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Cricket Books

neville cardus

neville cardus

International Debutant
Joe Ninety said:
I found On Top Down Under 1st revised Edition(1976)the other day for $AUS1.Yay. I can also thoroughly recommend "The Cradle Days of Australian Cricket", An anthology of the writings of 'Felix' (T.P.Horan) published in1989. Not only a great read but also photos of some of the best beards ever seen on a cricket pitch.
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The picture of W.G. on-driving in the nets is easily my favourite of him.
 
pasag

pasag

RTDAS
Went back to finish Beyond a Boundary after stopping half way. It's strange, the prose is excellent and the picture he paints is second to none but I have a problem with it that I can't quite put my hand on. It's similar to Dylan's autobio, excellent writing but it's all over the place. Dunno.
 
archie mac

archie mac

International Coach
pasag said:
Went back to finish Beyond a Boundary after stopping half way. It's strange, the prose is excellent and the picture he paints is second to none but I have a problem with it that I can't quite put my hand on. It's similar to Dylan's autobio, excellent writing but it's all over the place. Dunno.
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I once read a review "it would have been twice the read if half the size"
 
pasag

pasag

RTDAS
I take back what I said about Beyond a Boundary, the second half of the book is brilliant and really picks up with the portaits he paints of Constantine, Headley and Grace, which are magnificent. The chapter of cricket being art is one of the finest things about the sport I've ever seen written. Great book and I'd urge anyone who hasn't read it to go out and get a copy.
 
Goughy

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
archie mac said:
Have just reviewed Out of My Comfort Zone by Steve Waugh
click here

Would be great if others could review some cricket books, new or old :)
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Just finished Out of My Comfort Zone.

I should state to begin with that I dont really read autobiographies and those I do tend not to be of modern athletes.

It was certainly interesting but I was ultimately disappointed. So much of what was discussed could be gleened (sp?) from scoresheets.

A good autobiography gets behind the profession and to the man beneath and lets us into a world we would otherwise not have been privy.

We find out a lot about Waugh the cricketer but there is a lot unsaid about him as a person.

I want to know more about the man and his relationships. Not enough for my liking on his formative years and what moulded him into the person he is.

There are many parts that are quite dry and do not delve into the working of himself and those around him.

One area I did really enjoy was his thoughts on the game and how it should be played in order to be successful. Couldnt help but agree with so much that he said and he gave insight into what it takes to be a good player and part of a top team.

To learn about Waugh the cricketer this is a great book but to learn more about Waugh the man then it is lacking
 
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neville cardus

neville cardus

International Debutant
pasag said:
I take back what I said about Beyond a Boundary, the second half of the book is brilliant and really picks up with the portaits he paints of Constantine, Headley and Grace, which are magnificent. The chapter of cricket being art is one of the finest things about the sport I've ever seen written. Great book and I'd urge anyone who hasn't read it to go out and get a copy.
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That's a massive relief to me: I was worried that I might be an ill-read infidel with the literary maturity of a dyslexic gomeril.
 
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archie mac

archie mac

International Coach
Goughy said:
Just finished Out of My Comfort Zone.

I should state to begin with that I dont really read autobiographies and those I do tend not to be of modern athletes.

It was certainly interesting but I was ultimately disappointed. So much of what was discussed could be gleened (sp?) from scoresheets.

A good autobiography gets behind the profession and to the man beneath and lets us into a world we would otherwise not have been privy.

We find out a lot about Waugh the cricketer but there is a lot unsaid about him as a person.

I want to know more about the man and his relationships. Not enough for my liking on his formative years and what moulded him into the person he is.

There are many parts that are quite dry and do not delve into the working of himself and those around him.

One area I did really enjoy was his thoughts on the game and how it should be played in order to be successful. Couldnt help but agree with so much that he said and he gave insight into what it takes to be a good player and part of a top team.

To learn about Waugh the cricketer this is a great book but to learn more about Waugh the man then it is lacking
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Agree with that, but how many pages would the book have been?:-O
 
Matt79

Matt79

Global Moderator
Goughy said:
Just finished Out of My Comfort Zone.

I should state to begin with that I dont really read autobiographies and those I do tend not to be of modern athletes.

It was certainly interesting but I was ultimately disappointed. So much of what was discussed could be gleened (sp?) from scoresheets.

A good autobiography gets behind the profession and to the man beneath and lets us into a world we would otherwise not have been privy.

We find out a lot about Waugh the cricketer but there is a lot unsaid about him as a person.

I want to know more about the man and his relationships. Not enough for my liking on his formative years and what moulded him into the person he is.

There are many parts that are quite dry and do not delve into the working of himself and those around him.

One area I did really enjoy was his thoughts on the game and how it should be played in order to be successful. Couldnt help but agree with so much that he said and he gave insight into what it takes to be a good player and part of a top team.

To learn about Waugh the cricketer this is a great book but to learn more about Waugh the man then it is lacking
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Its interesting how vigorously Waugh has resisted the efforts of other biographers trying to do just that as well...
 
archie mac

archie mac

International Coach
Craig said:
BTW Archie, there was/is a cricket book called "Famous Cricketing Families" (or something similar), have you read it (probably a stupid question )?
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I do have it but I am yet to read it:) In fact I have a few of that authors books, always end up in the cheap bin for a couple of dollars.:-O
 
neville cardus

neville cardus

International Debutant
Goughy said:
We find out a lot about Waugh the cricketer but there is a lot unsaid about him as a person.
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I quite enjoyed the insecure uncertainty to which he spasmodically confesses. Actually, I came away from the book with a refreshingly human picture of Tugga in my mind: he isn't, apparently, the insufferable hard-arse that he's commonly made out to be.
 
armchairumpire

armchairumpire

U19 Cricketer
archie mac said:
I think because I am quite a bit younger than you ACU, I related more to the book:laugh:

Seriously I enjoyed some of the behind the scenes stuff he gave us about the players, something I had rearly read in any other cricket book before this one.

He was given access because he was a mate of Matthews, but that friendship soon ended after this book came out:)
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No Archie, Calypso Cricket is my least favourite cricket read because it was really badly written and from memory it was rather sleazy. You're not that much younger than me, and I like a good cricket read just as much as anyone else. That one was a stinker! I find it amusing that I was given such a terrible book not once but twice.

We will have to agree to differ.

Perhaps you might like to do a review and other CW cricket book readers can make up their own minds!
 
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archie mac

archie mac

International Coach
armchairumpire said:
No Archie, Calypso Cricket is my least favourite cricket read because it was really badly written and from memory it was rather sleazy. You're not that much younger than me, and I like a good cricket read just as much as anyone else. That one was a stinker! I find it amusing that I was given such a terrible book not once but twice.

We will have to agree to differ.

Perhaps you might like to do a review and other CW cricket book readers can make up their own minds!
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We both could do one, and give both sides of the story:)
 
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