Rare Cricket Books

Rare Cricket Books: Recent Highlights

1. James Love, Cricket. An Heroic Poem, extract from Poems on Several Occasions, third edition, 1754. Sold for £300.
   James Love is the assumed name of James Dance. The poem describes the match between the sons of Kent and all other counties played at the Artillery Ground in June 1744. The first edition, also 1744, is a legendary cricket rarity and has made £30,000 at auction!
   
   
2. John Wallis, The Laws of the Noble Game of Cricket as revised by the Club at St. Mary-le-bone, c.1809. Sold for £210.
   A scarce cricket broadside, featuring an oval vignette illustration of a game of cricket in progress, with the players in knee breeches and periwigs. The Laws are printed beneath.
   
   
3. John Nyren, The Young Cricketer's Tutor, comprising full directions for playing the elegant and manly game of Cricket...to which is added, "The Cricketers of My Time", first edition, 1833. Sold for £300.
   Nyren played for the Old Hambledon (Hampshire) Club, which directed cricket legislation prior to the MCC. This is one of the most popular of the old guides to the game.
   
   
4. C. Jolly, The City Charltonian Cricket Club, 'second edition', 1857. Sold for £425.
   A rare book of verses addressed to the Charlton Cricket Club, we can trace only the MCC copy, and no record of the first edition. One of the poems, Eleven, runs though the club members, including mention of George Wisden, brother of John.
   
   
5. W.G. Grace, Cricket, one of 652 signed deluxe copies, 1891. Sold for £525.
   A subscriber's copy of this essential rare cricket book, by one of the greatest cricketers (and beards) in the game. Includes chapters on the history of early cricket, the MCC and a section on technique.
   
   
6. Vanity Fair.- Collection of 35 caricatures of cricketers, colour lithographs and photolithographs, 19th/20th century. Sold for £2,000.
   A great collection of these famous caricature portraits, many by renowned caricaturists of the time. Included: 'Cricket [WG Grace]'; 'An Artful Bowler'; 'Ranji'; 'Flannelled Fighter'; 'Big Hitter'; 'The Demon Bowler'; 'Reggie', 'Tested Centurion'; 'The Lobster'; 'The Croucher'.
   
   
7. Charles Crombie, Laws of Cricket, [1907]. Sold for £250.
   A collection of humorous illustrations that celebrate and affectionately parody the great game of cricket in equal measure. Crombie was an editorial cartoonist who produced many humorous postcard cartoons such as 'The Rules of Golf' which was first published by Perrier in 1906.
   
   
8. Sir Pelam Warner, Imperial Cricket, number 55 of 100 deluxe copies specially-bound and signed by the author, 1912. Sold for £525.
   The deluxe issue of this monumental work, covering the history and development of cricket both domestically and in the far-flung reaches of the then empire. The subscriber for this copy is listed as A. Straker, quite possibly Arthur Straker (1893-1961), an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Denbighshire.
   
   
9. John Wisden, Cricketer's Almanack for 1916, with tribute to W.G. Grace by Lord Harris, and full statistics of Grace's career, 1916. Sold for £3,000.
   An excellent copy of the highly desirable hardback issue of this important 53rd edition. As well as the famous tribute to W.G. Grace (who died in October 1915), there are also long memorials to A.E. Stoddart, the great Australian batsman Victor Trumper, and many young men killed during WW1, including Rupert Brooke, schoolboy cricketer, whose modest entry concludes with the famous line of "He had gained a considerable reputation as a poet."
   
   
10. [Walker (V. W.)]Catalogue of the Cricket Library of Sir Julien Cahn, Bart., at Stanford Hall, Nottinghamshire, typescript with pencil manuscript insertions, 1942. Sold for £1,125.
    A seemingly unpublished catalogue of Sir Julien Cahn's library, most of which is now at Lord's cricket ground. Sir Julien Cahn (1882-1944) was a British businessman, philanthropist and cricket fan. He was president of both Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire County Cricket Clubs, and was the Captain of his own team, the Sir Julien Cahn XI, who toured the world between 1929 and 1939. They became one of the most successful private cricket teams, so much so that several of their matches were awarded first-class status. Stephen Chalke wrote of him, "No English first-class cricketer of the 20th century can have had less ability than Cahn. He was a hypochondriac, often preferring his electric wheelchair to walking ... "
    
    
11. Neville Cardus and John Arlott. The Noblest Game: A Book of Fine Cricket Prints, one of 100 copies signed by both authors, 1969. Sold for £350.
    The special deluxe edition of an essentially useful and visually wonderful guide to collecting rare cricket prints.
    
    
12. Lillywhite (Frederick) and Arthur Haygarth. Cricket Scores and Biographies of Celebrated Cricketers, vol. 1 - 16 [a complete run], 1862-2003. Sold for £625.
    The 'twelfth man' in our list of rare cricket books, a complete run to 2003 of the most important scoring record.