{"title":"Simon Rae","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"w-g-grace-a-life-book-simon-rae-9780571195732","title":"W. G. Grace: A Life","description":"W. G. Grace burst onto the cricket scene in the 1860s with spectacular force. He dominated the game until the end of the century, and influences it to this day. He was the world's first sporting superstar, rivalled as a public figure only by Gladstone and Queen Victoria herself. His staggering achievements as both batsman and bowler made him the greatest draw cricket had ever known. Though often depicted as an overgrown schoolboy, W. G. was extremely shrewd and ruthlessly exploited the power his immense popularity gave him. A notorious 'shamateur', he amassed great wealth through cricket, while remaining the standard-bearer for the Gentlemen against the Players for forty years.  Researched in archives from Grimsby (where Grace once scored 400) to Australia, Simon Rae's new biography offers a radical analysis of Grace's career, and reviews the more controversial aspects of his conduct, including verbal and physical altercations, both on and off the field, and  his kidnapping of an Australian cricketer from Lord's. But W. G. Grace: A Life provides more than a fresh look at the cricketer. It focuses on Grace's formative family background; his intensely competitive relations with his two famous brothers, 'E. M.' and Fred; his career as a doctor, and his ambitions and bereavements as a father. Drawing on little-known diaries and letters, and unique access to Grace's own library, Simon Rae builds up a convincing psychological portrait of the man behind the most famous beard in English history.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49508098539793,"sku":"GOR001537847","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50355386220817,"sku":"CIN0571195733G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53337799164177,"sku":"GOR002009426","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571195733.jpg?v=1751136057"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-drink-drinkers-and-drinking-book-simon-rae-9780571168217","title":"The Faber Book of Drink, Drinkers and Drinking","description":"Alcohol is mankind's favourite drug. Tipple, red-eye, poison, mother's ruin, mud in your eye, juice, sauce, a shot of the hard stuff and plonk - all of these terms are included in this anthology of nips and draughts of every intoxicant in the thesaurus - and then some more - with swigs and gulps from Rabelais, Homer, the Bible, Chaucer, Dickens, Kingsley Amis, Gavin Ewart, Wendy Cope and Seamus Heaney.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49508946641169,"sku":"GOR004043351","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":49959121289489,"sku":"CIN0571168213A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50731096146193,"sku":"GOR003133060","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52494454817041,"sku":"GOR010464979","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52842847797521,"sku":"GOR010776228","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571168213.jpg?v=1751167666"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-christmas-book-simon-rae-9780571174416","title":"Faber Book of Christmas","description":"From the abundant writing on Christmas - historical, literary, popular, mythical - comes this eclectic anthology which includes familiar pieces by Betjeman, Auden, Hardy and Dickens, as well as more obscure extracts. The selection ranges from Milton's \"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity\" to Wendy Cope's rueful \"A Christmas Poem\", and from accounts of Christmas Day at the North Pole, and in the trenches in 1914, to Christmas as celebrated by the England cricket team in Australia.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49528526110993,"sku":"GOR001676875","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50690182250769,"sku":"GOR001318851","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50825585525009,"sku":"GOR010232456","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571174418.jpg?v=1751167676"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-christmas-book-simon-rae-9780571174409","title":"The Faber Book of Christmas","description":"From the abundant writing on Christmas - historical, literary, popular, mythical - comes this eclectic anthology which includes familiar pieces by Betjeman, Auden, Hardy and Dickens, as well as more obscure extracts. The selection ranges from Milton's \"On the Morning of Christ's Nativity\" to Wendy Cope's rueful \"A Christmas Poem\", and from accounts of Christmas Day at the North Pole to Christmas as celebrated by the England cricket team in Australia.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49531891515665,"sku":"GOR001476862","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49596179939601,"sku":"GOR002218528","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/057117440X.jpg?v=1751293812"},{"product_id":"it-s-not-cricket-book-simon-rae-9780571201815","title":"It's Not Cricket","description":"An eye-opening survey of cricket, from the crowd violence and blatant match-rigging of the eighteenth century, down to the twentieth century's glaring abuses of the spirit of the game. Written in the same lively style that won such praise for his W. G. Grace: A Life ('the best biography of W. G. ever produced,' Christopher Martin-Jenkins), Simon Rae's history of cheating will appeal to the cricket fan and general reader alike. Ranging from Thomas White, who notoriously arrived at the crease with a bat the size of the wicket, on through 'Bodyline' and throwing, sledging, umpire baiting, and the recent disgrace of Hansie Cronje, It's Not Cricket makes us ask whether cricket really ever was the yardstick of all that is true, honest, pure and of good repute.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49536823755025,"sku":"GOR004902343","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571201814.jpg?v=1751040853"},{"product_id":"dorset-of-one-hundred-years-ago-book-simon-rae-9780750902632","title":"Dorset of One Hundred Years Ago","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49542772424977,"sku":"GOR004651412","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52517127094545,"sku":"GOR004699727","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0750902639.jpg?v=1751169208"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-drink-drinkers-and-drinking-book-simon-rae-9780571162291","title":"The Faber Book of Drink, Drinkers and Drinking","description":"Alcohol is mankind's favourite drug. Tipple, red-eye, poison, mother's ruin, mud in your eye, juice, sauce, a shot of the hard stuff and plonk - all of these terms are included in this anthology of nips and draughts of every intoxicant in the thesaurus - and then some more - with swigs and gulps from Rabelais, Homer, the Bible, Chaucer, Dickens, Kingsley Amis, Gavin Ewart, Wendy Cope and Seamus Heaney.