Cricket Web's Book of the Decade

[James]

Cricket Web's Book of the Decade
Cricket Web's Book of the Decade, including the 11 books you should have read from the naughties

 

[pasag]

Yeah would have been my choice as well, that or Haigh's Vincibles.

 

[Pratters]

I am reading it and it is excellent.

Good to see Guha's book get a mention as well.

 

[Goughy]

Saw the thread title and thought "I bet it is Bodyline Autopsy" and I was correct and a little disappointed. I thought the book lacked focus, was loosely written, rambled and wasnt much more than ordinary (on a topic I usually really like).

Oh well, I guess Im in the minority on this one.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Ha, wow. Disagree with Goughy on pretty much every point. One thing Frith's prose isn't is loose. His style is quite spartan, actually. If anything I'd have thought a certain dryness was a more likely criticism. Can't see how it's rambling either, it must be five years since I read it but from memory it's quite chronological in order. My only gripe was a slight sniffiness towards the Windies attacks of the 70s and 80s.

Anyway, a worthy winner. As Mr Frith himself acknowledges in his gracious thank you message, the book is clearly an attempt to produce the definitive work on the subject. I always hestitate slightly before calling anything "definitive" (look how many versions of the bible there are) but it is the tome that will be used as the touchstone for anyone else who tackles the 32/33 tour. Where the Roman Empire has Gibbons, Bodyline has Frith.

CW's esteemed panel mentions most of my favs, but two which've missed out that I particularly admire are Leo McKinstry's Boycs, which (IMHO) rivals Oborne's Basil D'Olveira as the cricket biography of the noughties & Ed Smith's On and Off The Field, a typically intelligent but also admirably candid take on the season which saw its author briefly called into the test side & which makes one wish more cricketers had double firsts from Cambridge.

 

[fredfertang]

As you will have noticed three members of the review team were allowed three honourable mentions each and another only one. I believe this was a Janner influenced conspiracy the main aim of which was to prevent the one who was discriminated against mentioning the magnificent "Grovel" but it may also have cost "Boycs" an honourable mention as well

 

[archie mac]

Ha, wow. Disagree with Goughy on pretty much every point. One thing Frith's prose isn't is loose. His style is quite spartan, actually. If anything I'd have thought a certain dryness was a more likely criticism. Can't see how it's rambling either, it must be five years since I read it but from memory it's quite chronological in order. My only gripe was a slight sniffiness towards the Windies attacks of the 70s and 80s.

Anyway, a worthy winner. As Mr Frith himself acknowledges in his gracious thank you message, the book is clearly an attempt to produce the definitive work on the subject. I always hestitate slightly before calling anything "definitive" (look how many versions of the bible there are) but it is the tome that will be used as the touchstone for anyone else who tackles the 32/33 tour. Where the Roman Empire has Gibbons, Bodyline has Frith.

CW's esteemed panel mentions most of my favs, but two which've missed out that I particularly admire are Leo McKinstry's Boycs, which (IMHO) rivals Oborne's Basil D'Olveira as the cricket biography of the noughties & Ed Smith's On and Off The Field, a typically intelligent but also admirably candid take on the season which saw its author briefly called into the test side & which makes one wish more cricketers had double firsts from Cambridge.

Top post mate

As you will have noticed three members of the review team were allowed three honourable mentions each and another only one. I believe this was a Janner influenced conspiracy the main aim of which was to prevent the one who was discriminated against mentioning the magnificent "Grovel" but it may also have cost "Boycs" an honourable mention as well

Boycs was on the short list, but I must confess I forgot about Grovel maybe the best tour book written, but I am not sure which book we would have left out?