The A–Z of Bradman
Alan Eason
'The book is a prodigious work of scholarship. It is hard to imagine anyone improving on it.'
Bruce Elder (Sydney Morning Herald)An 'excellent work'.
Peter Lalor (The Australian)'(It’s rare to find) an author’s personal passion so well researched and so readable, because it’s so well-written. A cornucopia of anecdote … This is a book through which the non-devotee may achieve, without strain, an acquaintance with Australia’s most enchanting, and probably enduring, legend.'
Frank Devine (Sun-Herald (Sunday Life))From Aberdeen, where Bradman played his last innings in Great Britain, to Zanetti, whose cartoon eloquently caught the mood of Australia following his death, this book is a comprehensive companion to the life and career of the world’s greatest cricketer. The 900-plus entries include entertaining sidelights such as the Queensland newspaper which reported in 1931 that the great batsman had died after an attack of dysentery, and the blue joke told by the Don about the practising composer JS Bach.
With delightful surprises at the turn of every page, The A-Z of Bradman couples mountainous research with wry humour and deft judgement to produce an indispensable guide for all cricket fans. In a marvellous series of snapshots, we encounter family, friends, acquaintances, teammates, opponents, places, and events. In the end we meet Don Bradman himself — extraordinary cricketer and legendary Australian.
'One can conceivably think of a book like this being written about Shakespeare, Beethoven or Leonardo Da Vinci. But one is surprised when a ready reckoner like this is published on a cricketer. But when the name is Bradman, anything is possible and the book is not only exciting but immensely amusing.'
Kishore Chatterjee (The Statesman)'Lovingly researched, it is an excellent read.'
Ken Piesse (Cricket Week)'The numerical entries in this book are a joy, some of them delightfully arcane. If you love the game and are fascinated by Bradman, you’ll enjoy this book.'
Amit Varma (Wisden Asia Cricket)'Goes way beyond the batting averages in painting a picture of Australia’s cricketing legend.'
Carly Chynoweth (Daily Telegraph)'Alan Eason, through his remarkable research, has produced some stunningly unknown facts about the Don, who evoked appreciation from writers of different eras for his immaculate batmanship. This effort speaks for the author’s fascination for anything that had to do with Bradman — on and off the field.'
Vijay Lokapally (The Hindu)'Undoubtedly one of the most thoroughly researched and engrossing cricket books of all time.'
Gulu Ezekiel (Cricketnext.com)Alan Eason
Alan Eason was born in Sydney in 1947. He studied accounting but, when he found words were more interesting than figures, he tried his hand at compiling cryptic crosswords and published his first, in the Sydney Morning Herald, in 1977. Soon after, he branched out into theme crosswords, becoming a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines of puzzles on a wide range of subjects, including cricket, as well as large general-knowledge crosswords.
Eason is the author of a book of themed crosswords and another on how to solve cryptics, and has contributed articles on crosswords to the Herald. In 1988 he started Australia's first national crossword club, and edited and produced a monthly magazine for members until 1991. Also a trivia buff, he wrote and edited multiple-choice trivia games for interactive television from 1994 to 1998, and still conducts 'live' trivia events for clubs and charities.
Away from the desk, Alan Eason is a keen tennis, squash, and soccer player, but was stumped in a backyard Test in 1968 by the realisation that his cricket career was effectively over before it had started.
Gideon Haigh
Author photo
Gideon Haigh has been writing about sport and business for over twenty years. He began his career as a journalist, writing on business news for The Age newspaper from 1984 to 1992 and for The Australian from 1993 to 1995. He has since contributed to over twenty newspapers and magazines, both on business topics as well as on sport, mostly cricket. Haigh has written or edited over twenty books.
Buy from Readings
Extent: 464
Size: 234mm x 153mm
ISBN (13): 9781921372162
RRP: $39.95
Pub date: August 2008
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