The Book of Ashes Anecdotes

Oct 9, 2024 10:30 PM

Author:Gideon Haigh

The Ashes, the symbol of cricket supremacy between England and Australia, is the game's oldest and fiercest rivalry, still hot to the touch after a century and a quarter. The Book of Ashes Anecdotes collects hundreds of the best stories from more than 260 publications to create the fullest, fieriest and funniest account of these two nations divided by a common game.

In 2005, and after 16 long years, England's cricketers regained the fabled urn in a series that fascinated and gripped cricket fans as never before. The drama of this contest raised ancitipation about the 2006-07 series to record levels, and Ashes Anecdotes provides an unrivalled collection of the highlights of this celebrated tournament.

The book includes a foreword by David Frith and extracts from the best cricket writers of the past 124 years. Featured here are the giants of the game, the most memorable Ashes matches, gamesmanship, Bodyline, tales of travel, cricket fever and fan fanaticism, luck and superstition in the game, selection and sledging. It's a book no cricket fan should be without.

Reviews

The material is thoughtfully and even-handedly arranged, so that no major figure or issue is missed out. Every cricket fan will find their own favourite anecdote here

—— Daily Telegraph

'[I]t's a tale of slavish fandom, the highs and lows of which are illustrated with dexterity... It's not only cricket fans and journalists who'll appreciate this yarn - it's a tale for lovers in the wider sense, and of the boundaries they'll cross

—— Independent

Jupp is intelligent, charismatic and one of the most established raconteurs around

—— Time Out

His tribute to the simple pleasures of fandom is a touching one

—— Guardian

A very funny book about a very silly plan

—— Jonathan Agnew

Impressively researched... McKinstry does an excellent job recounting Hobbes' exploits

—— Mike Atherton , The Times

Read this and it will be impossible to take an unremarkable walk again

—— Metro

Quirky, warped, enthusiastic and funny

—— Chris Boardman

Tour history is blended with anecdotes revealing the personalities and quirks of professional cycling

—— Times Higher Educational Supplement

Genuinely funny

—— Richard Williams

Made me chuckle

—— Mark Cavendish

Hilarious behind-the-scenes anecdotes

—— Glasgow Herald

An irreverent and funny take on cycling’s biggest race from a man who has seen it up close every year since 2003

—— Lesley McDowell , Glasgow Herald

I found his behind-the-scenes look at the famous race both highly amusing and telling in equal measure

—— Johann Lamont , Scotland on Sunday

Cycling at its best is fiercely cosmopolitan and internationalist, Boulting provides the kind of commentary the sport deserves, and will need if it is to fulfil its undoubted potential to reach out and grow

—— Mark Perryman , The Huffington Post

An entertaining read, rich in nostalgia and reminiscent of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, this offers an insight into the power of obsession and how the beautiful game has changed. Moving and amusing

—— Sport magazine

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