Classic Cricket Reminiscences, Memoirs, and Autobiographies - Six Volumes -
Various Authors
1888-1977
Felix on the Bat : Being a Memoir of Nicholas Felix, Together with the Full Text of the Second Edition of Felix on the Bat – by Gerald Brodribb. - One of the all time classic works on cricket first published in 1845, together with the first edition of Brodrib’s biography of Nicholas ‘Felix’ Wanostrocht (1804-76), the noted English amateur (’Gentleman’) cricketer, classical scholar, musician, linguist, inventor, writer and artist. When his father died in 1824 Wanostrocht inherited the running of his school, aged only nineteen, and afraid that the parents of pupils might think that cricket was too frivolous a pastime for a schoolmaster he played under the name of ‘Felix’. Felix was a mainstay of the great Kent team of the mid-19th century alongside such players as Alfred Mynn, Fuller Pilch, William Hillyer and Ned Wenman... And with five such mighty cricketers 'twas but natural to win, As Felix, Wenman, Hillyer, Fuller Pilch and Alfred Mynn. He also invented the Catapulta (a bowling machine) as well as India-rubber batting gloves.
The Game of Cricket – by Frederick “Old Buffer” Gale (1823-1904), one of the most loved cricket writers of his generation, see the frontispiece for a portrait of the “Old Buffer” aka “Wykhamist” his two nom-de plumes. Favourite chapter - ‘Cricket Homilies’. [Second Edition of 1888]
The Walkers of Southgate: A Famous Brotherhood of Cricketers – Seven brothers for seven bats? Born between 1826 and 1844, Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge educated, founders of the Southgate Cricket Club in 1855, a Middlesex team in 1859, the official Middlesex County Cricket Club in 1864, and instrumental in establishing the home of the county at Lords in 1877. Both the United All-England team and the MCC would visit Southgate to take on the seven brothers and their team, attended by crowds of up to 10,000. A fabulous book by Walter Ambrose Bettesworth (1856-1929) one of Cricket’s greatest writers, interspersed with reminiscences by famous players and authors. [First Edition of 1900]
The Book of Cricket – by Sir Pelham ‘Plum’ Warner, the ‘Grand Old Man’ of English cricket, captain of Middlesex and England and editor of The Cricketer. [First Edition of 1911]
A Cricketer’s Log – by Gilbert Laird Jessop (1874-1955), nicknamed the "Croucher", ‘one of the most exciting players of his, or any era. A fast bowler good enough to be selected for England purely in this role, a superlative cover fielder, Jessop is best remembered for his thrilling batsmanship. To quote HS Altham "no cricketer that has ever lived hit the ball so often, so fast and with such a bewildering variety of strokes". He held the record for the fastest double century in first class cricket - 120 minutes in 1903, only surpassed by Shastri in 1984 (113 minutes) and Shafiqulllah Shinwari in 2017 (103 minutes). Jessop’s great innings included 286 in less than 3 hours, 157 runs in an hour against the West Indian team of 1900, and famously, the century that won the Oval Test of 1902. Going in with England 48/5 he made 104 out of 139 in 75 minutes, taking England to an improbable victory’[ESPNcricinfo]. [First Edition of 1922]
The King of Games – by Frank Woolley (1887-1978), one of the finest and most elegant left-handed all-rounders of all time. In a first-class career extending from 1906 to 1938 he hit 58,969 runs - a total exceeded only by Sir Jack Hobbs - including 145 centuries, to average 40.75; he took 2,066 wickets for 19.87 runs each, and he held 1,018 catches, mainly at slip, a record which remains unsurpassed. Bill Woodfull, who captained Australia in 25 test matches said Woolley "made the game look so untidy. It appeared as if the wrong bowlers were on and the fieldsmen all in the wrong places”. [First Edition of 1936] +++
Full list of books with publishing details and references from Padwick’s ‘Bibliography of Cricket’:-
1. Gerald Brodribb - Felix on the Bat : Being a Memoir of Nicholas Felix, Together with the Full Text of the Second Edition of Felix on the Bat - 1962, Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, First Edition - Ref. 398, 688, 8192
2. Frederick Gale - The Game of Cricket - 1888, Swan Sonnenschein, London, Second Edition - Ref. 6683
3. W. A. Bettesworth - The Walkers of Southgate - A Famous Brotherhood of Cricketers - 1900, Methuen, London, First Edition - Ref. 8187
4. P. F. Warner - The Book of Cricket - 1911, Dent, London, First Edition - Ref. 479
5. G. L. Jessop - A Cricketer’s Log - 1922, Hodder & Stoughton, London, First Edition - Ref. 7762
6. Frank Woolley - The King of Games - 1936, Stanley Paul, London, First Edition - Ref. 8251
Additional References: References: ESPNcricinfo. Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies. Barclay's World of Cricket, 10. Abbey, Life, 396. Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies. Barclay's World of Cricket 10. Abbey, Life 396.
