A Social History of English Cricket (Sports Classics) - Softcover

Birley, Derek

3.74

97 ratings by Goodreads

9781854109415: A Social History of English Cricket (Sports Classics)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1854109413 ISBN 13: 9781854109415

Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd, 2003

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Acclaimed as a magisterial, classic work, A Social History of English Cricket is an encyclopaedic survey of the game, from its humble origins all the way to modern floodlit finishes. But it is also the story of English culture, mirrored in a sport that has always been a complex repository of our manners, hierarchies and politics. Derek Birley’ s survey of the impact on cricket of two world wars, Empire and ‘ the English caste system’ , will, contends Ian Wooldridge, ‘ teach an intelligent child of twelve more about their heritage than he or she will ever pick up at school.’

In just under 400 pages Birley takes us through a rich historical tapestry: how the game was snatched from rustic obscurity by gentlemanly gamblers; became the height of late eighteenth century metropolitan fashion; was turned into both symbol and synonym for British imperialism; and its more recent struggle to dislodge the discomforting social values preserved in the game from its imperial heyday.

Superbly witty and humorous, peopled by larger-than-life characters from Denis Compton to Ian Botham, and wholly forswearing nostalgia, A Social History of English Cricket is a tour-de-force by one of the great writers on cricket.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

Modern cricket suffers from being perceived as exemplifying the aristocratic circles from which it originated. It is the history behind this image which this book attempts to unravel, as Derek Birley illustrates cricket's uncertain position today. He cleverly shows that central to this uncertainty is the ethos of competition underpinning modern ethics--an ethos within which cricket, having originated in a leisurely environment, fares badly.

In concentrating on the aristocratic origins of the sport and the developments of the industrial revolution, Birley elucidates the reasons for the disparities in popularity and etiquette of cricket and football. His research is impressive in scope, but its purpose is ultimately hindered by his inability to filter out unnecessary facts.

This is a pity, because there is much noteworthy historical material--appealing to historians and cricket lovers alike--in this weighty book. Yet the historical passages are a little clumsily integrated with cricketing developments and the conclusions are somewhat piecemeal, as if Birley still believes that the historian's role is to be an "objective observer" and present "the facts". This is a somewhat antiquated view, but it is commensurate with the subject matter and the hypocritical mores of the founders of the game--the old-style aristocrats who invented the spirit of cricket and with whom, it appears, Birley cannot help but identify himself. --Toby Green

Review:

‘An exceptional example of profound research and wisdom, yet told with elegance, humour and warmth’

‘ An exceptional example of profound research and wisdom, yet told with elegance, humour and warmth’

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.