Summer, or rather the hint or promise of it, only arrives with the publication of Wisden. The cricketers’ almanack – the venerable almanack – celebrates its 150th anniversary this season. It has been quite an innings. John Wisden created an institution that, happily, shows no sign of flagging. This year’s almanack clocks in at a chunky 1584 pages and is a fine edition that pays proper tribute to the Yellow Brick’s past.This second edition stewarded by Lawrence Booth confirms the impression fostered last season that his editorship is a considerable upgrade upon his predecessor’s. His prejudices are sound. Quite correctly, Booth is a conservative but not a reactionary. If the editor of Wisden cannot be counted upon to uphold the greater, immemorial interests of the game who can?
Alex Massie. The statement “His prejudices are sound” strikes me as the kind of genuinely conservative wisdom that is hard to find these days. It is nearly Wodehousian.