Condition: Very good to near fine, some wear to corners and spine ends, one or two with intermittent foxing but generally clean interiors. Ref: 111613 Price: HK$ 2,500
The Game of Cricket – by Frederick “Old Buffer” Gale (1823-1904), one of the most loved cricket writers of his generation, see the frontispiece for a portrait of the “Old Buffer” aka “Wykhamist” his two nom-de plumes. Favourite chapter - ‘Cricket Homilies’. [Second Edition of 1888]
The Walkers of Southgate: A Famous Brotherhood of Cricketers – Seven brothers for seven bats? Born between 1826 and 1844, Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge educated, founders of the Southgate Cricket Club in 1855, a Middlesex team in 1859, the official Middlesex County Cricket Club in 1864, and instrumental in establishing the home of the county at Lords in 1877. Both the United All-England team and the MCC would visit Southgate to take on the seven brothers and their team, attended by crowds of up to 10,000. A fabulous book by Walter Ambrose Bettesworth (1856-1929) one of Cricket’s greatest writers, interspersed with reminiscences by famous players and authors. [First Edition of 1900]
The Book of Cricket – by Sir Pelham ‘Plum’ Warner, the ‘Grand Old Man’ of English cricket, captain of Middlesex and England and editor of The Cricketer. [First Edition of 1911]
A Cricketer’s Log – by Gilbert Laird Jessop (1874-1955), nicknamed the "Croucher", ‘one of the most exciting players of his, or any era. A fast bowler good enough to be selected for England purely in this role, a superlative cover fielder, Jessop is best remembered for his thrilling batsmanship. To quote HS Altham "no cricketer that has ever lived hit the ball so often, so fast and with such a bewildering variety of strokes". He held the record for the fastest double century in first class cricket - 120 minutes in 1903, only surpassed by Shastri in 1984 (113 minutes) and Shafiqulllah Shinwari in 2017 (103 minutes). Jessop’s great innings included 286 in less than 3 hours, 157 runs in an hour against the West Indian team of 1900, and famously, the century that won the Oval Test of 1902. Going in with England 48/5 he made 104 out of 139 in 75 minutes, taking England to an improbable victory’[ESPNcricinfo]. [First Edition of 1922]
The King of Games – by Frank Woolley (1887-1978), one of the finest and most elegant left-handed all-rounders of all time. In a first-class career extending from 1906 to 1938 he hit 58,969 runs - a total exceeded only by Sir Jack Hobbs - including 145 centuries, to average 40.75; he took 2,066 wickets for 19.87 runs each, and he held 1,018 catches, mainly at slip, a record which remains unsurpassed. Bill Woodfull, who captained Australia in 25 test matches said Woolley "made the game look so untidy. It appeared as if the wrong bowlers were on and the fieldsmen all in the wrong places”. [First Edition of 1936] +++
Full list of books with publishing details and references from Padwick’s ‘Bibliography of Cricket’:-
1. Gerald Brodribb - Felix on the Bat : Being a Memoir of Nicholas Felix, Together with the Full Text of the Second Edition of Felix on the Bat - 1962, Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, First Edition - Ref. 398, 688, 8192
2. Frederick Gale - The Game of Cricket - 1888, Swan Sonnenschein, London, Second Edition - Ref. 6683
3. W. A. Bettesworth - The Walkers of Southgate - A Famous Brotherhood of Cricketers - 1900, Methuen, London, First Edition - Ref. 8187
4. P. F. Warner - The Book of Cricket - 1911, Dent, London, First Edition - Ref. 479
5. G. L. Jessop - A Cricketer’s Log - 1922, Hodder & Stoughton, London, First Edition - Ref. 7762
6. Frank Woolley - The King of Games - 1936, Stanley Paul, London, First Edition - Ref. 8251
Additional References: References: ESPNcricinfo. Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies. Barclay's World of Cricket, 10. Abbey, Life, 396. Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies. Barclay's World of Cricket 10. Abbey, Life 396.
Condition: Very good to near fine, some wear to corners and spine ends, one or two with intermittent foxing but generally clean interiors. Ref: 111613 Price: HK$ 2,500