The Art of Coarse Cricket by Spike Hughes

The Art of Coarse Cricket (1961 Hutchinson Edition in Illustrated Dust Jacket)

The Founding Volume of the Art of Coarse Series, a Humorous Guide to the Village Cricket Game

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: The Art of Coarse Cricket: A Study of its Principles Traditions and Practice
• Author: Spike Hughes
• Publisher: Hutchinson of London, London
• Publication Date: 1961
• ISBN: None Issued (Pre-ISBN Era)
• Edition Details: Hutchinson edition, 1961 (first published by Museum Press Ltd., 1954). Foreword by Denis Compton. Illustrated by Antony Wysard.
• Binding: Publisher's cloth hardcover with printed illustrated dust jacket, spine in green with a salmon title panel.
• Physical Format: Small octavo, illustrated throughout with line drawings.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Good (G)
• Exterior / Boards: The boards beneath the jacket are not described. The spine is green with a salmon title panel, and the spine lettering is faint.
• Interior: The pages are cream and clean, with no foxing seen. The text block is sound and the binding tight. A few tiny specks appear on page 51. Line drawings throughout.
• The Dust Jacket: Present. The illustrated green jacket with red foreword panel shows chipping and loss at the head of the spine, some wear at the tail, and light edge wear and rubbing to the front panel. The back panel is toned and spotted. Protected in a durable archival-type plastic cover.

Synopsis & Historical Value

The Art of Coarse Cricket: A Study of its Principles Traditions and Practice is Spike Hughes's affectionate and comic guide to the amateur village game, played with far more enthusiasm than skill, with ill-equipped sides and a fondness for beer. Antony Wysard's comic line drawings run throughout, and the jacket carries a foreword by Denis Compton.

First published by Museum Press in 1954, it was the first book in the Art of Coarse series. Hughes intended the title as a play on coarse fishing. This 1961 Hutchinson edition appeared as the publisher turned to the series, which was then extended by Michael Green with The Art of Coarse Rugby, a bestseller in 1960.

A good, honest copy of a lasting piece of English sporting humour, and an attractive companion for collectors of cricket literature, sporting humour and the Coarse series.

Author Profile: Spike Hughes

Patrick Cairns "Spike" Hughes (1908–1987) was a British musician, composer and arranger, said to be Britain's earliest jazz composer and a pioneer of television opera.

Later in his career he became better known as a broadcaster and humorous author. His Coarse series titles include The Art of Coarse Travel, and he also wrote on opera, including a history of the Glyndebourne festival.

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