Catalogue for the auction of
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanacks
and Cricket Books
Held on Saturday & Sunday
14th & 15th September 2024
Lot 553
Estimate: £700/1000
Hammer: £1000
The Australian Cricketers’ Tour through Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain’ containing a full racy account of the matches, dinners, excursions &c in which they have been engaged. by Argus (P.E. Reynolds) 1878. 8vo. Original front printed purple wrapper featuring Spofforth to centre, lacking end advertisement page (p93/94) and rear purple wrapper. Seven preliminary advertisement pages and complete with text pages. Total loss of spine, breaking to page block, page section becoming loose, old tape marks to wrapper edge, soiling and wear to front wrapper, wear with loss to wrapper extremities, soiling, foxing and staining to odd internal pages, nicks and minor loss to odd internal page, ink annotation to odd page, ink signature (possibly stamp?) of ownership to lower part of front wrapper and to title page. A very scarce item in need of renovation and rebinding
Rare account of the first tour of England. Belief in the natural superiority of English cricket was shattered by Australia’s nine wicket win at Lord’s over an M.C.C. club team which included W.G. Grace. ‘The tour was ... a tremendous success, and it established in England a healthy respect for Australian cricket, especially in bowling, fielding and wicket-keeping, where Blackham made a big reputation. The only discord arose from the ‘removal’ of Midwinter and the claim that Grace and others were paid for their services ... The real pity is that there was no Test match’ (Moyes, p. 175). It is from Reynolds specifically that we know the Australians wore blue and white caps and scarves, and looked ‘uncommonly well’ (see Moyes p. 171). Padwick 4968
A copy of this book, bound with original wrappers sold for £12,000 (hammer) in the Knights auction of March 2023
A copy of this book, bound with original wrappers sold for £12,000 (hammer) in the Knights auction of March 2023