Ian Botham: The Power and the Glory
Simon Wilde
Ian Botham: The Power and the Glory
Ian Botham arrived on the international scene just in time to ride sport's first big financial wave and exploit the Thatcherite mantra of go-out-and-get-what-you-want. He certainly needed the cash, having been regularly short since leaving state school in Yeovil at 15. In an era short on glamour and personalities, Botham brought an irresistible cocktail of talent, energy and swagger. With the stench of economic failure still in the air, he made the country feel good about itself again. He showed that Britain could still produce champions and that the working class still deserved to be valued.
3.4 out of 5 based on 4 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Sports, Hobbies & Games |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
384 |
| RRP |
£20.00 |
| Date of Publication |
April 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-1847376480 |
| Publisher |
Simon & Schuster |
| |
Ian Botham arrived on the international scene just in time to ride sport's first big financial wave and exploit the Thatcherite mantra of go-out-and-get-what-you-want. He certainly needed the cash, having been regularly short since leaving state school in Yeovil at 15. In an era short on glamour and personalities, Botham brought an irresistible cocktail of talent, energy and swagger. With the stench of economic failure still in the air, he made the country feel good about itself again. He showed that Britain could still produce champions and that the working class still deserved to be valued.
Reviews
The Guardian
Peter Wilby
"[A] perfectly paced and exhaustively researched biography … he doesn't neglect the darker side of Botham's career and character, revealing a more complex and nuanced personality than the gruff, self-confident exterior suggested."
23/04/2011
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The New Statesman
Dan Jones
"Wilde, cricket correspondent for the Sunday Times, has spoken to many of those close to Botham and those who played alongside him. His judgement is sound and his storytelling pleasingly laconic: it leaves much of the work to the voices of the witnesses — as it should be."
27/04/2011
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The Sunday Times
Dominic Lawson
"Wilde, though he tries hard not to accuse Botham of outright dishonesty, demolishes a number of the myths carefully cultivated by the man himself ... What Wilde also demonstrates, however, is that Botham’s propensity to embellish his own already glorious career is an aspect of what made him great."
10/04/2011
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The Spectator
Michael Henderson
"The best parts of Wilde’s book concern the young Botham ... There are, however, some holes. it is barely believable that a book about Botham lacks a single reference to Arlott, who recognised the young man’s incipient greatness, and remained his most loyal champion ... Yet, whatever its shortcomings, this is a book that reminds us why Botham matters."
11/06/2011
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