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The Don : The Definitive Biography of Sir Donald Bradman
This biography of the cricketer, Donald Bradman, is based on exclusive and extensive interviews with him. It traces the story of his early years and brings to life every major performance.
672 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 12, 2025
5.0 ⭐
GENRE - BIOGRAPHY / SPORT - CRICKET.
PAGES - 645
SIR DONALD GEORGE BRADMAN AC nicknamed the "THE DON" was an Australian International cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time.
He hit 6996 International runs at an average of 99.94 and 28,067 First Class runs at an average of 95.14. He scored more than 100O first class runs every year except the World War 2 years where cricket was hardly played.
I first got to know about the legend when he invited the Indian Legend Sachin Tendulkar and Spin King Shane Warne to his Adelaide home for dinner on his 90th Birthday "I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at the TV and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…his compactness, technique, stroke production – it all seemed to get,” he once said while speaking about Tendulkar.
Sir Don was a mysterious loaner, he practiced alone as a child mostly by hitting a golf ball with a stump to the wall for hours which later on developed his concentration and footwork, he never let his recent success get to his head. During his era cricket wasn't the primary source of income and hence he was always left with the dilemma to pursue the sport or look for other career options. He would work for financial firms and play cricket simultaneously. After retirement he continued serving the sport by being Australian Selector and later on Chairman of the Board of Control of Cricket in Australia.
ABOUT THE BOOK :- It completely covers all aspects of the Legends life from his Childhood to his initial days at the school cricket circuit and every first class and international game he played with detailed.
The book is engaging and keeps you glued and interested till the end. I absolutely loved reading the great man's life and would recommend this book to everyone who loves the great game of CRICKET.
The only event not covered in this book is about the episode where he discovers Sachin Tendulkar who plays like him and invites him for dinner to his home!!
Happy Reading ❤️💐😀
GENRE - BIOGRAPHY / SPORT - CRICKET.
PAGES - 645
SIR DONALD GEORGE BRADMAN AC nicknamed the "THE DON" was an Australian International cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time.
He hit 6996 International runs at an average of 99.94 and 28,067 First Class runs at an average of 95.14. He scored more than 100O first class runs every year except the World War 2 years where cricket was hardly played.
I first got to know about the legend when he invited the Indian Legend Sachin Tendulkar and Spin King Shane Warne to his Adelaide home for dinner on his 90th Birthday "I saw him playing on television and was struck by his technique, so I asked my wife to come look at him. Now I never saw myself play, but I felt that this player is playing with a style similar to mine, and she looked at the TV and said yes, there is a similarity between the two…his compactness, technique, stroke production – it all seemed to get,” he once said while speaking about Tendulkar.
Sir Don was a mysterious loaner, he practiced alone as a child mostly by hitting a golf ball with a stump to the wall for hours which later on developed his concentration and footwork, he never let his recent success get to his head. During his era cricket wasn't the primary source of income and hence he was always left with the dilemma to pursue the sport or look for other career options. He would work for financial firms and play cricket simultaneously. After retirement he continued serving the sport by being Australian Selector and later on Chairman of the Board of Control of Cricket in Australia.
ABOUT THE BOOK :- It completely covers all aspects of the Legends life from his Childhood to his initial days at the school cricket circuit and every first class and international game he played with detailed.
The book is engaging and keeps you glued and interested till the end. I absolutely loved reading the great man's life and would recommend this book to everyone who loves the great game of CRICKET.
The only event not covered in this book is about the episode where he discovers Sachin Tendulkar who plays like him and invites him for dinner to his home!!
Happy Reading ❤️💐😀
September 4, 2017
Favourite quotes:
Pg 436 - in such a dictatorial mood that he made Hitler look democratic
Pg 521 - the Australian blitzkrieg continued for a record 721 in the day.
A good biography by Roland Perry and a good insight into The Don. The book does concentrate on Bradman's innings in great detail rather than details of his life, what made him tick, his motivations etc. We get great details of the strokes he played in all his big innings and details of his captaincies. How did he become the greatest cricketer to ever live? We don't really find out. Remember his test average is around 50% better than the next greatest ever player, achieved on uncovered wickets, no protection and hostile bowling. Not like the batters paradises we have now.
The Don comes across as a driven, single-minded, intelligent individual, the author is obviously a big fan of his subject, indeed a little in awe. However, as above, sometimes the language does stray into a bit flowery. The later chapters could also do with a bit of proof reading.
However an enjoyable read
Pg 436 - in such a dictatorial mood that he made Hitler look democratic
Pg 521 - the Australian blitzkrieg continued for a record 721 in the day.
A good biography by Roland Perry and a good insight into The Don. The book does concentrate on Bradman's innings in great detail rather than details of his life, what made him tick, his motivations etc. We get great details of the strokes he played in all his big innings and details of his captaincies. How did he become the greatest cricketer to ever live? We don't really find out. Remember his test average is around 50% better than the next greatest ever player, achieved on uncovered wickets, no protection and hostile bowling. Not like the batters paradises we have now.
The Don comes across as a driven, single-minded, intelligent individual, the author is obviously a big fan of his subject, indeed a little in awe. However, as above, sometimes the language does stray into a bit flowery. The later chapters could also do with a bit of proof reading.
However an enjoyable read
August 30, 2025
An amazingly detailed account on Sir Donald Bradman and his phenomenal career. Being a big fan of cricket and being interested in the history of the game, I was interested in finding out more about someone who many consider to be the best batsmen ever to play the game. The author, Roland Perry, takes us through Don's very earlier career as a very special talent right up until his life after cricket and into his 90s. This is a must-read book for any cricket fan. The Don's ability to break record after record and pack cricket grounds out almost single handedly will never be surpassed. What also struck me was his humbleness. Even though he knew he was at a higher level than everyone else, the team winning was always more important to him than any individual accolade. Watching Bradman bat live and in full flow must have been a very special experience indeed. It is very well written and informative, and a lot of time and research has gone into this book
December 9, 2024
Easy to read history of Don Bradman. I hadn't realise that in several test series he was the difference in close fought contests.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews