This way comes
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only in literature connected to the game. Of particular note is Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack, the most famous of any sporting yearbook which was first published in 1864.
To own a complete set is something many collectors aspire to but few achieve. It is almost unheard of for an unbroken run to appear on the market and its cost would be prohibitive to all but the most well-heeled.
Single volumes are not expensive and comparatively readily found, but early issues are the exact opposite on both scores.
As every schoolboy was taught to look after his cricket bat – patient hours of linseed oil application, and so on – the number of ancient bats surviving today is relatively high.
Signed bats are also commonplace, but it is those associated with legendary players that attract a price premium, even though not all of them were sportsmen true to the ethics of the game.
In 1771, a player known as “Shock” White from Reigate in Surrey, attempted to play with a bat that was wider than the wicket. Since there was no rule to the contrary, there was nothing wrong with the idea in principle but it did make things a little one-sided. So the rules were changed and they remain in place today.
Earliest bats were generally long, heavy club-like implements – redolent of underarm bowling and wild slashing at the ball with little thought for style and finesse. The blade of the bat curved outwards from top to bottom, as can be seen in early paintings.