Monday 14 June 2010

You can't beat a good book

One of the things that impressed me about our new house when we bought it twelve years ago was the loft.

OK, I was as impressed as Mrs P with the kitchen, living room and dining room, and the bedrooms were nicer and bigger than those we were leaving behind. But when I stuck my head through the loft hatch (not literally) for the first time, and shone a torch around, I was really pleased. I had two big walls to work with and quickly set about putting shelves up there, after I had floored the loft and got a fluorescent light. I'd then got loads of space for my cricket books, although the prized full run of Derbyshire CCC yearbooks is kept in a box in my wardrobe to ensure they stay in the best possible condition.

Over the years I have accumulated almost every book on, or related to, Derbyshire cricket, including biographies and autobiographies. There's only two books that I would like to complete the set. The first is the 1937 Wisden, which naturally gives all the details of the 1936 Championship season. I once borrowed a copy from my local library and was able to photocopy the results pages of our matches that year. I've also picked up a book by the Association of Cricket Statisticans that gives all the details from that year, and have John Shawcroft's wonderful club history permanently at the side of the bed.

The only other one I need is the autobiography of Eddie Barlow, which somehow I missed when it first came out and is now out of print. I've scoured the net for it and drawn a blank, unless I'm prepared to pay silly money or have it sent from South Africa or Australia. Neither appeals particularly, so if you hear or see anyone selling Bunter's book at a reasonable price, I'd be really grateful if you could let me know.

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