New Books – An Overview for July 2026

Martin Chandler | 6:07pm BST 05 July 2026

We’re midway by way of one other yr already, and nonetheless ready for a lot of the books I introduced in January to seem, however there are nonetheless an excellent many new titles that I can point out, and which I hope will seem earlier than the top of the yr. Some will probably be delayed in fact, and I suppose some might by no means seem in any respect, however al these I point out are, so far as I’m conscious, roughly full.

I’ll begin with what I’ve little doubt would be the finest promoting cricket guide of the yr, Ian Botham’s newest quantity of autobiography, Seasons – Driving the Torpedo. Will his Lordship have a lot to say of curiosity provided that his final autobiography appeared as not too long ago as 2007?  The writer’s blurb actually suggests it’d; Beefy’s life has not been a quiet one and, by way of journey and misadventure, he stays as forthright, sincere and entertaining as ever. However now, as he considers his legacy, he is able to reveal extra of himself, extra of who he’s, than he ever has earlier than.

There are few all-rounders within the historical past of the sport who can evaluate to Botham, however the one who most would agree exceeded even his prodigious feats is Sir Garfield Sobers. The topic of a good biography from David Tossell simply final yr this week we have now seen the discharge of one other guide, The Man Who Walked out of the Solar. The writer this time, Duncan Hamilton, has already written wonderful biographies of, amongst others, Harold Larwood, Neville Cardus and Brian Clough, and I’m assured this one will probably be proper up there with them when it comes to high quality.

Though I’m not conscious of a launch date I perceive that one other guide that may promote properly is in the middle of preparation, that being an autobiography from Chris Woakes entitled The Wizard. During the last decade or so Woakes has been a beautiful ambassador for the sport, not possible to dislike and one of the common gamers to put on an England cap. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see who his ghost is, and whether or not or not he’s ready to specific a view on any of the various controversies he has performed by way of.

One of the crucial acclaimed cricket books by a present author is Christian Ryan’s biography of Kim Hughes, Golden Boy. Ryan has a brand new guide out now titled Eleven: We Burn Them within the Son which the writer tells me is a wildly bold examination of 11 cricketers you’ve largely by no means heard of, their lives and failings painstakingly, fantastically and compulsively reconstructed. This isn’t the slick, profitable world of Shane Warne and Ian Botham; it’s a group of misfits, outsiders and rebels who by no means fairly made the reduce, and the press launch comprises glowing endorsements from Michael Knox, Gideon Haigh and Michael Holding.

The vital query is, in fact, who’re the eleven, and the quick reply is I don’t know. That stated there are a number of clues round and I think one is the Lancashire wicketkeeper from the Fifties, Frank Parr*, and I do know sufficient about him to have the ability to say that his is actually an interesting story.

Package Harris has written 1864: The Yr That Modified Cricket a barely grandiose title however with the good thing about greater than 160 years hindsight a not inappropriate one. The writer is John Wisden, whose Almanack debuted in 1864, a yr which additionally over-arm bowling legalised, the arrival of WG and the beginnings of the unofficial county championship, and that’s simply in England.

Tim Wigmore is following up his magnum opus on Take a look at cricket with The Pantheon – Take a look at Cricket’s Greatest 50 Gamers Of All Time. It’s the form of guide that may at all times stimulate dialog amongst those that have learn it as to who ought to and shouldn’t have been included, however then who’s it aimed toward? It is going to likely comprise some wonderful materials and high quality writing, however most likely nothing groundbreaking provided that the entire topics will nearly actually have been the topic of books earlier than.

In January I discussed a lot of books due from Fairfield Books, a few of which haven’t but been printed however which will probably be within the coming weeks. I’ve additionally been tipped off as to a few of their schedule for 2027, and there are actually some attention-grabbing titles to come back, however I’ll save these for January.

Equally with Pitch I discussed most of their books in January, however they do have a pair extra. The primary is entitled The Zen of Ben: Cricket within the Second. The guide is written by Jim Inexperienced, who’s described as an acclaimed wellness author, and the writer’s blurb describes the guide as A recent, stunning portrait of England’s Take a look at captain Ben Stokes – and a revelatory exploration of Bazball and the joyful, shape-shifting recreation of cricket itself which, I’ve to say, would sound a bit far-fetched to me had been it not for one factor, the foreword to the guide coming from none apart from cricket’s finest identified psycho-analyst, Mike Brearley.

