CRICKET'S GREATEST RIVALRY: A HISTORY OF THE ASHES IN 10 MATCHES.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.[Complete number line 10 - 1 descending.] FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,matt,colour+ monochrome montage'd photographic illustrated dw/dj, with green,brown and b/w lettering to front panel; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Top corners and top edges of dw/dj minimally bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top+ fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean, solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, original plain maroon cloth boards with bright,crisp, blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip,a white headband and immaculate plain maroon endpapers.UK,8vo HB+ dw/dj,1st edn,7-304pp [paginated] includes preface/ prologue,10 chapters/matches,8pp contemporary b/w+ colour photographs in 1 block,between pp160/1, appendices (1-3),an index of people; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,and contents list/table.
No other sport has a contest like the Ashes.From the early 1880s the cricketing rivalry between England and Australia has captured the public's imagination,created legends and become a metaphor for national status and self-belief.Commentator and author Simon Hughes tells the Ashes story through 10 matches that defined that rivalry and became sporting folklore.His gripping and evocative account not only recounts the highs and lows of each game but places you right at the heart of the action, explaining the social context,conveying the atmosphere, assessing the backgrounds and temperaments of the players wearing the three lions of England and the baggy green of Australia,and evaluating the result.
The story starts at the birth of the Ashes with the band of Australians that took on the best 'Gentlemen' and 'Players' in the Empire's HQ and beat them on their own home turf. That set the tone for some epic contests: the thrilling 1902 Old Trafford Test,which Australia won by just three runs; the incredible innings of Hobbs and Sutcliffe in front of a tense and packed Oval in 1926; England's cunning plan to dent Bradman's dominance in the famous 'bodyline' series; Lillee and Thomson's brutal retaliation 40 years later; Botham's miraculous efforts in 1981 that restored pride in a nation; the wizardry of Warne in 1993 and the breaking of the Aussie stranglehold in 2005.It is a story packed with intriguing tales,all told in Hughes's fluent,readable style.This is the most insightful book about the Ashes ever written. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence, then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **