The Magic of Indian Cricket £21.99

Cricket and England between the wars £21.99

Rain Stops Play by Andrew Hignell £19.99

Lost Histories of Indian Cricket £24.99

The Politics of South African Cricket £22.99

Cricketing Cultures in Conflict - 2003 World Cup £24.99

The Making of New Zealand Cricket (1832-1914) £22.99

Cricket and the Law £24.99

UK POSTAGE: First Hardback £3.00, First Paperback £2.00, extra books £1.00 each. Overseas postage please enquire.

These will be supplied direct from publishers, so please allow 14 days for delivery.

Please send cheque with name of payee blank to Acumen Books, 167 Nantwich Road, Audley, ST7 8DL.

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Mihir Bose is an award-winning sports journalist and writer, with a very high profile in the UK and India.   The author's style and unique perspective make the book both readable and revealing.

In the last twenty years, Indian cricket has been transformed. With the arrival of global television networks, mass-media coverage and multinational sponsors, cricket has become big business and India has become the economic driving force in the world game. For the first time a developing country has become a major player in the international sports arena.

This fully updated and revised edition of Mihir Bose's classic history is a unique account of the Indian cricket phenomenon. Drawing on a combination of extensive research and personal experience, Bose traces the development of the Indian game from its beginnings as a colonial pastime to its coming of age as a national passion and now a global commercial powerhouse. This illuminating study reveals Indian cricket's central place in modern India’s identity, culture and society.

Insightful, honest and challenging, Bose tackles the myths and controversies of Indian cricket. He considers the game in terms of race, caste, politics, national consciousness and ambition, money, celebrity and the media, evoking all the unpredictability, frustration and glory that is the magic of Indian cricket.

Contents:

1. India: Whose India? 

2. Khel-Khood as Cricket 

3. Middle India and the Cricket Raj 

4. The Gully, the Maidan and the Mali 

5. An English Sporting Eden in India 

6. Ranji’s Burden 

7. The Besieged Hero 

8. The Nawabi Legend 

9. Vegetarians, Fast Bowlers and Violence 

10. Gods and Boys 

11. Shining India or Poverty of Ambiti

Looking at the inter-war period, this work explores the relationship between cricket and English social and cultural values.

Liverpool Echo: "In the unlikely event of the World Cup failing to produce any scandal, there"s plenty here to keep cricket fans awake during rain stoppages."

The Twelfth Man: "This highly academic and studious work seeks to evaluate to what extent cricket reflected the cultural and social time in England between the two World Wars. For those with a keen interest in social and cricket history this book will be required reading, if one does consider it a little expensively priced at £25.00 for a hardback of just 200 pages.An impressive and wide ranging number of reference sources have been consulted, which clearly indicates that this study of the inter-war period and cricket"s rle and place in the social order has been thoroughly researched and evaluated"

The Guardian- " Jack Williams"s excellent (though outrageously overpriced) book...is tightly focussed, well written and adept in putting cricket into a broader culktural framework...Williams is not frightened to ask some big questions and writes for an audience beyond the boundaries of the academic series of which his book is part"

"Cricket and England...attempts to dispell the cosily bucolic notalgia the game has inspired"- The Daily Telegraph

Day by Day- " This intelligent and interesting book considers how the break-up of the United Kingdom may make English cricket represent uniquely English qualities...This carefully researched, tightly written, thorough and detailed cultural and social history of the inter-war years "

Farnham/Haslemere Herald: "This is a brilliant study based on meticulous research and the astute questioning of some impressive sources. It is particularly rewarding when examining the relationship between the amateurs and professionals."

The Journal of the Cricket Society, Vol 19, No 4, Spring 2000: "Thorough and searching, this is a valuable book."

British Society for Sports History: "Cricket and England is well-researched and well-written, even though there is more than the occasional hint of repetition. It includes many interesting illustrations, some valuable statistical tables and a fine bibliography. It succeeds in demonstrating that cricket was directly related to the politics, culture and religion of inter-war England and showed the strength of social cohesion and cultural conformity of the English society at that time.

A geographical history of cricket in England and Wales in a global context.

"a safe bet that this geographical study of the game breaks fresh ground...Andrew Hignell comes with good credentials" - The Times

"a fascinating book on the effects of geography and climate on the sport... Providing a fascinating history of the sport"s diffusion in its early years, the author also grapples with the reality that the romantic ideal of cricket as a game played in the country in bucolic settings has vanished. Firmly part of the emerging field of sports geography, this book will certainly be a welcome addition to collections in social geography generally as well as those focusing on the sociology of sport" - Choice

"We can enjoy a book of outstanding scholarship, genuine research into environmental issues and provocative analysis" - The Journal of Cricket Society

"If you are a dedicated cricket follower who believes that the weather affects results and the way the game is played, this book is a must for you. Rain Stops Play is sure to get many deckchair fans recording the connection between results and the weather." - Sunday Times

"serious study" - Western Gazette

"The prolific pen of Andrew Hignell has been at it again to produce his third book in the space of twelve months" - South Wales Evening Post

"It is hard to imagine that a publication whose front cover illustrates the greatest of all cricketing anxieties should turn out to be one on the most fascinating books produced in a good while" - Extra Cover

"Andrew Hignell"s excellent volume should therefore be required reading in both dressing room and press box" - Wisden Cricket Monthly

With the nerve centre of world cricket having moved to the subcontinent, this book uncovers new ground sure to be of interest to cricket enthusiasts and sports historians.

This book will be published near the same time as the ICC Champions Trophy in the US, where India is a major crowd puller, which would generate interest and sales.

Anyone with an interest in South Asian History or Sports History will be drawn to the book, as will general cricket enthusiasts, of which there are many.

Boria Majumdar has recently completed his doctorate on the Social History of Indian Cricket at St. John's College, Oxford University and is a rising name is Sports History, particularly in cricket.

Lost Histories of Indian Cricket studies the personalities and controversies that have shaped Indian cricket over the years and brings to life the intensity surrounding India's national game.

It may be true that that cricket today arouses more passions in India than in any other cricket playing country in the world. Yet, when it comes to writing on the history of the game, Indians have been reticent and much of the past has been obscured and lost. Majumdar here recovers this history and restores it to its rightful place in India's rich sporting heritage.

Contents:

1. Empire vs. Parsee XI 2. The Cricketing Jam Ranji's Leg Glance to the Throne 3. Birthpangs Naming the Ranji Trophy 4. The Amarnath Affair 5. Nayudu Scorned 6. Tour de Farce 7. The Pentangular Panned 8. The Pretender and the Prima Donna 9. The Mankad Imbroglio 10. Men in Black and White 11. Match Fixing
An Enemy of Yore 12. All the Skipper's Men The Ban of 1989. Epilogue

South African politics are international news.   The history of cricket in South Africa exemplifies the changing politics of race and colour in the region.

Sport, and cricket in particular, are now recognised to have been influential in the changing climate that finally resulted in the end of the South African apartheid era. The book chronicles the changing times and The role of cricket during the boycott era and in contemporary South Africa.

With the recent Cricket World Cup in South Africa, this is a timely and popular subject.

Jon Gemmell is a respected name in the field. He successfully combines his strong background in politics with profound knowledge and love of the game of cricket to write a thoroughly engaging, detailed and accessible book.

The Politics of South African Cricket analyses the relationship between politics and sport, in particular cricket, in South Africa. South African Cricket embraces an ethos that is symbolic of a wider held belief system and as such has distinctive political connotations in the region.

Sport in South Africa is certainly influenced by forces beyond the playing field, but politics too can be influenced by the social and economic force of sport.
Focusing on the sports boycott as a political strategy, Jon Gemmell analyses the relationship between sport and politics through a historical analysis of South African cricket. He employs case studies to explore the relationship between politics and South African cricket and argues convincingly that cricket assisted the reform process by undermining the legitimacy of the apartheid regime.

Deals with sensitive and thought-provoking themes such as racial and political unification, commercialisation, the media and globalisation

The 2003 World Cup was of vital importance to the participating countries. For India, a world cup triumph would make cricket the nation's leading industry; for the host, South Africa, a successful campaign might realize its dream of political unity.
Dealing with themes of racial/political unification, commercialization, the media and globalisation, this book explores the role of cricket and sport in each of the competing nations.

Looking at recent developments such as match-fixing, the abolition of the quota system and the performances of the South African national team, the collection examines the importance of the Cricket World Cup in providing a unified political, social and economic stage from which a united South African identity can finally emerge. The book also explores the role of the Cricket World Cup in relation to West Indian unity, Pakistani economic regeneration, Sri Lankan, Kenyan and Zimbabwean peace.

Contents:

1. South African Cricket: Revival and Turmoil 2. England and its Cricketscape: In Decline or On the Up? 3. Trials and Tribulations: The Story of New Zealand Cricket 4. Cricket in Sri Lanka: In Need of a Messiah 5. Apocalypse? The Rise and Fall of the West Indies 6. An Ambiguous Legacy: Australia and the 2003 World Cup 7. India: An Unnatural Cricketing Nation 8. Zimbabwe Cricket: A Challenge Almost Won 9. South Africa and the 2003 World Cup: A Nationalist Perspective 10. Relaying the Pitch: Structural Changes in English Cricket 11. Money Tames Cricket 12. The Indian Spectator: A Grandstand View 13. Match-Fixing: A Dead Enemy?

Demonstrates how the cricketing experience of New Zealand was quite different from that of other colonies.   The most in-depth investigation of cricket in an historical context in New Zealand, written by one of the world's leading authorities on the subject.

