The Historical past of Cricket E-book Promoting

Martin Chandler | 6:46pm BST 08 September 2025

I’m certain I’m not the one bibliophile who feels that frisson of pleasure each time I see a brand new e-alert from Boundary Books has dropped into my inbox. There have been greater than 700 of them now, to be actual 736, however I’ve to say that the most recent is the primary that has impressed me to wish to write about what I’ve seen.

For many who haven’t seen it the alert will be accessed right here. The subject material will probably be fascinating to a few of us, and set me occupied with how a lot the best way during which the acquisition of books and different gadgets of cricketing memorabilia has modified over my time as a collector.

Which I suppose means I would like to offer away some private info earlier than I’m going any additional. I began amassing, strictly solely Wisdens and different books in these days, in 1985. Seven years later my second baby was born, and her elder brother had by then discovered easy methods to open a bookcase. Aware of the best way I handled my very own father’s Wisdens as a toddler my assortment went into storage.

‘Out of sight is out of thoughts’ is certainly one of my favorite truisms, and proved totally correct right here. With my books boxed up within the loft for the subsequent dozen years I did nothing greater than purchase Wisden every April. Situated effectively away from prying little fingers on the highest shelf of the one e-book case I permitted myself in these days they by no means got here to any hurt.

By 2005 life had modified. I had moved home and my youngsters, on these events once they visited, had been now not a hazard to fragile gadgets of memorabilia. As importantly my gloomy prediction that the Ashes would by no means be regained in my life time had been proven, in that wonderful summer time, to be unduly pessimistic. There was no higher time to resume my curiosity within the books and I did. This time it has most likely turn out to be an obsession reasonably than only a interest, however at the very least I’m nonetheless able to participating in dialog about topics apart from cricket, often.

The catalyst for my preliminary curiosity in 1985 was a need to study extra concerning the well-known ‘Bodyline’ sequence a topic which, regardless of the acquisition of all of the books about it in addition to an honest number of the pamphlets and ephemera, continues to fascinate me to today.

So I purchased a replica of The Cricketer and wrote to all the e-book sellers listed within the line adverts asking for catalogues. In these days they had been John McKenzie, Martin Wooden, Ian Dyer, EO Kirwan, Almeida Books, Valentine Books and Cricket Libraries. Every time the paper catalogues appeared the routine was to learn them as shortly as doable and get an order within the submit with a cheque marked as not exceeding a sure determine, on condition that it was virtually sure that a few of my order would have already offered.

By the point I began amassing once more the web had arrived, and solely John McKenzie was nonetheless issuing common paper catalogues. Martin Wooden and the enterprise Ian Dyer had began had been on-line, and Christopher Saunders had come alongside throughout my hiatus and he did and continued to difficulty print catalogues alongside his web site. Others had been on-line too, and I obtained in contact with Boundary Books and Bodyline Books at a stage the place they every had just some paper catalogues left to ship out earlier than transferring in direction of a very on line enterprise mannequin.

I additionally realised at this stage that there have been sellers in Australia, Roger Web page and Ken Piesse. Definitely in my time as a collector Ken Piesse has by no means despatched out paper catalogues, however Roger did for a while. Now in his ninetieth yr and nonetheless buying and selling Roger, with whom I’ve had a protracted affiliation, nonetheless points his catalogues in the identical type, though he does now ship them by e-mail.

However to return to the matter in hand, e-alert 736. That is way more than a automobile from which Mike Down can promote his wares. I’ve all the time recognized that the entire query of bibliography is a specific curiosity of his and if 736 will not be fairly a treatise on the historical past of specialist cricket booksellers it’s actually one thing approaching that.

So for these of us who’re below the spell of the literature of the sport it’s a pleasure to see photographs of the earliest catalogues that appeared and to grasp a bit about how the market place all of us take pleasure in dabbling in developed.

It’s a matter of some remorse that, to this point anyway, nobody has written an honest e-book as regards to cricket’s e-book and memorabilia sellers. I dare say one could seem sooner or later, and within the meantime all will not be fairly misplaced because the important details, when it comes to a complete itemizing of the catalogues of the principle gamers to 1977 does exist within the type of a booklet by David Rayvern Allen. A duplicate of this elusive restricted version appeared in e-alert 734, and probably offered however probably a direct enquiry would elicit affirmation of that and whether or not or not Mike has one other copy. If all else fails there’s one other manner of acquiring the data, because the contents of the booklet initially appeared in The Journal of the Cricket Society.

As 736 explains the primary seller was AJ Gaston, a person who had many cricketing pursuits along with promoting books. He issued his first catalogue in 1890. For a few years there was just one main participant available in the market, and after the conflict that was Epworth Press in London. Fairly why a spiritual writer grew to become the world’s main cricket bookseller is an attention-grabbing story in itself and the person concerned, Leslie Gutteridge, a curious character. Had it not been for the passing of Rayvern Allen Boundary Books would by now have printed a biography of Gutteridge. It appears that won’t now occur, however anybody who chooses to go to the showroom in Stanford within the Vale will, I’ve little question, be given the flavour of Gutteridge, who had the type of life that might not usually be anticipated of a seller in antiquarian books.

And Gutteridge will not be the one seller of whom tales abound in Stanford within the Vale. Sadly I missed the chance to have dealings with EK ‘Ted’ Brown by just a few months, however Mike knew him effectively and, just a few years in the past, printed his biography. In distinction to Gutteridge there aren’t any skeletons within the Ted Brown’s cabinet, however he’s no much less attention-grabbing for that.

736 additionally hints at an attention-grabbing again story to Martin Wooden, and naturally there’s one. I’ll depart it to Mike to let you know about how he began his enterprise, however the controversial incident referred to in 736 pertains to an event when Wooden intentionally broken a County Championship pitch so as, if I recall accurately, to help Kent to win the title. Frustratingly I can’t readily discover the version of The Cricketer that reported the episode, however from reminiscence I’m fairly certain an look earlier than the native magistrates adopted.

It might be, these musings following the occasion, that almost all of e-alert 736 has already offered, one thing which is all the time a danger the place so many distinctive gadgets are on supply. That’s not to say nonetheless that an enquiry will not be worthwhile, and even when that’s answered within the damaging the showroom remains to be effectively value a go to. There’s a big quantity of attention-grabbing inventory there, and in fact far an excessive amount of to absorb in a single go to.

And I may give some recommendation as to easy methods to get forward of the curve. When you do select to go to while shopping you’ll most likely see a few small piles of things that seem like misplaced – they’ll virtually actually be the subsequent couple of e-alerts, and thus accessible for a personalised preview.