Tales from a Long Room

by Peter Tinniswood

Those were the golden days: WG and Spofforth were locked in mortal combat at Lords; MCC rule held sway throughout the Empire; and the world had not yet been darkened by the spectre of aluminium bats, Geoffrey Boycott and underarm bowling; The brigadier remembers it all By the flickering firelight of a long room, he takes us back to some surprisingly little known incidents and characters from cricket's heyday. It's all here - the MCC's ill-fated test against a pygmy XI, Scott's and Amundsen's historic match at the South Pole, the inspiring story of Mendip-Hughes, Somerset's most distinguished one, legged off-spinner; and, of course, the promising but tragically short career in first-class cricket of the late Queen Victoria.

Genres: Humor, British Literature, Short Stories, 20th Century, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 1981

Reviews

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinniswood has a very dry 'English' style, which is probably why (this being a severely U.S.-centric site) why he doesn't have a higher rating. He does bumbling British brigadiers brilliantly, and yet his grasp of North Country working class humor and patois is just as good. If cricket is a mystery to you, start with 'A touch of Daniel' from the latter genre. I find them charming, very funny, and with a sardonic and sometimes sentimental touch that adds seasoning.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Our Own Dear Queen
Peter Tinniswood - Tales From a Long RoomSeries 1 Episode 1 of 5
Had Queen Victoria become a Test cricketer, would there still be a British Empire?

Robin Bailey reads the first of five stories from Peter Tinniswood's cricket tales.

Abridged for radio by the author.

Producer: Tony Cliff

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1981,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000...

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cricket, more than any other sport, seems to lend itself to literary endeavour, and particularly to humorous writing. Perhaps it's the length of the game, which allows for dramas to be more fully developed than in other sports, perhaps it's the Byzantine laws of the game, its propensity for throwing up characters in every era, or perhaps it's the opportunity it provides for class conflict, or rudely interrupted rural idylls. I first read Tales From a Long Room when it was published back in 1982, and having lost my copy many years ago, was delighted to come across a copy in the Oxfam bookshop in York. It's still as hilarious as I remember it, with a Wodehouse-like ratio of laughs per line. Reading it again was a real treat that brightened up a couple of dreary November days.

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Tinniswood's humour. I first read this many years ago. Very rarely do I laugh out loud while reading, but this does it for me. I guess you have to know something about cricket, but Tinniswood's use of language appeals as well as his skewed way of viewing the world. Never has such an unpleasant person been presented with such entertainment. Tinniswood's Brigadier is without doubt a monster, but a thoroughly entertaining one. And this is just the start of the series.

[Philip Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

First read this book as a teenager in the 1980s and thought it was a hoot. It takes the form of a cricket-mad Colonel Blimp type reminiscing about sundry matters in flights of fantasy peppered with celeb (mostly cricket related) references. I must admit to being a bit disappointed on revisiting it. I chortled a few times at the surreal humour but found it a bit of a slog: just inserting a cricketing name doesn't make something funny.

Wish I could recommend more heartily as there's a lot of great wit here (surprised the Bedser twins & Geoff Boycott didn't sue for libel) but it's v. much a one joke affair - good though that joke often is.

[Alun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been part of my life for many years. Tinniswood's ability to understand and explain the ridiculous nature of a game that can last for 5 days, still result in a draw and be hugely enjoyable to observe plus his (slightly) exaggerated descriptions of the people involved in "our beloved summer game" makes the Brigadier an excellent companion to long winter evenings.
One warning however, my wife read this book and, together with the TMS broadcasts, became a fan of the game.

[Oscar Dent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll preface this by saying that I'm no cricket fan. I have played it, and enjoyed it, and could give you a brief summary of the rules, but that's it.

Despite this, I found this charming, relentlessly silly, and dripping in wit. This equally parodies British empire foibles and attitudes while covering them in layered absurdism. Too short.

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this again, it's not as funny as I remembered it. The casual sexism and racism are both there (quite rightly; he's parodying the character after all) but the humour is all a bit one-paced, especially with the names of cricketers most of whom a modern reader won't remember. It's still gloriously surreal and ridiculous in places.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent - no book collection should be without this tribute to the summer game by a masterly observer and commentator.

[Wesam Karam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just wowwwww