Pitch are additionally publishing Removed from Lord’s: England’s Cricketers and Correspondents on Tour by Richard Knott, England excursions between 1953 and 1969. In recent times we have now had books from Mark Peel and Simon Wilde protecting a lot the identical floor so I hope this one will probably be much less concerning the cricket that was performed than the scribes who wrote about it. Males like ‘Lyn’ Wellings, John Woodcock and John Clarke will probably be attention-grabbing topics, to not point out their solely feminine colleague, Margaret Hughes.

There are 4 books due from the ACS, two within the Lives in Cricket collection and two others. First of the others is a piece of normal historical past, A Historical past of Oxfordshire County Cricket by Julian Lawton Smith. By no means a First Class county the sport in Oxfordshire can nonetheless be traced all the way in which again to 1779, but that is the primary complete historical past to be written.

The second ‘different’ is First-Class to Harrogate: A Celebration of First-Class Cricket in Harrogate by Stephen Blades. Harrogate Cricket Membership celebrates its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary in 2027. Their St George’s Highway floor staged first-class cricket in most years from 1882 to 1996. To mark this vital anniversary Blades tells the story of all these matches, from the early days of touring Australian groups, by way of successive eras of Yorkshire triumph and turmoil, and as fixtures on the common Harrogate Cricket Competition. Visits by WG Grace, record-breaking performances, Championship victories and suspected interference with the pitch all characteristic within the match experiences.

Staying in Yorkshire the primary of the Lives in Cricket is quantity 66 in that splendid collection, Richard Letby: Ebor’s Champion and early Yorkshire Cricket by a person who is aware of as a lot about that topic as anybody, Jeremy Lonsdale. Letby was one of many best-known cricketers within the north of England within the 1830s and 1840s. A star batsman and bowler, he performed a key function in establishing York Cricket Membership as a drive in Yorkshire membership cricket within the days earlier than common county matches. A champion single-wicket cricketer for 15 years, he additionally served the York membership for a number of many years as secretary and treasurer, and was a trusted umpire and coach. A tireless advocate for the sport, within the mid-1840s Letby organised what are probably cricket’s first ever membership knock-out competitions when, in 1844 and 1845, York hosted a four-team contest in an try and generate recent curiosity.

Lonsdale tells the story of a person whose contributions on and off the sector helped drive cricket ahead at a time when the unfold of round-arm bowling, extra aggressive batting and more practical fielding had been making the sport a higher spectacle. However Richard Letby additionally performed different public roles as a metropolis councillor and campaigner for civic enhancements and in opposition to electoral corruption. A publican for forty years, he was an influential native voice at a time of ethical panic concerning the results of alcohol. His story additionally helps clarify why York, for thus lengthy the favored social and administrative centre of Yorkshire, didn’t play a number one function within the institution of county cricket, and shines a lightweight on how class distinctions formed early English cricket.

After which there will probably be Lives in Cricket 67, Greville Stevens: The Prodigy by considered one of Cricketweb’s favourites, Max Bonnell who, following his very good biography of Charles ‘Father’ Marriott I’m delighted to see turning his prodigious abilities in the direction of English topics.

As for Stevens in the summertime of 1926 he was a member of the England workforce that regained the Ashes.  He had already, six years earlier, performed a key function in profitable a County Championship for Middlesex.  He had gained his Blue at Oxford, captained the College, and bowled his workforce to victory over Cambridge at Lord’s.  He had been named as considered one of Wisden’s cricketers of the yr, and had represented the Gents in opposition to the Gamers at Lord’s whereas nonetheless at college.  Inside a number of years, he would captain England, rating a Take a look at match half-century and take ten wickets in a Take a look at.  He toured the West Indies with MCC, and South Africa twice.  It’s a file of formidable achievement but after Stevens pale quietly from the sport, when he was barely thirty, he left behind a faint impression of underachievement.  For all that he had completed, far more had been anticipated, however till now his story has by no means been instructed.

