Cricket's Historians

Test Match status is defined and Overseas Publications multiply standard was maintained and the annual was well illustrated with team photographs. This American Spalding’s annual should not be confused with Spalding’s Cricket Annual edited by J.A.McWeeney. The latter was published by the British Sports Publishing Company of 2, Hind Court, Fleet Street, London E.C.; it came out in five editions 1907 to 1911. Although we are presently concentrating on 19 th century publications, it is convenient to detail this early 20 th century annual now. The annual varied in page numbers, but on average there are about 200. Rather unusually, the frontispiece of each edition contains a large photograph of the editor. The detailed scores of matches played by the current year’s County Champions are printed, but only potted scores for the remainder. No brief biographies of players are given and there is no ‘record’ section. The book is one of the ‘Spalding’s Athletic Library’ series. In Canada, the Introductory Preface to the second edition of the Canadian Cricketers’ Guide commences with: ‘Eighteen years ago the first edition of the ‘Canadian Cricketers’ Guide’ was sent out, and so favorably was it received, that the intention to issue the work annually would have been carried out, had not more pressing engagements rendered it impossible for the chief compiler to devote to the work the requisite time and care. Now that the game is so universally played (the clubs of Ontario alone being counted by hundreds), it seems imperatively necessary that a yearly record of its progress towards earning the epithet ‘national’ should be sent abroad.’ This second edition appeared in 1876, edited by T.D.Phillips and H.J.Campbell. The Rev Thomas Dowell Phillips was born in Bristol in 1833 but emigrated to Canada in his youth and played for Canada v United States in 1858, opening the batting. His final game in the series was in 1879. In 1880 he joined the Canadian side which toured England 70