Simon Hughes;
31. Anyone but England: Cricket and the National Malaise - Mike Marqusee;
34. Basil D'Oliveira - Peter Obourne;
39. Harold Gimblett, tormented genius of cricket - David Foot; &
44. Close of Play - Neville Cardus.

Thanks for that, I must read the D'Oliverira book, sounds good. I can recommend the Gimblett book very good read, although I would just rank his effort on Hammond above it.

 

[archie mac]

I added Hutchins book because it is the first time I have read such an 'expose' on the Don. Of course, one can only guess at its authenticity but it doesnt look like that. I am not surprised at the reaction to his attacking an icon like the Don. Similarly, its true that such icons do attract people to come and attack them.

But its not a great cricketing book as the others, its just fascinating stuff because of its subject.

Yes there was some good stuff in amonst the self indulgence. Had not heard that Bradman didnot attend his parents funeral before reading this book.

 

[archie mac]

We get no SA bios in England, Except Rainbow Warrior (Francois Pienaar) .. Had to import all of mine

We even struggle for moddern English players bio, here. They released bio. on Gough, Nasser and Athers but not Stewert?
Even a bio on Steve Waugh was released as a hardback in England and only paperback here, and the book was by an Australian author

 

[_Ed_]

best - great days in test cricket, rick james

Yeah awesome book. Read it 3-4 times.

 

[badgerhair]

Some other books well worth reading:

A Social History of English Cricket - Derek Birley - an absolute must-read
A Corner of a Foreign Field - Ramachandra Guha, not quite as successful as Birley on Indian cricket
Anything by AA Thomson, Ian Peebles, Gideon Haigh, David Foot, Alan Gibson, Alan Hill
A Cricket Pro's Lot - Fred Root - easily the best defence of Bodyline I've ever read, plus a load of stuff about the less appealing aspects of inter-war cricket
Happy Go Johnny - J Wardle (autobiography)
WG Grace: a Life - Simon Rae
A Singular Man - Simon Barnes (Phil Edmonds biography)
The Way To Lord's - cricketing letters to The Times
The Test Within - Frank Tyson

Some books to avoid like the plague:
Cricket Campaigns - Norman Yardley (*the* most boring autobiography I've ever read)
Cricket Is My Life - L Hutton (allegedly, although it's so badly written and factually inaccurate his ghost needed to be shot)
Flying High - Joel Garner
Anything by Fred Trueman
My Early Life - G Hick
Playing for Keeps - A Stewart (which does live up to its claim to "shock, amuse and entertain in equal measure" by doing none of them in any shape or form)
Anything by PF Warner (although there are some unintentionally amusing moments as he inadvertently reveals how incredibly tedious people thought he was)
Imran Khan - Ivo Tennant
Why I Am The Most Put-upon And Unfairly-Treated Cricketer In The History Of The Game - G Boycott (the autobiography)
Lambs To The Slaughter - G Yallop (which may be an even bigger whinge than the previous entry)

Cheers,

Mike

 

[twctopcat]

Nasser Hussain's Playing With Fire.
This book is amazing, it gives you so much of an insight to how english cricket is run and the people within it.

Yeah i read that, was very good stuff, was very much written in nasser's style. Nasser was pretty much the reason ronnie irani was in the england team for so long!!

 

[Jamee999]

Well, I honestly can't choose between Bradstock : Pulling Together and Bradstock II

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Well, I honestly can't choose between Bradstock : Pulling Together and Bradstock II

TBH I prefer the constant match-action of Pulling Together than the unimaginatively named Bradstock II which delves deep in strong political and social undercurrents in British cricketing society. But it's just a matter of taste.

 

[steds]

best - great days in test cricket, rick james

I preferred his music, tbh. She's A Brick House is my favourite.

 

[open365]

SJS
Yes A A Thomson was apparently one of Bradman's favourite authors.
Surprised at your No 20: I thought Hutchins simply constructed a number of hypothothesis of his own making and than systematically dismantled them, to fit his own conclusions.

I have read a number of times that 'Beyond a Boundry" is one of the three best books ever written about the game. I have also read that it would have been twice the book if it was half the size. imho some where in the middle would be about right.

Have only read about half the books on your list, but enjoyed the ones I have read except No. 20

I thought that when i first started reading it, but i don't like it that much when it gets all polotical, i just get confused, and what the hell is vanity fair?

My favourite book on cricket (im suprised no body's mentioned it) has got to be a lot of hard yakka by Simon Hughes. It's fantasticaly writen, and it's great to read about ordinary cricketers for a chnge.

 

[a massive zebra]

Non Biography

The Young Cricketers Tutor - John Nyren
The Cricket Field - James Pycroft
The Jubilee Book of Cricket - K.S. Ranjitsinhji
The Hambledon Men - E.V. Lucas
The Complete Cricketer - A.E. Knight
Great Batsmen: Their Methods at a Glance - George Beldham & C.B. Fry
Cricket Highways and Byways - F.S. Ashley-Cooper
The Cricket Match - Hugh De Selincourt
History of Cricket - H.S. Altham & E.W. Swanton
The Cricketers Companion - Alan Ross
The Art of Cricket - Sir Donald Bradman
Beyond a Boundary - C.L.R. James
The Golden Age of Cricket: 1890-1914 - David Frith
The Art of Captaincy - Mike Brearley
The Best of The Best - Charles Davis
A Social History of English Cricket - Sir Derek Birley
Bodyline Autopsy - David Frith

Biography

C B Fry: An English Hero - Iain Wilton
Harold Gimblett: Tormented Genius of Cricket - David Foot
Mystery Spinner: The Story of Jack Iverson - Gideon Haigh
10 for 66 and All That - Arthur Mailey
A Lot of Hard Yakka: Cricketing Life on the County Circuit - Simon Hughes
Boycs: The True Story - Leo McKinstry
My Dear Victorious Stod: Life of Andrew Stoddart - David Frith
Fred Trueman: Portrait of a Fast Bowler - John Arlott
Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Controversy - Peter Osborne
Sir Donald Bradman - Irving Rosenwater

 

[a massive zebra]

Tour Books
The Turn of The Wheel by Percey Fender (1928-29 Eng in Aust)

Is this the book in which Fender claimed that Bradman would fail in England as he was "technically unsound and unwilling to learn"?

 

[luckyeddie]

The Cricketers Companion - Alan Ross

Is that the one with the foreword by John Arlott, and featuring such wonderful snippets as "The Average Match" where Teddy Average is given 'Out, Retired' for 100, caught off a tree, and containing that brilliant poem "The Extra Inch"?

I borrowed it from our school library in 1967.

I'd take it back if they hadn't pulled the school down.

 

[Matt79]

I liked Richie Benaud's 'My Spin on Cricket', mainly because the entire time I was reading it, I was doing my best Richie Benaud impression in my head...