Roger Page: Educator, Historian and Cricket Bookseller
Archie Mac |Published: 2016
Pages: 43
Author: Cardwell, Ronald and James, Alfred
Publisher: The Cricket Press Pty Ltd
Rating: 4 stars
This book was produced to celebrate Roger Page’s 80th birthday. The full title is Roger Page – Educator, Historian and Cricket Book Seller; which sums up Mr Page admirably. Most would know him as a cricket bookseller, which has been his vocation since 1970. A copy of a 1970 catalogue is included at the back of the book. If only I had a time machine I would go back and purchase: With Bat & Ball – $2.00, The Two Maurices Again – $3.00, England v Australia at The Wicket (1887) – $3.00. A grand total of $8.00! At this stage Mr Page was located in Tasmania and, surprisingly given their prominent position in all of his modern catalogues, no Wisdens were for sale.
Authors Ronald Cardwell and Alfred James decided late in the piece to produce this monograph, and in fact they didn’t begin work until just two weeks before Mr Page’s 80th. Some of those involved in the production will be well known to cricket book lovers including Mike Coward, David Coon, Peter Lloyd and Bernard Whimpress. There is also an amusing and heartfelt forward by Gideon Haigh.
The book was presented to Mr Page at a luncheon by some of his best customers, although at this point, instead of customers this should read as some of his best friends. The book was limited to just 80 copies. Fifty of those were for sale and another 30 were inserted into a green calf leather slip case. The authors start Roger Page with a brief history of cricket book publishing in Australia. It was interesting to learn that less than 500 cricket books were published in Australia prior to 1960.
I have known Roger Page for over 30 years, but while reading this little book, I learnt something new on almost every page. Mr Page was born in England before emigrating with his family to Australia in 1949. It didn’t take long for Mr Page to involve himself in cricket books, writing his own book at the age of 20, A History of Tasmanian Cricket, in 1957. The book’s print run was 2,000, with 100 of those printed as a hardback. Mr Page had become a school teacher in Tasmania, but his interest in all things cricket and a trip to England in 1969 eventually led him to his lifelong passion of selling cricket books.
There is plenty more to the Roger Page story, and if you are able to secure a copy of this monograph you will find a rich and engaging story. Given it’s been nine years since its publication – you’d imagine there are no longer copies available. However I am sure we all know one person who might just be able to find you a copy.
Leave a comment