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MAJOR,JOHN**: : MORE THAN A GAME - THE STORY OF CRICKET'S EARLY YEARS.[Author SIGNED copy.]**

LONDON.HARPER COLLINS,2007.

ISBN 9780007183647.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,author SIGNED,1st edn. NMINT/NMINT[As new - only just published. Signed by Author at Waterstone's,and with Radio 4 Book of the Week stickers in situ to top wrap.].No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj but author's black ink signature to title-page.Crisp,bright, clean,colour illustrated upper wrap; small sepia photograph to rear wrap; with negligible shelf-wear,creasing to edges or corners [bought new] - no nicks or tears present.Upper colour illustration titled 'The Cricket Match between Sussex and Kent at Brighton',a hand-coloured engraving by G.H. Phillips, painted by William Drummond and Charles J.Basebe (1818-1880).Inscribed in lower margin 'This plate is most respectfully dedicated by special permission to H.R.H. Prince Albert by W.H.Mason.' Back photograph: 1873,(shows left to right) W.G.Grace,Fred Grace and James Southerton.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight and pristine - an unread copy.Bright,clean,unblemished, publisher's original black cloth bds with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine /backstrip,headband and immaculate plain green eps.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn, vii-xivpp+1-433pp [paginated] includes half-title,author SIGNED title-page, contents+illus lists/tables, acknowledgements author preface,17 chapters (each with a b/w line illus head-piece)+an afterword,appendices (5), 24pp mixed contemporary b/w+colour photographs+illustrations,in 3 blocks of 8pp apiece,between pp146/47,pp210/11 and pp274/75 respectively,and an index. See also my book ID's rja485214 and rja684317 for his UK,SIGNED,1st edns of his autobiography 'JOHN MAJOR - THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY.' Throughout his life John Major has loved cricket.In 'More Than A Game' he examines it from its origins up to the beginning of the 20thC.Along the way he considers the crucial role of the wealthy patrons who gambled huge sums on early matches; the truth behind the legends that have grown up around the famous Hambledon Club; changes in rules and techniques,including the transition from underarm to overarm bowling; the long-standing,but often blurred,distinction between 'gentlemen' and 'players'; the coming of the MCC and its role as the supreme arbiter of the game; the spread of cricket throughout the British Empire; and the emergence of the county game and international competition. It is a story rich in anecdote and colourful characters.Many of the great names from the 'Golden Age' of cricket - C.B. Fry, Ranjitsinji, 'Demon' Spofforth and of course the towering figure of W.G. Grace - are still well-known today.But long before then the game already had its stars: men like the Kentish innkeeper's son 'Lumpy' Stevens,who played at the highest level until he was nearly sixty; 'Silver Billy' Beldham,who was taught how to bat by a gingerbread baker; the notoriously avaricious and ill-tempered Lord Frederic Beauclerk,a direct descendant of Charles II and Nell Gwynne; and the mighty 'Lion of Kent' Alfred Mynn. 'More Than A Game' is not just an affectionate look at a sport that has given John Major a lifetime's pleasure.He reveals that many of the most cherished and widely held beliefs about cricket's origins are based on little more than myth; he also goes beyond the boundary to examine the social changes that affected both the game and the wider society.The story he uncovers is a fascinating one that will delight and often surprise not only the cricket-lover,but anyone with an interest in the forces that have shaped our modern world. Please contact seller,because of the weight and the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.
Author SIGNED - without dedication.

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