Not just sledging...
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When I thought that "Penguins Stopped Play" topped my personal list of most enjoyable and humorous cricket books, this one came along... While it took me a bit before I actually decided to start reading it, after getting through the first few pages it became hard to put it down. This is a remarkably funny book and written both very eloquently and colourful. The fact that the stories go a lot further than just a dull summing up of famous sledging phrases which most of us have heard (or used?) before, adds a very nice extra dimension. The lay-out is also quite original as well as many of the extremely well chosen pictures. In all a book which I can highly recommend to anybody in search of a damn good read, even if cricket is not his or her primary interest.
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Worthy Alternative History of The Ashes
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As befits a journalist on a British quality newspaper, Briggs' narrative exudes authority. The book is presented in a manner that is a welcome antidote to the often overly dense nature of texts on cricket and although it is essentially structured chronologically, the use of pictures and different fonts help to make this a work that will appeal to all readers, not just for those who like to think of cricket as a branch of science in its own right.
Some of the anecdotes are extremely funny - in this dismal time for English cricket, at least Fred Trueman flies the flag for England by consistently proving himself the funniest man in the history of the Ashes - but occasionally Briggs lets his guard slip by lauding a particular comment disproportionately, such as the 'building an idiot' quip levelled by an Australian fan at Phil Tufnell. Certainly not the original jibe that Briggs suggests.
This may be pedantic, but as the England team found in the 2006/07, embrace complacency at your peril!
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A good way of fighting the depression
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For English fans out there the recent and ongoing Ashes series must be wearing you down. 4 tests in, 4-0 down and the last test was as comprehensive as they come.
This beautifully bound and well thought out book is refreshing after the avalanche of poorly written and hastily rushed out efforts following the 2005 Ashes series. I'd rank it up there alongside Gideon Haigh's excellent offering that clearly stood out from the pack, winning Wisden's coveted cricket book of the year award.
The anecdotes delight; whilst you'd have thought there was little ground left to cover (on the topic of sledging), there were many tales here I had never heard of before. It leaves you with a far greater sense of the history of the Ashes in a more personal sense.
As an afterthought, it is printed on high quality paper and has a satisfying 'weight' when you pick it up - it's hard to beat a well bound book!
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The best history of the Ashes I have read
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I really loved this book. It gives the whole history of the Ashes, but rather than concentrating on dull statistics it tells the human stories of the great conflicts and players from the whole of Ashes history. Far too many cricket books are worthy and dull, but this one really brought the passion of Ashes cricket to life. The perfect book to accompany this years Ashes. Highly recommened whether you have been into cricket for years, or if you only starting watching last summer.
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