{"title":"Books by Scyld Berry","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781399425865","title":"500 Declared","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2026 – CRICKET BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘500 Tests is a mind-boggling number, a testimony to Scyld's commitment and passion for the game’ \u003c\/b\u003e– RAVI SHASTRI\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Hell of an effort. All round quality\u003c\/b\u003e’ – MICHAEL VAUGHAN\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLEGENDARY CRICKET WRITER SCYLD BERRY CELEBRATES HIS REPORTING OF 500 TEST MATCHES IN THIS UNIQUE PORTRAIT OF ENGLISH CRICKET CULTURE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eScyld Berry attended his first Test match in a professional capacity in June 1973, as EW Swanton’s ‘amanuensis’. Having reached 500 England Tests – an achievement never reached by any other greats of the cricket-writing world – Berry has watched the sport evolve like no other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTest cricket is a steady stream: England have had only one winter without Test cricket since 1972, some Test series almost overlap with the next, and players span eras. But the game has changed enormously in the last half-century: helmets, neutral umpires, bigger bats, new shots, data, abolition of rest days, ICC Test Championship, and DRS have transformed this sport on the field. As screens take over, publications shrink and, accelerated by Covid, cricket is increasingly covered remotely, being a newspaper correspondent represents a way of life that is dying out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e500 Declared\u003c\/i\u003e explores these fundamental changes and developments. From in-depth profiles and explanations to snippets lifted directly from Berry’s notebooks, this is a cricket book unlike any other. It is the culmination of a lifetime watching and writing about this fascinating sport.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA BOOK OF THE YEAR –\u003ci\u003e NEW STATESMAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56298703716725,"sku":"9781399425865","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682594431349,"sku":"9781399425872","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399425865_14113ca5-70c3-4524-92f8-8351cc971b95.jpg?v=1792511524"},{"product_id":"9781473618602","title":"Cricket: The Game of Life","description":"Winner of the Cricket Writers' Club Book of the Year 2016Shortlisted for the MCC Book of the YearShortlisted for Cricket Book of the Year at the Sports Book AwardsScyld Berry draws on his experiences as a cricket writer of forty years to produce new insights and unfamiliar historical angles on the game, along with moving reflections on episodes from his own life. The author covers a range of themes including cricket in different areas of the world, and abstract concepts such as language, numbers, ethics and psychology; Scyld Berry relishes the joys cricket provides and is convinced of the positive effect it can have in people's lives. Cricket: The Game of Life is an inspiring book that reminds readers why they love the game and prompts them to look at it in a new way.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301229736309,"sku":"9781473618602","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781473618602_16b32be9-8bc0-45e8-9c8e-7b8f73261670.jpg?v=1786021168"},{"product_id":"9781801505543","title":"Disappearing World","description":"\u003cp\u003eAward-winning cricket writer Scyld Berry brings us a heartfelt celebration of what county cricket has been for more than a hundred years - an integral part of English life. Drawing on 60 years' experience of watching county cricket, the author provides an in-depth profile of each of the 18 first-class counties, delving into the past to explore how the game took off, in no small part thanks to the legendary W.G. Grace. With change and possible existential threat looming in the shape of The Hundred franchise, and the proliferation of T20 tournaments around the world, the England and Wales Cricket Board is looking to cut the County Championship to just ten games per season. There's never been a more pertinent time to unpick the workings of this centuries-old institution and examine why its survival is so important.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307004572021,"sku":"9781801505543","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781801505543_8e85e3a5-648d-4176-8e18-c658b7eead0d.jpg?v=1786027049"},{"product_id":"9781909811607","title":"Beyond the Boundaries","description":"Renowned cricket writer Scyld Berry has earned a living being paid to avoid the English winter and to visit warm countries to watch cricket. For those who have not been fortunate enough to visit the countries England have toured, and for those who never will, Berry has distilled the essence of each country and its cricket.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308398227829,"sku":"9781909811607","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781909811607_8a805861-4837-466e-a6db-5012cee17f91.jpg?v=1786029080"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-scyld-berry.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}