The spirit of cricket: A personal anthology

by Christopher. Martin-Jenkins

Book by

530 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2005

Reviews

[Robert Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains something for any and every cricket lover - from cricket-related poetry to the pompous but perspicacious prose of EW Swanton. As with any 'personal anthology', there are items that are not as appealing as others - and some examples of excellent cricket writing failed to 'make the cut'. Nonetheless, the book contains sufficient insightful, informative and entertaining pieces to gladden the heart and excite the imagination. Younger readers may be disappointed that more contemporary cricket and cricketers are, inevitably, not included in a book first published in 1994 and whose most recent edition only dates from 2005. Nonetheless, the names and deeds of the great from previous eras may provoke an interest in cricket's lengthening and extremely rich history - and that can only be applauded. It's a book to 'dip into' periodically and find something to enjoy each time.

[Jim Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cricket is a strange sport. It’s not that popular, but it draws a variety of very different people, from the stats guru, to those who hanker after days of yore to the game.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins has gathered together some very good writing about a variety of different aspects of cricket, and grouped them together in groups (grounds, famous games, and players for example).

You probably won’t like it as much if you’re not wordy, but it does give you a good sense of various aspects of the game.

[Paul Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an anthology of cricket writing grouped into subject sections e.g. County cricket, poetry champions, Australia etc. The nice thing about it is that within each section there is a broad range of writing styles. This means that within County cricket for example there will be a biography of a lesser known figure alongside a review of a county match. It's a great introduction to cricket writing and really reflects the richness of the subject ie the writing is about so much more than cricket. All the well-known cricket writers are represented as well as some well known writers who happened to stumble on the subject. A good bedside/ loo book to dip into and just read one article at a time and probably not one to try and read cover to cover