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 precise 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 individuals who haven’t seen it the alert could be accessed right here. The subject material will probably be fascinating to a few of us, and set me fascinated with how a lot the best way by which the acquisition of books and different objects of cricketing memorabilia has modified over my time as a collector.
Which I suppose means I want to present away some private info earlier than I am going any additional. I began amassing, strictly solely Wisdens and different books in these days, in 1985. Seven years later my second little one was born, and her elder brother had by then discovered how one can open a bookcase. Aware of the best way I handled my very own father’s Wisdens as a baby my assortment went into storage.
‘Out of sight is out of thoughts’ is one in all my favorite truisms, and proved solely 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. Positioned nicely away from prying little arms 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 after they visited, had been not a hazard to fragile objects 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 superb 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 in all probability develop into an obsession slightly than only a interest, however at the least I’m nonetheless able to partaking in dialog about topics aside from cricket, sometimes.
The catalyst for my preliminary curiosity in 1985 was a need to be taught extra in regards to the well-known ‘Bodyline’ collection a topic which, regardless of the acquisition of all of the books about it in addition to an honest collection of the pamphlets and ephemera, continues to fascinate me to this present day.
So I purchased a duplicate of The Cricketer and wrote to the entire 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 rapidly as attainable and get an order within the submit with a cheque marked as not exceeding a sure determine, on condition that it was nearly 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 acquired 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 shifting in the direction of a totally 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 12 months 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 far more than a car from which Mike Down can promote his wares. I’ve all the time recognized that the entire query of bibliography is a selected curiosity of his and if 736 isn’t 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 beneath the spell of the literature of the sport it’s a pleasure to see photos of the earliest catalogues that appeared and to grasp a bit of about how the market place all of us get pleasure from dabbling in developed.
It’s a matter of some remorse that, up to now 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 isn’t fairly misplaced because the important info, by way of 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 replica 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 may be one other means of acquiring the knowledge, because the contents of the booklet initially appeared in The Journal of the Cricket Society.
As 736 explains the primary vendor 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 struggle that was Epworth Press in London. Fairly why a spiritual writer turned 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 kind of life that may not usually be anticipated of a vendor in antiquarian books.
And Gutteridge isn’t the one vendor of whom tales abound in Stanford within the Vale. Sadly I missed the chance to have dealings with EK ‘Ted’ Brown by a number of months, however Mike knew him nicely and, a number of 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 may be one. I’ll go away 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 threat the place so many distinctive objects are on provide. That isn’t to say nonetheless that an enquiry isn’t worthwhile, and even when that’s answered within the unfavorable the showroom remains to be nicely value a go to. There’s a big quantity of attention-grabbing inventory there, and in reality far an excessive amount of to soak up in a single go to.
And I also can give some recommendation as to how one can get forward of the curve. For those who do select to go to while shopping you’ll in all probability see a few small piles of things that seem like misplaced – they’ll nearly actually be the subsequent couple of e-alerts, and thus obtainable for a personalised preview.
Boundary Books’ e-mail tackle is mike@boundarybooks.com and their phone quantity 01235 751021
