John Wisden, known as 'The Little Wonder', was a key member of the England cricket team who in 1859 sailed across the Atlantic on the world's first overseas cricket tour.
In 1864, he published the first edition of the book that would make his name immortal. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack contained 'full and accurate scores' plus indispensable facts about the Derby, the St Leger, the university rowing matches 'and other Interesting Information', including potted histories of the Wars of the Roses. It has been published continuously ever since, never missing a year - despite some close shaves. In 1937 it was just 48 hours from liquidation, and in WWII a German bomber set fire to the company's HQ, destroying its records.
In The Little Wonder, Robert Winder traces the role the game has played in national life, and tells the extraordinary story of Wisden's - and cricket's - journey from Victorian times to the modern world.
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