Barclays World Of Cricket - The Game From A To Z Swanton, E. R [Editor]

(London: Collins in association with Barclays Bank International 1980). This is the first revised edition of the invaluable guide to cricket, first published in 1966. A UNIQUE COPY SIGNED BY THE ENGLAND AND AUSTRALIA 1981 ASHES TEAMS. Publisher's green boards with gilt lettering to the spine. Photographic-style end-papers. Boards exceptionally bright and clean. Some foxing to the fore-edge and to the early/late pages of the book. Overall a VG (or slightly better) copy in the original, bright-green VG+ price-clipped dustwrapper with no fading to the spine (so often found faded). Signed to the verso of the front free end-paper by the England and Australia Ashes teams from 1981. England signatories: Willis, Botham, Gatting, Taylor, Dilley, Gower, Woolmer, Gooch, Boycott, Willey, Emburey and Butcher. Signed on the half-title page by Australian signatories: Marsh, Hughes, Alderman, Wood, Border, Lillee, Hogg, Trevor Chappell, Wellham, Kent, Rixon and Lawson. Includes a potted history of the game, biographies, grounds of the world, etc. 1st thus. large 4to. 662pp. including colour and black and white photographs, tables and index. Internally very good plus, clean and bright throughout. NB: the 1981 Ashes is widely regarded as one of the most entertaining Test series ever due to the see-sawing nature of both the individual games and the series as a whole. Photographs/scans available upon request.