Cricketing Lives

A Characterful History from Pitch to Page

Cricketing Lives
Richard H Thomas
RRP:
NZ$ 34.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 27.99
Paperback
h198 x 129mm - 440pg
11 Jul 2022 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781789146479
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
Cricket is defined by the characters who have played it, watched it, reported it, ruled upon it, ruined it and rejoiced in it. Humorous and deeply affectionate, Cricketing Lives tells the story of the world' s greatest and most incomprehensible game through those who have shaped it, from the rustic contests of eighteenth-century England to the spectacle of the Indian Premier League. It' s about W. G. Grace and his eye to his wallet; the invincible Viv Richards; and Sarah Taylor, ' the best wicketkeeper in the world . . . male or female' . Paying homage, too, to the game' s great writers, Richard H. Thomas steers a course through the despair of war, tactical controversies and internecine politics, to reveal how cricket has always stormed back to warm our hearts as nothing else can.
"Give me Nancy Doyle over Alison Doyle, who is mentioned in a new book called Cricketing Lives, was head cook at Lord' s for thirty-five years, and took pride in feeding her cricketers well. When Mike Brearley, the England and Middlesex captain, asked if she could serve his players something less heavy than steak and kidney pudding, she erupted. ' You worry about the f***ing cricket, Michael,' she told him. ' And I' ll worry about the f***ing food. ' " * Times (UK) * "The game could wish for no more companionable host than Thomas. This is a warm and welcoming amble through history, with a new story at every turn. " -- Jon Hotten * Wisden Cricket Monthly * "Thomas offers all of cricket' s history in his Cricketing Lives, and he has written the kind of book you' d love to settle down with on a winter' s night as the wind blows outside, a warm and generous history that glows with love as well as learning. . . . Thomas has a knack for finding the quote you' ve never read, the reference that sends you scuttling towards unfamiliar books. " * Wisden Cricket Monthly * "What an enthralling voyage this book affords, with its vivid style and sequences of fascinating detail. Thomas has created something unusually readable. " -- David Frith, founding editor of "Wisden Cricket Monthly" "A wonderful read. Exhaustive and comprehensive as a reference tome, but also infused with a passion for the game and its players that distinguishes a mere cricketing aficionado from a true cricket lover. " -- Phil Steele, BBC Sport
Richard H. Thomas is Senior Lecturer in Journalism at Swansea University. He has written about cricket for All Out Cricket, Wisden Cricket Monthly, The Conversation and the Nightwatchman.
Status: Indent title, imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781789146479
Published: 11 Jul 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Format: Paperback
Height: 198mm
Width: 129mm
Pages: 440

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