Cummins, coffee, Christmas? Broad, beer, bog? Some FAQs about The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments

4 minute read

We’ve been asked a lot of questions about our book The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments. We’ve also made up a few. If you’ve any further questions, ask away in the comments section and maybe we’ll tackle them in a follow-up.

1. What’s it about?

Come on, that’s not a serious question. This isn’t one of those novels with an abstract title that’s all about the memory of a feeling. It’s about the 50 most ridiculous Ashes moments. We count them down from Number 50 to Number 1 and we say a bit about each of them.

2. Who’s it by?

It’s by the writer of this website, Alex Bowden, who is British, and Dan Liebke, who is Australian. That balance means the rankings are scrupulously fair and not weighted towards one nation or the other.

3. Do you have a photo of three copies of it next to a bowl of cricket balls?

Yes.

4. Did Pat Cummins really write the foreword?

Yes! We feel like people don’t really believe that, but it’s true.

5. Hasn’t he got better things to do?

Yes, but he gets those better things done as well. They can accomplish a lot, these high-achieving polymaths.

6. Is it a toilet book?

We are not at all squeamish about this literary genre. Some look down on reading material for the smallest room, but we’ve always felt there’s an art to writing for that audience. Your work’s got to be punchy and when people are only dipping in and out, you can’t get away with filler.

That said, it might depend on how fast a reader you are, or how much you get distracted by full colour photography. Common medical advice is that a bowel movement shouldn’t really take longer than 3-5 minutes with 10 minutes frequently cited as the recommended upper duration.

Each chapter of The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments is around 1,000 words which would apparently take the average reader 4m13s. It’ll therefore be perfectly viable as a toilet book for many people, but alas we cannot promote it as such for medical reasons.

If in doubt, please consult your medical practitioner.

7. Is Stuart Broad in it?

Yeah, of course. Loads.

Look – he’s even pictured on the back cover, on the right there.

8. If it’s on a table next to me and I can’t be bothered moving it, am I allowed to use it as a coaster?

Sure. It’s yours. Knock yourself out. Spill beer on it, decorate it with coffee rings. We’re not going to tell you how to look after your own belongings. In fact, ideally treat it so badly that it falls apart and you feel moved to buy a replacement copy.

9. Would it make a good Christmas present?

Well Christmas is beginning to loom ominously and it coincides with the Ashes and this book costs less than £20. As such, if you know anyone who likes cricket and they also have a sense of humour, this would be the perfect present for them.

Equally, if you’re buying for a cricket fan and they lack a sense of humour, maybe this will help them develop one. Worth a try, isn’t it? At the very least, you’ll be able to talk to them about Alan Mullally’s batting the next time you’re obliged to engage them in conversation.

10. Where is it on sale?

If you’re in the UK, our strong preference is that you buy it from bookshop.org. Not only do we earn a small commission if you buy through one of our links, but 10% of every sale also goes to fund your local, independent bookshop.

Most of those sorts of places were killed by Amazon’s tactic of selling books (and other stuff) below cost. Now that it’s got something approaching a monopoly, Amazon charges small companies to sell products through its website and again to use its delivery service. It then undercuts those same small companies whenever the data it gathers reveals a product worth selling itself.

Amazon also treats its staff dreadfully and wriggles out of paying anywhere near the taxes it should. But you can buy the book from there if you want.

But ideally don’t.

We’ve also seen it for sale at TGJones (WH Smith to you), Blackwell’s and Awesome Books.

If you’re in Australia, you’ll find a list of places where you can get it on this page.