The Legend of Hobbs and Sutcliffe
Martin Chandler |Published: 2023
Pages: 400
Author: Bee, Andy
Publisher: Amazon
Rating: 2.5 stars
This is undoubtedly a curate’s egg of a book, but do the good bits outweigh the bad?
It has a head start with a splendid title, and a tribute to Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe is well worth the effort, even though both have been the subject of a number of previous books.
What lets the book down is its design. The font and the line spacing are far from easy on the eye. There are no page numbers or index, and while there are some interesting stats that close the book the way the tables are laid out could certainly be better.
There are also a number of typos, albeit they reduce as the book moves on, but there are also some eccentricities in the names of the players referenced. For some reason Aussie paceman Ted McDonald is singled out for the acquisition of some unusual variations on his christian name, and ‘Monte’ Noble becomes a little grating.
So the ‘final product’ is disappointing, and even allowing some latitude for a self-publisher much was avoidable, but the most important part of any book is its narrative. So what is that like?
The first point is that Bee certainly knows his stuff, and seems to have studied all of the relevant sources. He can tell a story too so if, like me, you find the 1920s a fascinating period in the history of Anglo-Australian cricket you will enjoy his take on it for that reason alone.
The major issue though is what the reader makes of the idiosyncrasy noted on the rear cover; an embellished account of what happened a century ago, which then goes on to warn, not for the easily offended.
Fortunately the embellishment does not affect the important cricketing story a great deal, rather it adds some colour to parts of the narrative that are clearly intended to reflect the attitudes and behaviour of young men who were away from home together for lengthy periods, and also to look a little more closely at some of events that took place off the field.
Without going into too much detail, for which you will have to go out and buy the book, I was left wondering whether this is the sort of thing of which Neville Cardus would have approved and, on the whole, I suspect he might have. The raw humour attributed to Vallance Jupp (a man I always thought worthy of a biography and the more so now) is certainly crude, but by no means offensive and certainly on at least one occasion genuinely entertaining.
But not all the embellishment is even potentially offensive, and on occasions is very good. The dialogue added onto the story of the selectors meeting in 1926 when the decision was made to dispense with the captaincy services of Arthur Carr and call on one of the selectors number, Wilfred Rhodes, to play is particularly well constructed.
Was I offended? The answer to that has to be no, although speculation as to the frequency of bedroom activity between Mr and Mrs Hobbs on the boat to Australia in 1928/29 I thought a little unnecessary, as was the very last paragraph of the book.
I said at the outset of this review that The Legend of Hobbs and Sutcliffe is something of a curate’s egg, so I don’t feel able to rate this one above 2.5. That said if, as I suspect may well be the case, the book is of the ‘print on demand’ type and Bee were to tidy things up for future copies the narrative is certainly worth 3.5.
I am very grateful for this excellent review of my book. Chandler is absolutely correct in stating that the number of occasions Mr and Mrs Hobbs copulated on the boat over to Australia, was perhaps an unnecessary detail. However, Jack Hobbs was the only England cricketer allowed to take his wife on tour. Therefore the subject of how many occasions they might have, could well have been discussed by members of the seam bowling department such as Maurice Tate, himself a married man, who would have forgone such activities for six months.
Chandler then goes on to state the absence of page numbers and poor font size and the general poor quality of the design, which, while accurate, reflect my lack of IT skills. I am humbled that he should mention my ability to tell a story, and the fact that on one occasion he appreciated the raw humour. Mentioning that he suspects Neville Cardus would, on the whole, approve, coats me in a warm mellifluous glow.
I have taken on board his criticism. I believe his sincerity and so have made some adjustments for future readers. Many thanks once again.
Comment by Andy Bee | 12:11pm BST 24 April 2023