Bat and Ball: A New Book of Cricket (1935) is an ambitious interwar cricket anthology edited by Thomas Moult, bringing together leading cricketers, captains, journalists and stylists of the Golden Age and immediate post-Golden Age period. Published in London by Arthur Barker Limited, it captures cricket between the wars—technically sophisticated, socially significant, and rich in personality.
The volume is notable not merely as a collection of essays, but as a curated literary statement about cricket’s place in British culture during the 1930s.
The book includes contributions from some of the most prominent names in cricketing history, including:
Neville Cardus
Douglas Jardine
Jack Hobbs
Pelham Warner
Maurice Tate
Hedley Verity
Herbert Sutcliffe
This breadth gives the work both literary and technical authority, combining reflective cricket writing (Cardus), tactical insight (Jardine), and professional mastery (Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Tate).
The book is well illustrated, including photographic plates by renowned cricket photographer George William Beldam. Notable plates include action studies of Victor Trumper, including the celebrated “Jumping Out to Drive” and “The Straight Drive Completed to Perfection.”
The frontispiece features W. G. Grace, reproduced from a painting in the National Portrait Gallery — reinforcing the book’s intention to frame cricket within a tradition of cultural reverence.
The essays range across:
Batting technique and style
Bowling craft and tactical thought
Captaincy and leadership
Reflections on famous players
The aesthetic and moral philosophy of cricket
Cricket’s place in English life
As an interwar publication (1935), it carries subtle undertones of nostalgia and preservation — looking back to Grace and Trumper while still grounded in the modern professional era of Hobbs and Jardine.
A desirable Golden Era anthology. Bat and Ball (1935) occupies an important position in interwar cricket literature. Unlike single-author autobiographies, this volume captures multiple leading voices of the 1920s–30s — including: Neville Cardus, Douglas Jardine, Jack Hobbs & Herbert Sutcliffe.
