The History of Cricket Book Selling

Martin Chandler | 6:46pm BST 08 September 2025

I’m positive 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 need to write about what I’ve seen.

For individuals who haven’t seen it the alert might be accessed right here. The subject material can be fascinating to a few of us, and set me fascinated with how a lot the best way through which the acquisition of books and different objects of cricketing memorabilia has modified over my time as a collector.

Which I suppose means I would like to present away some private info earlier than I am going any additional. I began accumulating, 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 realized find out how to 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 completely 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 fingers on the highest shelf of the one guide 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 kids, on these events after they visited, have 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 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 into an obsession fairly than only a passion, however at the least I’m nonetheless able to partaking in dialog about topics aside from cricket, often.

The catalyst for my preliminary curiosity in 1985 was a need to be taught 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 collection of the pamphlets and ephemera, continues to fascinate me to at the present time.

So I purchased a replica of The Cricketer and wrote to the entire guide sellers listed within the line adverts asking for catalogues. In these days they have been John McKenzie, Martin Wooden, Ian Dyer, EO Kirwan, Almeida Books, Valentine Books and Cricket Libraries. At any time when the paper catalogues appeared the routine was to learn them as rapidly as doable 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 bought.

By the point I began accumulating 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 have been on-line, and Christopher Saunders had come alongside throughout my hiatus and he did and continued to challenge print catalogues alongside his web site. Others have 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 shifting in the 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 fashion, though he does now ship them by e mail.

However to return to the matter in hand, e-alert 736. That is rather more than a automobile from which Mike Down can promote his wares. I’ve at all times recognized that the entire query of bibliography is a selected 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 underneath the spell of the literature of the sport it’s a pleasure to see pictures of the earliest catalogues that appeared and to grasp a bit 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 guide with regards to cricket’s guide and memorabilia sellers. I dare say one might 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 primary 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 bought 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 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 warfare that was Epworth Press in London. Fairly why a spiritual writer turned the world’s main cricket bookseller is an fascinating 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 doubt, be given the flavour of Gutteridge, who had the form of life that will 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 nicely and, just a few years in the past, printed his biography. In distinction to Gutteridge there are not any skeletons within the Ted Brown’s cabinet, however he’s no much less fascinating for that.

736 additionally hints at an fascinating again story to Martin Wooden, and naturally there may be one. I’ll depart it to Mike to inform you 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 positive 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 bought, one thing which is at all times a danger the place so many distinctive objects are on provide. That’s not to say nonetheless that an enquiry will not be worthwhile, and even when that’s answered within the destructive the showroom continues to be nicely price a go to. There’s a large quantity of fascinating inventory there, and in fact far an excessive amount of to soak up in a single go to.

And I may also give some recommendation as to find out how to get forward of the curve. For those who do select to go to while looking you’ll most likely see a few small piles of things that seem like misplaced – they are going to nearly actually be the subsequent couple of e-alerts, and thus out there for a personalised preview.