Wisden Cricketers' Almanack unveils new look

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the most recognisable book in sport, is to have a photograph on the cover for the first time in its 140-year history. The first man to appear on the famous yellow jacket is Michael Vaughan, England's star batsman, who has just gone to the top of the world rankings.

It is the first major change to the cover since 1938, when Wisden brought in the celebrated woodcut by Eric Ravilious showing two top-hatted Victorian gentlemen playing cricket. The woodcut now appears on the back of the jacket, and also on the spine, which is otherwise unchanged so as to maintain continuity on collectors' shelves.

The decision to change the cover was made by the editor of the 2003 edition, Tim de Lisle, the first one-off editor in Wisden's history. The new design was done last October by the art director of Wisden's monthly magazine, Nigel Davies, and was a closely guarded secret for six months, with the book trade being shown only a silhouette. The change was ratified by the Wisden management committee, and the chairman, Sir Paul Getty, approved the new cover in what turned out, alas, to be his final contribution to the Almanack before his death on April 17.

"The cover of Wisden is an icon," Tim de Lisle says, "and you don't update an icon without taking a deep breath. But it had ceased to be a true reflection of the book. The content had become much more entertaining under the previous three editors [John Woodcock, Graeme Wright and Matthew Engel], and the cover was making Wisden look drier and dustier than it really is."

The yellow background and chocolate lettering are unchanged, and the photograph is in black-and-white, to let yellow remain the signature colour and underline Wisden's standing as a publishing classic. "Black-and-white has the feel of history," de Lisle says. "It's in tune with what the top players do, writing their names indelibly in the game's annals.

"The hope is that being on the cover of Wisden will become a major honour, like our Five Cricketers of the Year, but distinct from them - you can be a Cricketer of the Year only once, whereas the cover star should be the person to whom the year belonged, for whatever reason, and it should be possible to appear twice. Last year, for instance, it might have been Sir Donald Bradman, whose obituary was in the book."

Vaughan was picked because he had made the year his own with seven Test centuries, scored in great style. The photograph, by the well-known cricket photographer Patrick Eagar, shows Vaughan celebrating a century. "It needed to be an image that was full of vitality and emotion," de Lisle says. "Wisden's readers have a real passion for the game, and the cover should reflect that."

A traditional-style jacket has also been produced, and can be ordered free of charge by collectors who prefer it, or who wish to have both covers to maintain the completeness of their collection.

At 40 Tim de Lisle, who won an Editor of the Year award in 1999 with Wisden Cricket Monthly, is the youngest editor of the Almanack since the Second World War. His brief was to move the book forward and regular readers will find a few more surprises - along with reports and comment from the 2003 World Cup, which ended only a month ago - when the 140th edition reaches the shops next week.

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2003 is published by John Wisden on April 30, in hardback and soft cover. The recommended retail price is £35 - but click here for our special offer.