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49545590505745,"sku":"GOR001835692","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49652967932177,"sku":"GOR001391246","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50249449308433,"sku":"GOR004238466","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571162290.jpg?v=1750698954"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-christmas-book-simon-rae-9780571338726","title":"The Faber Book of Christmas","description":"If the most wonderful time of year is enough to plunge you into a gloom, look no further. This collection of spirited stories and vibrant poetry will brighten your mood as it brings together Charles Dickens and Philip Larkin, W.H.Auden and Wendy Cope, Jilly Cooper and Dylan Thomas. From tales of carolling and snatched mistletoe kisses to 'The Worst Christmas Dinner, Ever', there's something here to amuse and interest Christmas lovers, grinches, and everyone in between.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49575928496401,"sku":"GOR009471400","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49608757444881,"sku":"GOR009630874","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":50407665533201,"sku":"NGR9780571338726","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571338720.jpg?v=1759226399"},{"product_id":"w-g-grace-book-simon-rae-9780571178551","title":"W.G.Grace","description":"Enjoying a celebrity shared by perhaps only Gladstone and Queen Victoria of his contemporaries, W.G. Grace was the world's first sporting superstar. Researched in archives from Grimsby to Australia, and drawing on diaries, letters, and access to the cricketer's own library, this biography offers a radical analysis of Grace's career. It also reviews the more controversial aspects of his conduct, including verbal and physical altercations both on and off the field, and his kidnapping of an Australian cricketer from Lord's. Discussion of his private life encompasses his childhood, his marriage, his children, his grief at the death of a daughter and later his eldest son, and his career as a doctor. The book includes an extensive statistical survey by Bill Frindall.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49577474162961,"sku":"GOR002206542","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50300476031249,"sku":"CIN0571178553G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51326118756625,"sku":"CIN0571178553VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51487863669009,"sku":"GOR001719793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571178553.jpg?v=1751293825"},{"product_id":"victorian-edwardian-dorset-book-simon-rae-9781848680272","title":"Victorian \u0026 Edwardian Dorset","description":"An anthology of contemporary writings of the Victorian and Edwardian period that were taken from books, magazines, letters and diaries. It is accompanied by a selection of contemporary photographs reproduced in sepia.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49583757918481,"sku":"GOR005909982","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848680279.jpg?v=1763472061"},{"product_id":"unplayable-book-simon-rae-9780954549541","title":"Unplayable","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49589178695953,"sku":"GOR001764728","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52738449375505,"sku":"GOR003511997","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0954549546.jpg?v=1751077709"},{"product_id":"it-s-not-cricket-book-simon-rae-9780571215829","title":"It's Not Cricket","description":"An eye-opening survey of cricket, from the crowd violence and blatant match-rigging of the eighteenth century, down to the twentieth century's glaring abuses of the spirit of the game.  Written in the same lively style that won such praise for his W.G. Grace: A Life, Simon Rae's history of cheating will appeal to the cricket fan and general reader alike. Ranging from Thomas White, who notoriously arrived at the crease with a bat the size of the wicket, on through the Bodyline controversy and throwing, sledging, umpire baiting, and the recent disgrace of Hansie Cronje, It's Not Cricket makes us ask whether cricket really ever was the yardstick of all that is true, honest, pure and of good repute.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49595584872721,"sku":"GOR002761794","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51899395539217,"sku":"CIN0571215823G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52116225982737,"sku":"GOR014491811","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571215823.jpg?v=1758967587"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-murder-book-simon-rae-9780571167524","title":"The Faber Book of Murder","description":"Murder has fascinated the greatest artists and intellectuals and has inspired many of the finest writers to their most memorable performances. This anthology looks at the world of murder and crime.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49601208353041,"sku":"GOR001659301","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49641552478481,"sku":"GOR008235854","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571167527.jpg?v=1750783462"},{"product_id":"medusa-s-butterfly-book-simon-rae-9780440870517","title":"Medusa's Butterfly","description":"A box is left on Marcus’s doorstep in the rain. Fussy Aunt Hester has told Marcus not to open the front door under any circumstances. But she’s out – and just this once can’t hurt . . . can it?  Except the parcel isn’t embroidery supplies for Aunt Hester. Or fishing tackle for Uncle Frank. Whatever is in there, it’s alive. And it’s ANGRY.    The thing in the box sends Marcus’s life spinning horrifyingly out of control ­– controlling his mind and testing his will so that every moment is deadly. Can Marcus overcome the pull of the Gorgon’s gaze, and use her power for good? Because he received that box for a reason ­– but he must find out what it is, before the terrible, beautiful Medusa turns everyone he holds dear to stone . . . and then comes for him.    