My Autobiography by Allan Lamb

My Autobiography (First Edition Cricket Memoir in Dust Jacket)

The Candid Career Story of South African-Born England Test Batsman Allan Lamb, Written with Jack Bannister

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: My Autobiography
• Author: Allan Lamb
• Publisher: CollinsWillow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, London
• Publication Date: 1996
• ISBN-13: 9780002185257
• ISBN-10: 00002185253
• Edition Details: First Edition, published in 1996.
• Binding: Publisher's dark green cloth boards with a printed dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Octavo hardcover, approximately 235 x 155 mm. With a section of photographic plates.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Very Good (VG)
• Exterior / Boards: The dark green cloth boards are clean, with sharp corners and a straight spine. One tiny white speck is visible on the front board. The boards are seen beneath the dust jacket, and the page edges are not described.
• Interior: The text pages are clean and cream, with light toning. The binding is tight, and the pages examined show no markings. The endpapers are orange and clean.
• The Dust Jacket: Present and protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover. The jacket shows surface dust and scuffing to the spine and back panel, with some small flecks near the foot of the back. A worn price or barcode sticker with a partly torn edge sits on the lower back. The back flap carries the author note and credits and is held with a clear sleeve or tape. Overall a moderately worn jacket.

Synopsis & Historical Value

Published in London by CollinsWillow in 1996, My Autobiography is the story of Allan Lamb, the South African-born batsman who played Test cricket for England. Written with the help of cricket journalist and broadcaster Jack Bannister, it follows his career from his early days in South Africa to his pride in representing England in the Test arenas of the world.

Lamb was born in South Africa but, with his country excluded from Test cricket during the apartheid era, took up his parents' English heritage to play for England. His story therefore sits at the meeting point of South African and English cricket history, and gives a first-hand view of the game in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The memoir also covers his selection for England and the legal row with Pakistani players over ball-tampering claims. A collectible copy for those who follow South African sporting biography and the history of English Test cricket.

Author Profile: Allan Lamb

Allan Lamb was born on 20 June 1954 in South Africa. He played first-class cricket for Western Province and Northamptonshire and, taking advantage of his parents' English heritage, played for England, winning 79 Tests and 122 One-Day Internationals. He scored over 4,600 Test runs, including 14 Test hundreds, and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1981.

Lamb retired in 1995 at the age of 41 and has since worked as an analyst for Sky Sports and other cricket broadcasts. His earlier book, Lamb's Tales, appeared in 1985, co-written with Peter Smith.

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