Description
Book SynopsisHow to be a Cricket Fan: A Life in Fifty Artefacts from WG to Wisden is a unique, nostalgic take on supporting the greatest sport, pre-internet. This relatable, universal story records how one cricketing obsessive encounters players from WG Grace to Ben Stokes, plus plenty of characters you're unlikely to have come across. With running themes of Wisden, sportsman's dinners and otterhounds, the book's hero meets Ian Botham and Linda Lusardi on the A6, drinks red wine while showing Fred Trueman his priceless collection and drives his family mad by taking them on summer holidays to buy John Arlott's old books. The colourful images on cigarette cards and the yellow linen cover of Wisden succoured a wartime evacuee who spent a lifetime trying to bring back those memories. After facing ruin, his passion culminated in him finding happiness in a dream career. This is the story of an English eccentric's journey from cricketing backwaters to entertaining the stars and becoming a leading authority on the game.
Trade Review"A warm, kaleidoscopic biography of Matthew's father Edgar Lawson Appleby and a life of cricketing passion, told through 50 resonant artefacts... it's a rich trail of sporting memory. In many ways the book reveals the personal and social importance of trivia, how we accumulate it and, as Matthew says, "there's always more trivia to find". * Cumbria Life *
"An engaging read... I haven't read another like it and for that reason alone it made for a good read. It is an enjoyable book and once again Pitch Publishing are to be commended for their willingness to publish a wide range of sporting books." -- Peakfan * Derbyshire Cricket blog *
"It is delightful to read of events which many of us who collect cricket books and cricketana will relate to. Cricket throws up many interesting characters and some are mentioned in How To Be a Cricket Fan including stalwart county spectators and others who collect cricket grounds as spectators. There are those who collect playing at grounds too. It is part of the rich tapestry that the game has the ability to throw up and this memoir about Edgar Appleby is most enjoyable."
-- Andrew Roberts * Cricket Statistics *
"A wonderful tribute to a life well lived... a marvellous portrait... written superbly; told in a passionate, amusing, engaging, quirky way... a very special publication." * Keswick Reminder *
"Beautifully written." * Lake District Herald *
"It is immensely pleasing that his life as a cricket fan has been recorded so lovingly in this exceptional book." * Cumberland and Westmorland Herald *
"I so much enjoyed reading a book that, if it can claim nothing else, is certainly unique. For collectors of cricketana generally they are in for a real treat." * Cricketweb *
"Matthew Appleby describes how the game can become a near-obsession in this funny and sentimental chronicle, but there is far more to this affectionate book than a must-have list of memorabilia."
* The Cricketer *
"[From] the admirable Pitch Publishing... a disciplined MacGregor-type history, crossed with the very personal story of an eccentric, 100%-dedicated fan. My sense, already strong, is that the book is sure to appeal to ACS members." -- Charles Barr * Association of Cricket Statisticians *
