A Bibliography of Neville Cardus

Martin Chandler | 9:03am BST 16 April 2023

Published: 2023
Pages: 106
Author: Grime, Ken (Editor)
Publisher: Lancashire Cricket Library
Rating: 4 stars

Neville Cardus was the first cricket writer whose work I read, back in the early 1970s. In those days Cardus was still alive and, as he is now, was revered by many. It would never have occurred to me then that Cardus was anything other than scrupulously accurate in what he wrote. Now of course I know that he was prone to embellish, tell the occasional aprocyphal tale and, on occasion, simply make things up. I can’t say that I think any less of him as a result, and I am by no means alone in that.

Inevitably there are one or two critics who dislike Cardus, and indeed their work is not ignored in this bibliography. But the reality remains that it is all but half a century now since Cardus departed this mortal coil, yet interest in him as strong as ever. Two new biographies appeared in 2018 and, a year later, a new anthology of his work was published. In addition since 2007 the thriving Neville Cardus Archive based at Old Trafford has, with this one, added another seven titles to the Cardus lover’s shelves.

For once the title of this one says it all. There is very little narrative content to go with the listing of Cardus’s oeuvre, although the little that there is is well worth reading. The first part of the book comprises, in exact facsimile, the four part bibliography that appeared in the celebrated Cricket Quarterly journal in the early 1960s. That was compiled by John McIlwaine, who wrote an introduction as well, and indeed Cardus himself readily provided a foreword. Sixty years on those are reproduced and joined by a new introduction from Bob Hilton.

And then there is a new bibliography, covering every year since 1913. It includes all of Cardus’s own books, his contributions to those of others, and various other pieces of work covering his writings on both cricket and music. No true Cardus devotee could fail to find something referenced that they wish to seek out, and for those seeking an introduction to the great man’s work this bibliography has the priceless asset of setting out in detail the contents of the many anthologies and collections of Cardus’s work that have appeared over the years.

Altogether there art almost 1,500 entries in the bibliography, and one book that I am going to have to invest in as a result of reading it is The Art of Autobiography in 19th and 20th Century England by Anthony Cockshut, a book published in the USA and included because it contains a comparison of Winifred Foley and Cardus, the link between them being their each having endured what is described as a ‘deprived childhood’. I doubt I’ll much enjoy the bulk of the book, but that particular passage, having googled Foley, I feel I have to read.

A Bibliography of Neville Cardus is available from Max Books in a limited edition of 100 individually numbered copies signed by editor Ken Grime and, a particularly nice touch, by the now octogenerian John McIlwaine, which just goes to show how young he was when he put the original bibliography together. For Australian enthusiasts, and it should not be forgotten that Cardus lived there between 1940 and 1947 and a good deal of his work first appeared there, copies will soon be available from Roger Page (rpcricketbooks@iprimus.com.au)