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Stroke of Genius: Victor Trumper and the Shot that Changed Cricket Hardcover – 22 Sep 2016

by Gideon Haigh (Author)

7 customer reviews

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‘The year’s best cricket book’ Daily Telegraph
‘Well researched and engagingly written, this exemplary work reveals a hidden history…superbly told story’ Sunday Times
‘Easily the cricket book of the year, of the century…It extends the possibility of cricket-writing-as-literature’ Suresh Menon, The Hindu

It is arguably the most famous photograph in the history of cricket. In George Beldam's picture, Victor Trumper is caught in mid stroke, the personification of cricketing grace, skill and power, about to hit the ball long and hard. Yet this image, 'Jumping Out', is important not only because of who it depicts, but also what it illustrates about the changing nature of the game and how it has been seen. Now, in Gideon Haigh's brilliant new book, Stroke of Genius, we learn not only about the man in the picture but also the iconography of Trumper's powerful position in cricket's mythology.

For many, Australian batsman Trumper was the greatest ever. Neville Cardus wrote: 'I have never yet met a cricketer who, having seen and played with Victor Trumper, did not describe him without doubt or hesitation as the most accomplished of all batsmen of his acquaintance.' Like Lionel Messi or Roger Federer today, he defied the obvious bounds of affiliation. Unlike the current generation of sporting stars, however, there were no memoirs or papers, very few interviews, no action footage - even his date of birth is a matter of debate and conjecture. What isn't in doubt, though, is the impact he had on the game and on his nation.

Haigh reveals how Trumper, and 'Jumping Out', helped to change cricket from the Victorian era of static imagery to something much more dynamic, modern and compelling. As such, Trumper helped not only transform cricket but even the way his country viewed itself.

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Product details

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK; UK ed. edition (22 Sept. 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1471146804
ISBN-13: 978-1471146800
Product Dimensions: 24.3 x 2.9 x 16.5 cm
Average Customer Review: 7 customer reviews
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 344,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #224 in Books > Biography > Sport > Cricket
- #453 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Cricket

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Review

‘Australia’s finest writer on cricket now turns his masterly prose to another legendary cricketer…his quest is gripping’ (Richard Morrison The Times)

‘Impeccably researched…the book is a triumph’ (Benedict Gardner All Out Cricket)

‘This may be the book Haigh was destined to write. Rich and rewarding… this is the cricket book of the year’ (Paul Edwards Cricinfo)

‘A study befitting the man Haigh describes as being the first Australian to be the best in the world at anything’ (Russell Jackson Guardian Australia)

‘A cracking book...fabulous, thought-provoking’ (Tanya Aldred Cricketer)

‘The year’s best cricket book’ (Daily Telegraph Books of the Year)

‘Well researched and engagingly written, this exemplary work reveals a hidden history…superbly told story’ (Sunday Times Sport Book of the Year.)

‘Brings a virtuoso’s breadth of reference and perception to a famous photograph of cricketer Victor Trumper.’ (Huw Richards Guardian)

‘One of his best yet…it is ultimately about iconography and idolatry’ (Andy Bull Observer)

‘Easily the cricket book of the year, of the century…It extends the possibility of cricket-writing-as-literature. If you read only one book published this year, it will have to be this’ (Suresh Menon The Hindu)

About the Author

Gideon Haigh has been writing about sport, business, both and neither, for more than 30 years. His previous biography, On Warne, won the MCC/Cricket Society and the British Sports Book Awards prizes as the cricket book of the year. He lives in Melbourne.

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7 customer reviews

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H. L. MacQueen

Image and insight

23 October 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This highly original book brilliantly combines cricket's internal and social history with analysis of the way in which it was imaged, both artistically and technically. In the effort to capture technique for instructional purposes, art and imagination were wonderfully combined. It remains a mystery how Trumper managed to capture the imagination of a generation; but Jumping Out will remain for ever an image of what cricket should be.

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Mike Gibbard

Cricket or Photography?

15 September 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I was expecting a book about the history of cricket, but a lot of the book centred on photography. The cricket facts were fascinating but the photography didn't interest me very much. The book was exceptionally well researched though occasionally I got the feeling that information was put in just to fill up the pages.

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Bill

The concept and execution of this book is brilliantly realised

7 March 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An outstanding feat of analysis and research .The Authors love of both his subject and the “The Golden Age of Cricket “ illuminates every page .The book is both entertaining and very poignant

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Christine S.

Five Stars

8 June 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Very interesting read

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Suzie Wong

A Classic Cricket Book

31 January 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Bought as a present but I know the recipient will love it. Great service and good pricing.

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An Iconic Cricketer

2 October 2016

Format: Hardcover

On the cover of Stroke of Genius is one of the most iconic pictures in cricket’s history, taken by George Beldham, Victor Trumper is caught mid-stroke, showing poise, grace, skill and power about to hit a ball long and hard. While this picture became known as ‘Jumping Out’, it is an example of the changing nature of cricket, a game that is always evolving, even when it is standing still.

Gideon Haigh, a London born Australian, is a well-respected cricket author, widely published and read by cricket fans worldwide. Now he tackles someone who not only has an iconic action photograph who even in death is still a massive legend in Australian cricket, Victor Trumper. In his day when on Ashes duty in England he was cheered by fans of both countries, something that truly is rare in modern Ashes cricket.

What we learn from Stroke of Genius that the picture has tended to obscure some of Victor Trumper’s achievements out in the middle. He examines not only the iconic photograph but also dives in to the life and legend of Trumper and tries to break down the man and the legend for those of us who never saw him play.

What we must remember is that the shot that turned Trumper into a cricketing icon was taken during the Ashes tour of 1905 at the Kennington Oval. If one looks at the picture closely, you are able to see the concentration on Trumper’s face as the famous ‘baggy green’ is pulled down in a poise of power ready for a long and hard drive.

It must be remembered that Trumper took the game of cricket from the slow, static game of the Victorian era, to a more modern game we recognise today. Throughout the book Haigh examines the evolution of cricket, and the popularity of the game in the Edwardian years right up to the death of Trumper in 1915 from Bright’s Disease.

This really is a truly wonderful book on one of the most iconic cricketers of all time and still a respected legend of Australian cricket even today.

12 people found this helpful

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Anthony Cronshaw

Five Stars

28 October 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Purchased as a present

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Stroke of Genius: Victor Trumper and the Shot that Changed Cricket Hardcover – 22 Sep 2016

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