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Cricket Books

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Anyone have the books:

- Cricket from the Grandstand (Keith Miller)
- Walter Hammond a Biography by Ronald Mason
- MCC the Autobiography of a Cricketer - Colin Cowdrey

All brilliant reads
 

archie mac

International Coach
It takes far far too long to get a review up. This is just the kind of thing that makes one lose interest in writing here.

If I was to review all the books I wanted to, at this rate I may not live to see them on the site :dry:
It will be up Thursday mate:)
 

archie mac

International Coach
Anyone have the books:

- Cricket from the Grandstand (Keith Miller)
- Walter Hammond a Biography by Ronald Mason
- MCC the Autobiography of a Cricketer - Colin Cowdrey

All brilliant reads

I have them but have not read the last one:)

Have you read the Wally Hammond book by David Foot?
 

aussie

Hall of Fame Member
Nah, TBH those books belong to my white grandfather a straight student of the game those 3 where the only ones along with one about Bradman that i ever got to read.

He could very well & have that Hammond book but i'll have to check.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Nah, TBH those books belong to my white grandfather a straight student of the game those 3 where the only ones along with one about Bradman that i ever got to read.

He could very well & have that Hammond book but i'll have to check.
Well worth a read if you can get hold of it:)
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Mason's biography of Hammond is a bit dull in comparison with David Foot's but it does have a superb dust jacket
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Anyone have the books:

- Cricket from the Grandstand (Keith Miller)
- Walter Hammond a Biography by Ronald Mason
- MCC the Autobiography of a Cricketer - Colin Cowdrey

All brilliant reads
I have Millers book and Cowdrey's autobiography.
 

stumpski

International Captain
I've read Playing Hard Ball (probably the only book on baseball I'll ever read) and On and off the Field (which really ought to have a review here) but not his recent one. 'What sport teaches us about life' or something like that. Supposed to be very good though.
 

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
I've read Playing Hard Ball (probably the only book on baseball I'll ever read) and On and off the Field (which really ought to have a review here) but not his recent one. 'What sport teaches us about life' or something like that. Supposed to be very good though.
Yeah 'What sport teaches us about life' is excellent, a really easy read, i finished it in one night.
 

wisden18

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
A favourite book of mine, although not sure how great the general appeal of it would be (!), is "Cricket and the Law". Fascinating book, and for anyone who wants to see cricket in a novel light this would be it.
 

archie mac

International Coach
A favourite book of mine, although not sure how great the general appeal of it would be (!), is "Cricket and the Law". Fascinating book, and for anyone who wants to see cricket in a novel light this would be it.
Gives us some more details mate:)
 

Midwinter

State Captain
Thanks Archie and Wisden18 for your answers to my query regarding the "British Academy of Cricket's Manual"

As previously mentioned, my copy of the manual is only one I have seen and the lack of references to such a tome of such gravity surprises me, but perhaps being just a "player" I should instead be grateful for the pictures and simple diagrams which have been included for my benefit and not vex my mind with such matters.

It is also intriguing because it isn't the usual cricket joke book and the lengths authors go to is very impressive and that a book of such length should have so little reference to the actual playing of the game, which I suppose is probably the point.
 

wisden18

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Gives us some more details mate:)
Well it's a book written from a lawyer's perspective really. David Fraser is the author (a Professor of Law and Social Theory) and he looks at things such as bodyline, chucking, ball-tampering, sledging, walking, use of technology and other areas in a novel way. For Australians especially, the chapter on Mankading is superb.

Now I'm a law student, so it really does appeal on that front, but I think it does have a much wider, general appeal. And like I said it is certainly a novel way of looking at things. It doesn't get too technical, and you don't need a great knowledge of law to understand the points he's making.

To give you a flavour of what I mean by novel (!) here's a little quote from the Foreword:

"Fraser is a relative newcomer to cricket. In 1988 while in Australia, he saw Australia play Pakistan and was fascinated by the umpire giving a batsman out lbw after the fielding side had appealed. His curiosity was immediately aroused by the fact that in this case the decision meant the umpire had to judge whether the ball would have hit the stumps, an event that had not occurred, but might have had the batsman's legs not got in the way. Putting on his lawyer's hat he thought this was very similar to the problematic area of causation in tort or criminal law, especially when dealing with the liability for an omission."

It's available on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cricket-Law...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216340262&sr=8-3 that link also allows you to "search inside" the book, which is worth doing, it'll allow you to get a feel for it.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Well it's a book written from a lawyer's perspective really. David Fraser is the author (a Professor of Law and Social Theory) and he looks at things such as bodyline, chucking, ball-tampering, sledging, walking, use of technology and other areas in a novel way. For Australians especially, the chapter on Mankading is superb.

Now I'm a law student, so it really does appeal on that front, but I think it does have a much wider, general appeal. And like I said it is certainly a novel way of looking at things. It doesn't get too technical, and you don't need a great knowledge of law to understand the points he's making.

To give you a flavour of what I mean by novel (!) here's a little quote from the Foreword:

"Fraser is a relative newcomer to cricket. In 1988 while in Australia, he saw Australia play Pakistan and was fascinated by the umpire giving a batsman out lbw after the fielding side had appealed. His curiosity was immediately aroused by the fact that in this case the decision meant the umpire had to judge whether the ball would have hit the stumps, an event that had not occurred, but might have had the batsman's legs not got in the way. Putting on his lawyer's hat he thought this was very similar to the problematic area of causation in tort or criminal law, especially when dealing with the liability for an omission."

It's available on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cricket-Law...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216340262&sr=8-3 that link also allows you to "search inside" the book, which is worth doing, it'll allow you to get a feel for it.

Looks good, I will keep an eye out. There was another about Sth African Test players who have practised law (I think):)
 

wisden18

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Oh yes, I have that. It was done in a limited edition deluxe version as well (I don't have that (yet!)). Also Goldman did one of the most dull books ever written "Cricketers and the Law" which is just a list (pretty much, literally) of English lawyers who have played cricket.
 

archie mac

International Coach
Oh yes, I have that. It was done in a limited edition deluxe version as well (I don't have that (yet!)). Also Goldman did one of the most dull books ever written "Cricketers and the Law" which is just a list (pretty much, literally) of English lawyers who have played cricket.
What was the SA one called?
 

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