Must-Read Books

Top 45

Top 45

How to distil over a century of cricket literature into half a bookshelf's worth? A recap of our series on recommended cricket literature

06-Dec-2008•Suresh Menon

Speed read

Speed read

Frith's history of fast bowling is encyclopaedic, but also fittingly brisk and concise

29-Nov-2008•Steven Lynch

The first word

The first word

Rosenwater's books lacks Bradman's input - maybe that's why it's the best of the biographies of the great man

22-Nov-2008•Gideon Haigh

The paradox of Sir Geoffrey

The paradox of Sir Geoffrey

Leo McKinstry provides a balanced, nuanced view of one of cricket's most complex characters

15-Nov-2008•Steven Lynch

The old order yieldeth

The old order yieldeth

Marqusee places cricket's evolution in a historical perspective and reveals the inevitability of the changes the sport has gone through in recent times

08-Nov-2008•Suresh Menon

Flawless and felicitous

Flawless and felicitous

Cardus may not have been the best cricket writer ever, but his autobiography certainly is the best-written cricket book of them all

01-Nov-2008•Scyld Berry

Embracing the East

Embracing the East

Coward's book played a significant part in demystifying the subcontinent for Australian cricketers and cricket watchers

25-Oct-2008•Suresh Menon

Uncovered

Uncovered

Gideon Haigh's biography of Iverson painstakingly unearths the story of a talented misfit

18-Oct-2008•Steven Lynch

Player pages

Player pages

Reading David Foot's warm, conversational profiles of cricketers is like sharing in the camaraderie of a dressing room

11-Oct-2008•Gideon Haigh

Caribbean context

Caribbean context

A perceptive, prescient look at West Indies cricket and its decline

04-Oct-2008•Rob Steen

The anti-romantic movement

The anti-romantic movement

In an attempt to separate cricket reality from myth, Derek Birley ruthlessly questions, if not busts outright, many of the game's idyllic beliefs

27-Sep-2008•Suresh Menon

Torrential eloquence, concealed sadness

Torrential eloquence, concealed sadness

In his writing Robertson-Glasgow always toiled for the right word and the arresting simile, evoking a world of grace and ease

20-Sep-2008•Gideon Haigh

Fun and games

Fun and games

Unlike far too many cricket writers, Johnson refuses to take the game too seriously - and thank goodness for that

13-Sep-2008•David Frith

Big pictures, artfully painted

Big pictures, artfully painted

Alan Ross is often classed as a cricket belletrist - with good reason. And this book is among his finest works

06-Sep-2008•Gideon Haigh

Plum postings

Plum postings

Wodehouse didn't write too much on the game, but what there is is an unalloyed delight

30-Aug-2008•Suresh Menon

Cricket minus the cliches

Cricket minus the cliches

In this narrative of the 1996 World Cup, context means more than the final wicket

23-Aug-2008•Rob Steen

In the name of the father

In the name of the father

Arlott wasn't perfect and this book, by his son, readily admits so

16-Aug-2008•David Frith

Local colour

Local colour

Cardus' account of the 1936-37 Ashes tour gives rein to his desire to write about more than just the cricket

09-Aug-2008•Scyld Berry

The whole story

The whole story

An admirable attempt to "tell the full history of the game"

02-Aug-2008•Suresh Menon

The good doctor in full

The good doctor in full

Serious scholarship and unflagging zest make this biography one of cricket's best life stories

26-Jul-2008•Gideon Haigh

1 2 3

Showing 1 - 20 of 46

Most Read

India can come and collect Asia Cup trophy if they want it, says ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi

India can come and collect Asia Cup trophy if they want it, says ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi

01-Oct-2025 • 18 hrs ago•Danyal Rasool

India's selection headache: Two slots, multiple contenders

India's selection headache: Two slots, multiple contenders

30-Sep-2025•Karthik Krishnaswamy

T20I rankings: Ayub new No. 1 allrounder, Abhishek reaches a career high

T20I rankings: Ayub new No. 1 allrounder, Abhishek reaches a career high

01-Oct-2025 • 19 hrs ago•ESPNcricinfo staff

PCB suspends player NOCs for overseas T20 leagues

PCB suspends player NOCs for overseas T20 leagues

30-Sep-2025•ESPNcricinfo staff

With patience and old-school grit, Tagenarine Chanderpaul readies for India Test grind

With patience and old-school grit, Tagenarine Chanderpaul readies for India Test grind

01-Oct-2025•Deivarayan Muthu

Writers