Teach Yourself Cricket
by Mark Butcher and Paul Abraham
Abraham Hodder Headline, pb, 212pp, £9.99
It was about time the "Teach Yourself" series turned its attention to cricket. They have over 500 titles and somehow beekeeping, flower-arranging and tap-dancing were all deemed worthy of attention before cricket. They've roped in Mark Butcher to do the teaching here, and his excellent analytical and methodical mind has been put to good use. From leg glances to polishing the ball, strategy to lofted drives, Teach Yourself Cricket is a good start for anyone new to the game.

French and Spanish Cricket
by Mike Kelleher
Exposure Publishing, pb, 213pp, £7.99
This blog-turned-book covers the attempts of one man and his "missus" to catch coverage of England's series against South Africa in 2003 as they travelled across Spain and France. The blurb says that the book shows that "you can enjoy cricket or indeed any sport anywhere without changing into a werewolf, though you can still do this on Test Match Saturdays." If you can work out what that means, you may well like it.

The New Forest and Its Cricketers
by Vic W Loveless
Vic W Loveless, hb, 264pp, £18 The term "labour of love" was coined for books like this. Written and published by the president of the New Forest Cricket Association, this is a history of clubs from this beautiful corner of Hampshire. It has pictures and newspaper clippings from many decades.

These reviews were first published in the March 2008 issue of the Wisden Cricketer. Subscribe here

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