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.
Richard H. Thomas is Associate Professor in Journalism at Swansea University. He has written about cricket for All Out Cricket, Wisden Cricket Monthly, The Conversation and The Nightwatchman.
Title: Cricketing Lives: A Characterful History from Pitch to Page
Author: Richard H. Thomas
ISBN: 9781789146479
Binding:
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Publication Date: 2022-07-11
Number of Pages: 440
Weight: 0.4101 kg
'absorbing and entertaining . . . Thomas has done something unusual but actually very simple and effective. He tells cricket's long and involved history through some of the interesting and characterful men (and a few women) who have played the game at the highest level. It is at heart, a Brief Lives of Cricket - not a discrete series of character portraits but a continuous flowing narrative that hops from player to player with elegance and wit . . . In short, he knows his stuff . . . this is a very good cricketing history indeed, and highly recommended.' - Marcus Berkmann, The Spectator; 'In the unlikely event that you won't find any cricket to watch over the summer, this joyous book should fill a gap. Thomas, a journalism lecturer, concentrates on the game's rich tapestry of people and anecdotes . . . this book is a chance to feast not just on the heroics of Stokes and Beefy Botham, but the early days of cricket - Oliver Cromwell who liked it initially but later tried to ban it, Frederick, Prince of Wales, who died in 1751 after being hit by a ball . . . W. G. Grace and his eye for his wallet, the playboys and profligates, boozers and buccaneers between the wars, the brutality of Bodyline . . . you name it, it's all here. Terrific.' - Daily Mail; 'Richard H. 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; '[an] entertaining collection of portraits of cricket's characters. . . So colourful and well told is this book, heavy on research but light in touch, that it should interest even those who find the game dull . . . The book will certainly appeal to those who love dipping into Great Lives and who already feel, with Douglas Jardine, the former England Captain, that cricket is that beautiful, beautiful game that is battle and service and sport and art .' - The Critic; 'As with most things there are other ways of tackling a task and Richard Thomas has found a hugely entertaining way to present the enduring story of how our splendid game got to where it is today. He even manages, and fair play to him for this, to end on an upbeat note . . . The key to Thomas's success is in part the ability to tell a story well . . . but that ability is much enhanced by the depth of his knowledge.' - CricketWeb.net; 'It is likely that most ACS members will have on their shelves other books that cover most of the same ground. But there is a freshness to the telling of the familiar stories that makes this a hugely enjoyable take on cricket history and a compelling read to which I looked forward to returning each evening while preparing this review.' - Journal of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians; 'What an enthralling voyage this book affords, with its vivid style and sequences of fascinating detail. Richard 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; 'The game could wish for no more companiable host than Richard H. Thomas. This is a warm and welcoming amble through history, with a new story at every turn.' - Jon Hotten, Wisden Cricket Monthly
