The Greenhill cricket team’s new kid, Dane Faulkner, is angry, Aboriginal, doesn’t wear a helmet, and cherishes an old bat dubbed ‘Concentrate’ due to the scrawled message on its spine. He’s also a phenom. Michael Duffy wants to figure out what makes the strange, gifted newcomer tick, but has his own problems – a blinkered father, an overprotective big sister, and impaired vision that is threatening his baggy green dream. When a bigoted, bullying opponent is trumped using the Con...

Change your tools for storytelling, change your routine, learn a new form, engage with parts of the wider industry you have never had to previously. See what happens and report back. This was the challenge taken up by contributors to The N00bz: New adventures in literature, a joint project between if:book Australia and digital first publisher Editia.The book is a collection of writing about writing that documents pure curiosity and the quest to continually improve amidst r...

In "Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature," August Wilhelm von Schlegel offers an incisive exploration of the principles underlying drama and literature, encapsulating the essence of the Romantic movement that characterized early 19th-century Germany. Schlegel's lectures stand as a culmination of his profound understanding of classical and contemporary dramaturgy, integrating a critical analysis of notable playwrights such as Shakespeare and Goethe while advocating for the emotional dept...

In "How to Fail in Literature: A Lecture," Andrew Lang presents a thought-provoking examination of literary endeavors, framed around the pitfalls and absurdities that often confront writers. Through a distinctive blend of wit, irony, and rhetorical flourish, Lang deftly articulates his thesis, offering insights into the nature of failure and the artistic process. The lecture, initially delivered to an audience of aspiring authors, is steeped in the literary context of the late 19th century...

Add some levity to your reading list with this compilation of some of the wittiest and most amusing humor writing from the American literary canon. Bringing together essays, vignettes and short stories from an array of authors, including Little Women scribe Louisa May Alcott, this delightful volume is sure to ease your cares and bring a smile to your face.

Jonathan “Aggers” Agnew, England’s voice of cricket, showcases some of the very best writings on the noble game, from the 1930s to the present day.In this wide-ranging and beautifully-produced anthology, Test Match Special’s Jonathan ‘Aggers’ Agnew, chooses a wide variety of writings on the sport that has consumed his life, from the 1932/33 Ashes (Bodyline) series right up to the present day. In a series of carefully considered, thematically organised reflections, he examines the i...

Michael Clarke's diary of the 2015 Ashes - honest, insightful, emotional, explosive.After a stirring 5-0 triumph against England last summer, hopes were high that Michael Clarke's World Cup-winning Australians would seize the Ashes on English soil for the first time since 2001.Ashes Diary 2015 tells the inside story of a remarkable series filled with dramatic twists and turns. Captain Clarke takes us behind the scenes of t...

There are many cricket books, and they are all the same. 'Don't Tell Goochie', autobiographical insights of nights on the tiles in Delhi with Lambie and the boys; 'Fruit cake days', a celebrated humourist recalls 'ball' - related banter of yore; and Wisden, a deadly weapon when combined with a thermos flask. Rain Men is different. Like the moment the genius of Richie Benaud first revealed itself to you, it is a cricketing epiphany, a landmark in the literature of the game.Shining t...

The cricket world's bestselling pocket annual. The indispensable guide to the season.The Playfair Cricket Annual 2017 includes coverage of the 2016 season, including the Specsavers County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup and the NatWest T20 Blast. It also contains: a detailed register of all current first-class county players and umpires; county records and 2016 first-class averages; current county players' first-class and List A limited-overs career records; Test ma...

1876. Custer was slaughtered at the Little Big Horn, Mark Twain wrote Tom Sawyer, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and Essex County Cricket Club was born. Although Essex produced famous cricketers, it did not produce a famous team. By 1978 the county had won nothing, a fate aggravated by the success of neighbours Middlesex, Surrey and Kent, who seemed to win almost everything. Essex wore the mantle of clowns. And then it changed. Essex started the 1979 season winning, and carried...

It's one thing to be 14 years old and a loser. It's one thing to be the class swot, and hopelessly infatuated with someone who doesn't know you exist. But what kind of teenager is besotted with an entire sports team – when the players are even bigger losers than she is?In 1993, while everyone else was learning Oasis lyrics and crushing on Kate Moss or Keanu, Emma John was obsessing over the England cricket team. She spent her free time making posters of the players she adored. She ...

Cricket is a physically and mentally demanding sport - requiring multi-directional speed, coordination and agility, not to mention excellent fitness levels.This book provides a complete conditioning programme that will help cricketers and coaches at all levels develop these skills and reach optimum performance.Featuring techniques that are tried and tested by leading coaches and players, this essential resource contains a wide range of easy-to-follow, clear...