All in a Day's Cricket: An Anthology of Oustanding Cricket Writing
Author(s): Brian Levison (Author)
Publisher: Constable
Publication Date: 20 Sept. 2012
Language: English
Print length: 464 pages
ISBN-10: 1780331231
ISBN-13: 9781780331232
Book Description
This selection of the very best, and most intriguing, writing on cricket, drawn from the mid-eighteenth century to the present day, adopts a fresh approach. It is arranged around the theme of the many things that must happen simply for a day’s play to happen – from creating a clearing in a Malaysian jungle to getting to the ground – so includes, alongside writing by players both great and unknown, the perspectives of spectators, umpires, scorers and other unsung heroes of the game. There are contributions from John Arlott, Neville Cardus, C. L. R. James and E. V. Lucas; Marcus Trescothick writes on his introduction to cricket aged three; Angus Fraser on meeting Nelson Mandela; Phil Tufnell on being shanghaied into getting a haircut by Mike Gatting; and Rachael Heyhoe Flint on being the first woman to step onto the Lord’s ground as a player. But it is the cricket itself and the outstanding players and their achievements that remain the focus – the greats of the recent and distant past involved in some of their most famous exploits. From ‘disgraceful scenes at Lord’s’, described by Irish writer Robert Lynd, to North America, which W. G. Grace toured in 1872, and from a match played on ice to the tropical islands of Fiji and Samoa, this is a collection that does full justice to the extraordinary breadth, diversity and enduring fascination of the greatest game in the world.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Ranges far and wide through the literature of the game . . . almost certainly the only book in history to combine the best bits of Gus Fraser and Charles Dickens. Something for everyone, then.–Andy Bull, The Guardian.
Cricket, as Sam Johnson might have averred, has all that life affords. Almost every aspect is touched upon in this delightful collection. It is the product of wide reading, deep interest and a versatile mind. –Christopher Martin-Jenkins
An amazing compilation of every facet of cricket imaginable – bright and breezy reading. Both a high quality 20/20 – a huge variety of entertainment coming from the most unlikely sources! – and a timeless Test because it is the sort of book you can dip in and out of and still not lose the thread! A triumph of devotion to the game! –Rachael Heyhoe Flint
An absolutely marvellous book, a bedside and fireside joy. And it looks and feels good, too. Surely a Christmas necessity! –Vernon Coleman, author of The Village Cricket Tour –Vernon Coleman, author of The Village Cricket Tour
Outstanding … sure to be regarded as a classic of its kind. –Tony Hutton, joint author with Peter Davies, of Two Men and a Blog: Cricket Diary 2009
Outstanding … sure to be regarded as a classic of its kind. –Tony Hutton, joint author with Peter Davies, of Two Men and a Blog: Cricket Diary 2009
About the Author
Brian Levison has published three collections of poetry and has also had poems published in The Cricketer. His work has been broadcast on BBC Radio Four and BBC1 and several texts have been set to music. His other books include a compilation of musical anecdotes Classical Musics Strangest Concerts and Characters, co-written with Frances Farrer.
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