Laced with myth, this modern story positively writhes with horror and suspense. A terrifying, unputdownable read for fans of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49602586411281,"sku":"GOR008026482","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49607819034897,"sku":"GOR013003128","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49650536284433,"sku":"GOR007508160","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0440870518.jpg?v=1751292622"},{"product_id":"keras-book-simon-rae-9780857560346","title":"Keras","description":"All his life, Jack Henley has felt at home in the woods - more at home than when he's actually at home with his parents. He loves watching the badgers play-fighting in the summer evenings, and pretending to be outlaws or cannibals with his two best friends. When Jack discovers that the woods hide an incredible secret - a beautiful, extraordinary, unicorn - he cannot believe his eyes. He and the owner of the woods, the eccentric Mr Finistaire, embark on a journey to save the unicorn from extinction. But as they continue in secrecy, Jack begins to wonder whether Mr Finistaire is quite what he seems. Will the bond between Keras and Jack be enough to withstand the danger that awaits them both?","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49608010334481,"sku":"GOR007281833","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52921818251537,"sku":"GOR005021776","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0857560344.jpg?v=1750819890"},{"product_id":"rapid-response-book-simon-rae-9780903074964","title":"Rapid Response","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49644679004433,"sku":"GOR013611678","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51421136584977,"sku":"GOR003327021","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0903074966.jpg?v=1750980399"},{"product_id":"soft-targets-book-simon-rae-9781852241650","title":"Soft Targets","description":"Every week for the past three years Simon Rae has written a poem for the Weekend Guardian. As unpredictable as the English weather, his Saturday satires have swung from affectionate parody through rhyming ridicule, to jibes and jests, virulent attacks, merciless sarcasm, and much else.    Soft Targets is more than just a book of funny poems and savage squibs: it's a portrait of our present age, the good, the bad and the ugly face of Britain today. Here they all are: the bungling politicians, bumbling liars and hypocrites, warmongers and whoremongers, grey men and lay men... Our heroes and villains, those we love, those we hate and those we love to hate: Prime Ministers past and present, David Gower, Prince Charles and Lester Piggott, British Telecom and Saddam Hussein, the BBC, EEC, IRA and SAS, the Chinese leadership and the England cricket team, and many, many more...","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49664236847377,"sku":"GOR005606048","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52994257944849,"sku":"GOR003309840","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1852241659.jpg?v=1751442690"},{"product_id":"pillbox-murders-book-simon-rae-9781910533185","title":"The Pillbox Murders","description":"When a young girl is found strangled in a pillbox (military blockhouse) on the edge of an isolated village, it looks like a tragic but uncomplicated sex crime--especially as Jed, the local boy with whom she was last seen, has disappeared. But when Jed's blood-soaked jacket is found in another pillbox further along the river bank, it becomes clear that the case is more complicated. Chief Inspector Dalliance and DS Riley set about untangling a skein of leads, and in the process discover that the respectability of an idyllic English village conceals dark undercurrents. An exclusive swingers' club includes members of the political elite, while the younger generation seems hell-bent on a nihilistic exploration of sexual boundaries. In the meantime, as the community prepares for its annual Morris Dancing festival, another body is found. The page-turning plot reaches a dramatic climax with the prime suspect leading Dalliance and Riley a merry dance through village streets thronged with handkerchief-waving, stave-wielding Morris men.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49738183868689,"sku":"NGR9781910533185","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1910533181.jpg?v=1750803852"},{"product_id":"faber-book-of-murder-book-simon-rae-9780571174942","title":"The Faber Book of Murder","description":"Murder has fascinated great artists and intellectuals, and inspired many of the finest writers to their most memorable performances. This anthology encompasses some of the murkier and more gruesome back-alleys of literary invention.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50355827376401,"sku":"CIN0571174949A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52996523917585,"sku":"GOR002040635","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53364108886289,"sku":"CIN0571174949VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0571174949.jpg?v=1751230472"},{"product_id":"orange-dove-of-fiji-book-simon-rae-9780091739508","title":"The Orange Dove of Fiji","description":"This anthology aims to provide an environmental manifesto in verse and includes work by Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes, James Fenton, Craig Raine, Gavin Ewart, Peter Porter and Douglas Dunn, as well as prize-winners from the Guardian poetry competition.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51411183206673,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51411183468817,"sku":"GOR004535744","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0091739500.jpg?v=1751290295"},{"product_id":"great-tew-rare-book-simon-rae-1773826391mha","title":"Great Tew","description":"1989. Limited Edition. Unpaginated. Signed by the author. Paperback book with pictorial cover and French flaps. Black and white illustrated tipped-in plates throughout. Limited edition of 350 copies.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53697113620753,"sku":"1773826391MHA","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1773826391MHA_1.jpg?v=1782139910"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-ie\/collections\/author-books-by-simon-rae.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}