Along with Andrew Hignell David Battersby has simply co-written the Museum of Welsh Cricket’s seventh monograph, with regards to futures between Glamorgan and South Wales and the Gents of Philadelphia in 1903 and 1908. Two extra forthcoming monographs from the museum will take care of a historical past of a membership aspect, the Glamorgan Nomads, and the lifetime of Roy Gabe-Jones who, in 1922, made his First Class debut for the county at 15. The teenager produced a cussed and extra importantly unbeaten 6 in his solely innings however regardless of that and his fielding leaving an excellent impression he by no means made a second look.

As for Battersby the self-publisher he has two ongoing initiatives the primary being his monograph on the lifetime of the eldest Mohammad brother, Wazir, which appears like it’s growing right into a full biography. The second is especially worthwhile being a have a look at the go to of the Pakistan workforce to the USA and Canada for a month after their collection within the West Indies in 1957/58. There’s a quick chapter on the journey on the finish of AH Kardar’s tour account, Inexperienced Shadows, however that aside the go to is a forgotten one solely one of many 13 matches having something like a full scorecard on Cricketarchive. Happily for all nevertheless David has enlisted the assistance of a survivor of the go to, SF Rehman, now 91, to help him in telling the story.

Crimson Rose Books are as a result of publish three extra Stephen Musk titles. One is Westray in Portugal – Cricket and England’s Oldest Ally which should, I’m assuming, relate to a brief tour that came about in 1898 with, amongst the England vacationers, Plum Warner. I recall seeing a group of images from the go to showing in an public sale a few years again – I think I now know the place they ended up!

Musk additionally has two books due on his favorite topics, Norfolk and Philadelphia, being Falcon’s Fiefdom and its Financing – Worldwide Cricket at Lakenham Between the Wars and The Close to Loss of life and Resurrection of Cricket in Philadelphia within the Eighteen Eighties.

As well as Musk will probably be persevering with his collection of Monographs on North American, which is able to embody in some unspecified time in the future, although not all essentially this yr a choice of intriguing titles; Dr Cameron’s Casebook – Globetrotting Allrounders and Black Captains in Early West Indian Cricket, An Englishman in New York – The Exceptional Statistics of Merton Rayleigh Cobb; A Very Tall Story – Bart King at Outdated Trafford, 1903, Forty Years an Worldwide Cricketer – Dyce Willcocks Saunders, Canada’s Incorrigible Triple Hatter, Close to Loss of life within the Darkness – The Collapse of Outdated-Time Cricket in Philadelphia, Rudi Waad, Absent Useless, No Rating – The Story of Frankford’s Tireless Paceman.

Crimson Rose will even be publishing the writer and playwright Mike Claughton’s first cricket guide, One Step Away, by which he selects a cricketer from every county who he believes was only one step away from Take a look at cricket. The guide will even have a foreword by Alec Stewart and, if profitable, may likely give rise to any variety of sequels.

Lastly from Crimson Rose will probably be Bats, Balls, and Targets by Roy Cavanagh MBE, by which he writes about Lancashire CCC cricketers ho have performed within the Soccer League, of whom there have been loads.

Not so very way back Chris Smith printed the primary ever guide with regards to England’s journey to Australia underneath Archie MacLaren in 1901/02, the final such enterprise not carried out underneath the auspices of MCC. Unsurprisingly, provided that that one was a worthwhile learn Smith has determined to publish an one other guide on an Ashes tour, the 5-0 drubbing suffered by England in 1920/21. That is by definition a way more bold mission provided that there was a recent account, one of many most interesting of all tour books, Defending the Ashes by Surrey skipper and member of the English aspect, Percy Fender.

In Australia I’m delighted to be taught of a brand new collection of monographs from a wonderful author. That of James Service provider is a reputation already acquainted to us for a lot of high quality books on topics like Arthur Mailey, Clarrie Grimmett, Donald Bradman, Charles Dickens, Cricketing Ceramics and most not too long ago Johnny Mullagh and cricket in rural Victoria within the late nineteenth Century.