It is generally forgotten that cricket rather than rugby union was the 'national game' in New Zealand until the early years of the twentieth century. This book shows why and how cricket developed in New Zealand and how its character changed across time. Greg Ryan examines the emergence and growth of cricket in relation to diverse patterns of European settlement in New Zealand - such as the systematic colonization schemes of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and the gold discoveries of the 1860s. He then considers issues such as cricket and social class in the emerging cities; cricket and the elite school system; the function of the game in shaping relations between the New Zealand provinces; cricket encounters with the Australian colonies in the context of an 'Australasian' world.

A central theme is cricketing relations with England at a time when New Zealand society was becoming acutely conscious of both its own identity and its place within the British Empire. This imperial relationship reveals structures, ideals and objectives unique to New Zealand. Articulate, engaging and entertaining, Ryan demonstrates convincingly how the cricketing experience of New Zealand was quite different from that of other colonies.

Contents:

1. Colonisation and the export of sport 2. Diverse growth, 1840-1870 3. Fashioning a middle-class game: cricket and class, 1870-1914 5. Perpetuating the straight bat: cricket and the schools, 1860-1914 6. Uniting distant communities: inter-provincial cricket, 1860-1914 7. A fragile edifice: the New Zealand Cricket Council, 1894-1914 8. Humble imitators at these distant antipodes: the imperial connection in the nineteenth century 9. A near distant neighbour: New Zealand and Australia, 1890-1914 10. More English than the English: the imperial connection in the twentieth century. Conclusion

This is a revised edition of a quirky text which was first published by a small Australian publishing house, and which has been extremely positively reviewed.

The author is an aficionado and a scholar. His text is thoroughly well informed and is written in a highly engaging style.

The author, David Fraser, is Professor of Law and Social Theory and is extremely well known in his field, particularly for his work in law and popular culture, hate crime and social justice, and the jurisprudence of the holocaust.

David Fraser is well known internationally. He studied at Yale, and has taught in Canada (Dalhousie and University of British Columbia), the United States (SUNY Buffalo, Cardozo and University of Texas), and Australia (Sydney)

In 2003, David Fraser was the Charles H. Revson Foundation Fellow at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

This text will make a valuable contribution to legal and social theory.

The text will be very enthusiastically received by philosophers, cricket lovers, and lawyers. (Cricketers are often a very thoughtful set, with the highest rate of suicide of all sports players!). We can't comment on how many legal scholars also play cricket but with the emphasis on adherence to and understanding of the law of the game, there's a likely affinity.

Cricket, law and the meaning of life ...

In a readable, informed and absorbing discussion of cricket’s defining controversies – bodyline, chucking, ball-tampering, sledging, walking and the use of technology, among many others – David Fraser explores the ambiguities of law and social order in cricket.

Cricket and the Law charts the interrelationship between cricket and legal theory – between the law of the game and the law of our lives – and demonstrates how cricket’s cultural conventions can escape the confines of the game to carry far broader social meanings.

This engaging study will be enjoyed by lawyers, students of culture and cricket lovers everywhere.

Contents:

1. Introduction 2. The Legal Theory of Cricket 3. Lord Denning, Cricket, Law and the Meaning of Life 4. Dante, Cricket, Law and the Meaning of Life 5. Laws, not Rules or Cricket as Adjudication 6. Law, Codes and the Spirit of the Game 7. More Law and the Spirit of the Game 8. The Man in White is Always Right: Umpires, Judges and the Rule of Law 9. Umpires, Decisions and the Rule of Law 10. The Man in White is Always Right (but he is not always neutral) 11. Technology, Adjudication and Law 12. Leg Before Wicket, Causation and the Rule of Law 13. Mankad, Javed, Hilditch, Sarfraz and the Rule of the Law 14. It's Not Cricket: Underarm Bowling, Legality and the Meaning of Life 15. The Chucker as outlaw: Legality, Morality and Exclusion in Cricket 16. Murali, Shoaib and the Jurisprudence of Chucking 17. Bouncers: Terror and the Rule of Law in Cricket 18. Ball-tampering and the Rule of Law 19. The Little Master: Ball-tampering and the Rule of Law 20. Delay and Over-Rates: Temporality and the Meaning of Cricket 21. Ethical Discourse, Legal Narrative and the Meaning of Cricket 22. You... Sledging and Cricket as Ethical Discourse 23. Walking, the Judicial Function and the Meaning of Life 24. Other Stories about Cricket, Law and the Meaning of Life 25. Capitalism and the Meaning of Cricket 26. Class Struggle, Old School Tie and the Meaning of Cricket 27. The Hill, the Members and Others: the Crowd as Sub-text 28. Bodyline, Postmodernism. Law and the Meaning of Life 29. Conclusion: On Life Law and Cricket