Notes By The Editors: 120 Years of Wisden Opinion

by Jonathan Rice (editor)

When Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published in 1864, it included no comments or opinions at all. As the editors explained, they “carefully avoided making any remarks upon the play or players, as the purport of this little work is to record the scores of the matches”. But by the turn of the century, things had changed, and since the first set of “Notes By The Editor” appeared in Wisden in 1901, the editor's opinions have become a feature of the Almanack, the first pages that readers turn to, to see what bees are in the editorial bonnet this year. In this collection, Notes by the Editors reproduces many of the most memorable editor opinions expressed over the 120 years since they first appeared. Wisden's views on all the great topics (and some of the smaller ones) are included – throwing, bodyline, Packer, the d'Oliveira Affair, not to mention ball tampering and the development of The Hundred. And the weather, always the weather.

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2020

Reviews

[Nick Masters · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Notes From The Editors’ by Jonathan Rice delivers what it sets out to deliver. It succinctly (as best it can) relays The Wisden Editors opinions through 120 Almanack years, neatly split into chapters that explore unique subjects/areas of the game of Cricket.

I thoroughly enjoyed broadening my perspective on the great sport of Cricket. There are some really insightful entries that give some background into how the game as we know it today evolved. Not to mention some in-depth discussions and opinions that give you a greater appreciation of certain aspects of the game, and definitely a greater appreciation of the players. Along with that, I was also provided a fresh view (from my own perspective of course) on some subjects such as County vs Country and Amateur vs Professional, to name just a few.

I must say, there were times I wish Jonathan would have provided some more supplemental information to the opinions. Without risking providing his own opinion and perhaps watering down the Editors opinion, I feel he could still have elaborated on some information and provided a summary of where we currently stand on certain rules/regulation, records, subjects, etc. in order to enhance the appreciation of the information that was being relayed.
Additionally, once or twice I missed the switch from Editor to Author, but that might have been my fault rather than the narration.

One last comment, listening to this Audio Book whilst following a Test Series (South Africa vs Sri Lanka) really enhanced the experience of both activities.

Thanks NetGalley and Bloomsbury UK Audio for a review copy.