Cricket Books

[Wallaby]

Jack Fingleton - Cricket Crisis. Bodyline, plus other stories. As far as I know, the most detailed work written on Bodyline by someone who was there at the time and actually playing. Best I've read.

Bradman's First Tour - a clever book that just reproduces the newspapers (both Aust and English) from 1930. It shows how the image of Bradman developed from 'Looks a really good young batsman' at the start of the tour to 'This guy is something other worldly' by the end. Interesting to read real-time impressions.

Anything by Mike Brearley is worth reading.


Fiction:

Flashman's Lady - George Macdonald Fraser. The Bounder of Rugby School and Hero Of Afghanistan plays a few games of 1850's cricket at the start, but unfortunately loses a single-wicket match which leads him to battling pirates with Brooke in Borneo, and being Seargent-General of Queen Ranavalona's army (as well as her chief Toy-Boy) in Madagascar. As per all Flashmans, terrific.

And if you can, find a copy of AG McDonnell's England, Their England. Great book (novel) - not strictly about cricket - but in it, our Scottish hero plays in a social game. By historical assent, the funniest depiction of amateur, village cricket ever produced. The narrative of the last ball takes three pages alone.

 

[Hellgood]

Not sure if it counts as a cricket book, but Ed Smith's "Luck" was interesting.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Mike Coward's Caribbean Odyssey is really good. It's about the 1991 tour of the West Indies and talks about the impending fall of West Indian cricket due to American basketball culture.

 

[shinboner spiggs]

The Greatest-Malcomn Knox-recap of the 1993-2008 era of the greatest matches, players and moments, top read
True Colours-Adam Gilchrist auto, my absolute favourite book, a brilliant read on one of the games finest
Out of my comfort zone-Steve Waugh a brilliant insight on one of the greatest players to grace the earth, talks alot about his love of india and its people, as well as all the cricket he played
Chappelli-Ian Chappell a good read on chap's life, one of the greatest cricketing minds and talks alot about the kerry packer revolution as well as commentating with legends like richie, bill and the late tony grieg

 

[nobbyiscool]

Merv: My life and other funny stories

This! After first reading it... it must've been 20 years ago... I found it at a book fair last year. It's still hilarious!

I loved Ed Cowan's In the Firing Line - what a great premise for a book, the domestic season, and a dominant one (from a personal perspective) at that.

I used to read every autobiography that was written - from Border to Boon to the unauthorised biographies on Warne. I have to say now - what a waste of time and money. Cricketers typically aren't the most interesting of characters...

For a lighter fictional side, I've just gotten into the Warren Todd series - they're very funny.

I should do some more looking for Haigh's books. I've never read any of them, but I love listening to him talk about cricket.

 

[DrVanNostrand]

 

[James Palmer]

Don't know if it's been mentioned but Roland Perry's book "Bold Warnie" is a corker.

 

[Cooldude]

The most appropriate of titles

 

[Kram]

Just read Gideon 'Haigh on Warne' in a single day bored shitless stuck in hospital, fantastic book. Pretty funny when I read a printed book for enjoyment about once every 4 years.

 

[swingdog]

I'll second the recommendation for Grovel.

Gideon Haigh has a regular blog - http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/cutsandglances/ - which is worth subscribing to to keep up with the business behind international cricket. He has a better reading on the BCCI than anyone else in the media.

I used to love those old 50s and g0s tour books, which weren't brilliant writing but evocative of a time when English teams toured up-country Australia. There used to be a bookshop near where I lived in Cambridge which had a big collection - annoyingly, when I went back this year, it's been replaced by a Bose audio shop. Grumble, progress, grumble.