Bat, Ball and Field combines a perfect introduction to the sport of cricket and a wonderful foray into its history. 'Hotten is not just good, he is one of the best' Cricketer Chronicling the evolution of the sport since its earliest years, highlighting transcendent moments as well as tragedies, Jon Hotten lifts the seemingly impregnable veil from the rules, batting strokes, types of bowling and the sometimes absurd names given to where fielders stand, allowing anyone a pathway into enjoying the sport, and an introductory immersion into its long history. This book is divided into the three parts that make up the fundamental elements of cricket: bat, ball and field. Their harmony produces cricket's unique environment; their centuries' long conflict provides its innovation, adaptability and vast psychological hinterland. These sections unite to map out in a completely original way the story of the sport that began as a country pursuit and is now followed by billions across the world. Gold title * ONE OF OUR GREATEST CRICKET WRITERS: Jon Hotten has written The Old Batsman blog for many years (theoldbatsman.blogspot.com), collected in essays into THE MEANING OF CRICKET (8.
5k TCM), hailed by the likes of Hilary Mantel and Tom Holland as a book of the year. The Cricketer has said 'Hotten is not just good, he is one of the best.' * INTEREST IN CRICKET IS PEAKING: England won the Cricket World Cup in 2019, and are presently neck and neck in The Ashes. With a huge amount of goodwill around the sport in this country, it's a great time to be publishing books on the subject that speak to the neophyte and the veteran. * BEAUTIFUL, UNIQUE DESIGN: Designed by TCOL, the team behind Little White Lies and Huck, this four colour book will be full of beautiful watercolour illustrations from the UK's best young illustrators and stand out from the dowdy ranks of the traditional cricket book shelf. * FATHER'S DAY: This will make a perfect Father's Day present for the cricket lover, in the same way as Stephen Fay and David Kynaston's Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket (20k TCM) and Marcus Berkmann's Cricketing Miscellany (5k TCM since July). Competition: The;accidental footballer;No Spin My Autobiography;Playfair;Crickonomics;Wisden;almanack;Freddie Flintoff;wit of cricket;musings on cricket;Hitting against the spin. Pat Nevin;Shane Warne;Ian Marshall;Stefan Szymanski;Lawrence Booth;Andrew Flintoff;Barry Johnston;vic marks;Nathan Leamon.