Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then. While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between £50 and £100. Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a digital version of the 1866 edition, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game's great heritage.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then. While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between £50 and £100. Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a digital version of the 1866 edition, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game's great heritage.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then. While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between £50 and £100. Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a digital version of the 1864 edition, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game's great heritage.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then. While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between £50 and £100. Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a digital version of the 1866 edition, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game's great heritage.
As the civilised world fought for its very survival, Sir Home Gordon, writing in The Cricketer in September 1939, stated that ‘England has now started the grim Test Match with Germany’, the objective of which was to ‘win the Ashes of civilisation’. Despite the interruption of first-class and Test cricket in England, the game continued to be played and watched by hundreds of thousands of people engaged in military and civilian service. In workplaces, cricket clubs, and military establishments, as well as on the famous grounds of the country, players of all abilities kept the sporting flag flying to sustain morale. Matches raised vast sums for war charities whilst in the north and midlands, competitive League cricket continued, with many Test and county players being employed as weekend professionals by the clubs. Further afield the game continued in all the Test-playing nations and in further-flung outposts around the world. Troops stationed in Europe, Africa and the Far East seized on any opportunity to play cricket, often in the most unusual of circumstances. Luxurious sporting clubs in Egypt hosted matches that pitted English service teams against their Commonwealth counterparts. Luminaries such as Wally Hammond and Lindsay Hassett were cheered on by their uniformed countrymen. Inevitably there was a sombre side to cricket’s wartime account. From renowned Test stars such as Hedley Verity to the keen but modest club player, many cricketers paid the ultimate price for Allied victory. The Victory Tests of 1945 were played against a backdrop of relief and sorrow. Nevertheless, cricket would emerge intact into the post-war world in broadly the same format as 1939. The game had sustained its soul and played its part in the sad but necessary victory of the Grim Test.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, and a new edition has been published every year since then. While limited-edition reprints of every edition of Wisden from 1864 to 1946 have been published over the past few decades, collecting these limited-edition reprints is not cheap as each one has normally been priced between £50 and £100. Now, for the first time, John Wisden & Co is offering a digital version of the 1866 edition, to allow cricket lovers more affordable access to this historic book which forms such a significant part of the game's great heritage.
The 159th edition of the most famous sports book in the world – published every year since 1864 – contains some of the finest sports writing of the year and covers reports and scorecards for all Tests, one-day and Twenty20 internationals, making it the cricketers' bible worldwide.
In May 1977, the cricket world woke to discover that a 39-year-old businessman called Kerry Packer had signed thirty-five elite international players for his own televised World Series Cricket. The Cricket War, now published with a new introduction and afterword, is the definitive account of the split that changed the game on the field and on the screen. In helmets, under lights, with white balls and in coloured clothes, the outlaw armies of Ian Chappell, Tony Greig and Clive Lloyd fought a daily battle of survival. In boardrooms and courtrooms, Packer and cricket's rulers fought a bitter war of nerves. A compelling account of top-class sporting life, The Cricket War also gives a unique insight into the motives and methods of the tycoon who became Australia's richest man.
The Shorter Wisden is a compelling distillation of what's best in its bigger brother. Available from all major eBook retailers, Wisden's digital version includes the influential Notes by the Editor, all the front-of-book articles, reviews, obituaries and all England's Tests from the 2014 season.
The Wisden Collector's Guide is the definitive companion to one of the world's most important sporting publications. It begins with an overview of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, introducing the original John Wisden and describing the history of the publication. The next section contains highlights and information from each of the 147 editions, including bibliographic details (page extent, price, reprints etc), excerpts from the best articles, cricketers of the year, obituaries, and noteworthy events and matches. There is also additional information of interest to collectors and historical context in the form of news 'headlines' from each year. The guide concludes with a section dedicated to the serious collector. Covering everything from reprints to rebinds and from pagination to publishers, it is a vital resource for collectors. Affording a glimpse of the cricketing and historical landscape of the last 147 years, this is an accessible and fascinating volume for cricketing fans generally and a must-have item for Wisden collectors.
