Part memoir of a West Indian boyhood, part celebration of the game of cricket, this self-portrait of a life spent playing, watching and writing about the game, tells us of its psychology and aesthetics, players the author knew, and the issues of class, race and politics surrounding it.

A welcome reissue of one of the greatest sports books ever written, this book transcends its genre and subject and has become a classic. C. L. R. James, one of the foremost thinkers of the 20th century, was devoted to the game of cricket. In this classic summation of half a lifetime spent playing, watching, and writing about the sport, he recounts the story of his overriding passion and tells of the players whom he knew and loved, exploring the game's psychology and aesthetics, as well as the issues of class, race, and politics that surround it. Part memoir of a West Indian boyhood, part passionate celebration and defense of cricket as an art form, and part indictment of colonialism, this book addresses not just a sport but a whole culture, asking the question "What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?"