This time James has determined to embark on a collection of monographs in signed and numbered restricted editions of 35 copies, and the primary three will see the sunshine of day this yr. The primary would be the story of Frank Allan, a left arm quick medium spherical arm bowler who appeared within the single Take a look at match performed in opposition to Lord Harris’s England aspect in 1878/79.

Allan’s story will probably be adopted by Cricket Pottery – Made in Australia after which a monograph with regards to Bradman’s first tour with New South Wales which was again in December 1927 and took in his first two First Class matches. Beginning as he meant to go on I most likely don’t really want to say that The Don started all of it with a century.

A for much longer established Australian cricket writer is Ronald Cardwell’s Cricket Publishing Firm who’ve a lot of titles full and, as ever, many extra at numerous phases on the street to completion. I discussed in January Cricketers in Print titles about Rex Sellers and Trevor Chappell in addition to Stephen Walters guide about scorecards. All are full and must be with us quickly.

Indicators of Possession – Exploring Australian Cricket Bookplates and their homeowners by Michael Saunders is likely one of the quirkier titles due from the Cricket Publishing Firm. The collectors amongst us at all times worth an acquisition with the plate of a earlier proprietor and there are some excellent ones round. Whether or not Mick has managed to seek out yet another spectacular than that of Roger Hancock I fairly doubt, however I’m trying ahead to discovering out.

Additionally on an uncommon topic is Wooden Shavings and Sawdust: The Story of Sydney Cricket Bat Makers Alfred and Walter Dye by Rob Franks and Ronald Cardwell. Franks has written books about bats of the cricketing selection prior to now, and this one appears on the first cricket bat manufacturing agency in Sydney, who opened their doorways within the early 1890’s.

There are additionally two titles due within the Cricket in Lives collection, books which aren’t fairly full biographies however are considerably greater than prolonged monographs. Thriller Morrison by Invoice Francis is a title that appears on the attention-grabbing and diverse pursuits of the previous NZ Take a look at cricketer and broadcaster John Morrison, and A Character in Extra Methods Than One – Murray Webb by Ronald Cardwell himself considerations the story of the previous New Zealand Take a look at cricketer who survived the Wahine transport catastrophe in 1968, performed cricket for Otago and New Zealand, and have become one of many world’s most interesting caricaturists.

Lastly from Mr Cardwell I’ll briefly point out a few titles that may sneak on this yr, however extra seemingly in 2027. They’re each biographies, considered one of an Australian Take a look at cricketer, Alan Fairfax, and the opposite of a a lot lesser identified cricketer whose three First Class appearances had been for the 1919 AIF workforce and South Australia however whose later life was spent in Scotland. The working titles are Alan Fairfax – A Schoolboy Cricketing Prodigy and Henry Francis Trafford Heath – The Cricketing Parson.

And that’s about it from Australia, at the least insofar as information that has reached me is worried. We’re nonetheless ready for a number of of the titles talked about in my final preview, and I’m additionally instructed that Gavin Gleeson’s biography of Alan Kippax is properly underway and, I dare say, there could also be a number of books with a extra trendy theme in the middle of preparation.

And eventually, for as soon as a plea for my very own functions. I’m considered one of a dwindling variety of cricket tragics who stay fascinated by the late author/historian Main Rowland Bowen. For individuals who have by no means heard of him you may get a flavour of the person right here.

Again in 1991 Murray Hedgcock, the Australian born however UK primarily based journalist, began work on a biography of Bowen, the analysis for which he had nonetheless not accomplished to his personal satisfaction when he died in Could of 2021 on the age of 90.

Earlier this summer season I realized that Murray’s analysis had been bequeathed to the MCC whose librarian, Alan Rees, kindly allowed me to check the fabric one afternoon. I’ve since been involved with the household and Murray’s daughter has kindly ship me copies of all his digital materials as properly.

Bowen’s biography must be put collectively and I’ve determined to present it my finest shot so, my request is, if anybody on the market knew the Main, is aware of of somebody who did or has any memorabilia referring to him that has not already been shared with Murray please get in contact.