Cricket Books

[SJS]

Originally Posted by Midwinter

Picked this up on the above advice. Better be right, I paid good money for it.

$1

If SJS is right, it will go down as one of my best book bargains ever., along with the Complete works of Shakespeare for $3.99

Just remember one thing though . . . the title of that Brearley book - The Art of Captaincy. If captaincy and what goes into it with all the nuances and insights of one of the best does not interest you then you have a problem.

But then I presume the title makes it clear what it is about

Its a fabulous read trust me.

I have all the books there but I would buy the pack for five $ for it is bargain and I cant think of a present for that much of money that is worth so much more.

[the big bambino]

Not a book but an article where Frith shredded Roland Perry's book on Keith Miller. It was a long overdue and much deserved powdering of poser Perry.

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by the big bambino

Not a book but an article where Frith shredded Roland Perry's book on Keith Miller. It was a long overdue and much deserved powdering of poser Perry.

I met Roland Perry once was a very nice fellow and signed all my books for me However I know DF and Haigh are not fans and by the sounds of things we can add TBB

[Dan]

I was reading Perry at age 8. By 12 I recognised how terrible a writer he really is compared to the other guys around who cover cricket.

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by rvd619323

I was reading Perry at age 8. By 12 I recognised how terrible a writer he really is compared to the other guys around who cover cricket.

I don't find him a bad writer, quite a good one imo. The fact he does not credit his souces and some of his conclusions are not always well thought out are certainly concerns

[the big bambino]

Its his error rate that annoys me. Feel like going thru his books with a red pen. Even when I'm reading them at the book store. They shouldn't get so cranky. They say vandalised i say accurate.

[vic_orthdox]

Originally Posted by archie mac

I don't find him a bad writer, quite a good one imo. The fact he does not credit his souces and some of his conclusions are not always well thought out are certainly concerns

Archie, did you know that you get a mention on Roland Perry's wikipedia page for your review of Miller's Luck?

[uvelocity]

haha thats awesome

[Dan]

Went through The Art of Captaincy today. Gun read.

[archie mac]

Originally Posted by vic_orthdox

Archie, did you know that you get a mention on Roland Perry's wikipedia page for your review of Miller's Luck?

Thanks mate

I was surprised how many awards he has been short listed for. I know we have been mentioned in a few cricket books and other web sites. Perhaps we should start collecting these and put them up with a link on the front page. Good for CW I reckon

[SJS]

Originally Posted by archie mac

Thanks mate

I was surprised how many awards he has been short listed for. I know we have been mentioned in a few cricket books and other web sites. Perhaps we should start collecting these and put them up with a link on the front page. Good for CW I reckon

Modest and understated as usual - our Archie . . . more in the mould of Archie Jackson than Archie Maclaren I would say

While on cricket books and writers I find that there have been some really under-rated yet superb writers on the game from its players.

Johnny Moyes who played for Southern Australia and Victoria from 1912-13 to 1920-21 may have had the first world war (1914-1919) cut out most of his cricketing years but it is a pleasure to read his books on the game. Having watched the game from the first decade of the 20th century till his death in the early sixties, he wrote with the authority on the game. His books are amongst my late acquisitions which is again due to his not being so well known and yet they are amongst those I have revisited over the years.

An English cricketer who is similarly not known for his writing is one modern fans do not also recognise as one of the finest leg spin bowlers to come from England and in the mould of the greats Barnes and O'Reilly - Ian Peebles. Being an 'unorthodox' (for want of a more suitable word) leg spinner who did not flight the ball but propelled it from a vertical bowling arm at a very brisk medium pace, Peebles may not have pleased the traditionalists of the 20's plus he had Freeman to contend with still ha managed to play 13 Tests for England between 1927-28 and 1931 taking 45 wickets at 30.9 each. Not figures to be scoffed at although by all accounts he was a far better bowler than those figures may suggest. He also took a small matter of 923 FC wickets at 20.4 apiece between 1927-28 and 1948.

He was also a far better writer than most people seem to know. Read them if you get a chance, particularly Johnny Moyes' Century of Cricketers, Australian Bowlers and The Changing Face of Cricket

[the big bambino]

Of course: Peebles! Funny funny man and a brilliant writer. Very close to being my favourite actually. He was a fine leg spinner whose career was truncated by a shoulder injury that robbed him of his skill.

Curiously enough he had it fixed by a German doctor in a chance meeting after the war. He was alright after that he said. Pity he didn't meet him around 1933 he reckoned.

[SJS]

Talking of cricket writing. It is interesting to see who are the most written about cricketers. WG and Bradman easily head any such list. It looks as if the Don has now over taken the Doc now but the third is line, whoever it may be, is far from these two legends.

I was making a list of pen portraits of different cricketers in my library and it is interesting to see who heads the lists. Here are the top five with the number of articles on each in my library- a couple of surprises here I bet

1. Bradman ; 30
2. Jack Hobbs : 25
3. Woolley : 21
4. WG/Miller : 17

The others with at least ten articles are

• Trumper/Hammond : 16
• Sobers : 15
• Barnes SF : 14
• Ranji/Hutton/Lindwall : 13
• Larwood/Boycott : 12
• O'Reilly : 11
• Spofforth/Fry/Grimmett/Constantine/G Headley/Bedser/Trueman/Laker/Lillee : 10 each

That's some list of all time greats. Add the top two wicket keepers from my library - Duckworth and Evans) and you have two fabulous squads. If you find the sides a bit bowling heavy you could take the next two keepers who are both top batsmen in their own rights, Walcott and Ames.

I mention these names also as an indicator of the players that cricket writers over the last century have felt need to be written about and clearly must be hold in very high esteem indeed.

Of course, the amount of literature piles up over time so the current greats will take much longer to reach these figures but they will eventually. Lillee is the most recent Test cricketer in that list I think. But we will have the Richards, the Tendulkars and the Lara's in the libraries of the young fans of today when they are older

[Monk]

A billion books will be written on Tendulkar.

[Daemon]

Less books and more articles online probably.