Marcus Berkmann has spent more than thirty years sitting in front of various television screens swearing at incompetent England batsmen. In his leisure time he has written columns on sport for Punch, the Independent on Sunday and the Daily Express. He is a regular contributor to Private Eye and film critic of the Oldie, and writes book reviews for the Daily Mail. His books include Rain Men: The Madness of Cricket, Zimmer Men: The Trials and Tribulations of the Ageing Cricketer, Fatherhood: The Truth and A Matter of Facts: The Insider's Guide to Quizzing.
A crickipedia! Marcus Berkmann has stories about them all . . . I suspect we shall all be giving one another this book for Christmas -- Francis Wheen * Mail on Sunday * Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the game is likely to find Berkmann's Cricketing Miscellany extremely funny. The book has a confident, but slightly eccentric organisation, giving it the dreamy atmosphere of a sun-dazed game at one of the more beautiful venues * Country Life * Berkmann brings the dogged romanticism of the village green to this hugely enjoyable smorgasbord of gossip, anecdote and celebration of the sport's legends -- Sebastian Faulks * Sunday Times * This is charming stuff from a writer who has not lost a certain boyish delight in the game or its myths and legends, but he varies the light with some sensitively drawn shade . . . the book serves as a wonderful prop for woollen jumper wearers this summer as they wait for yet another rain delay to pass -- Jack Blackburn * The Times * Fantastic stories * Radio Times * An alternative Wisden, and the perfect thing to have in your kit bag for when rajn stops play * The Bookseller * Rather like your perfect cricket tea, comes Marcus Berkmann's fabulous book: well, not so much a book, more an Aladdin's cave of trivia, quizzes Test match reports and some of the best writing about cricket and cricketers you will find . . . full of the kit you have always wanted and stuff you never knew you had. Carry this with you at all times to the match, any match, in case of that dreaded rain break . . . There are riches on every page . . . go and buy this magical book. It's almost as much fun as scoring a century. Almost -- Roger Alton * Daily Mail *