DICKIE: A TRIBUTE TO UMPIRE HAROLD BIRD.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn, and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,clean,crisp,glossy laminated subject colour photograph illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges or corners - no nicks or tears present.Top+fore-edges aged/ toned; contents bright,tight and near pristine apart from page-edge toning - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips - could be unread.Publisher's bright, clean,unblemished,original dark blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked silver gilt letters to spine/backstrip,a headband and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,1-181pp [paginated] includes b/w cartoon vignette illustrated half-title+title pages, acknowledgements+picture credits,contents list,an introduction,9 chapters comprising various contributors, postscript,profuse b/w cartoon illus by both Bill Tidy+Ken Mahood,8pp contemporary b/w photographs,8pp contemporary colour photographs between pp54/5 and pp118/19 respectively. Dickie Bird is revered throughout the cricketing world as the game's outstanding and best-loved umpire.The countless amusing stories about him are part of cricket's folklore.To mark Dickie's retirement from Test match cricket,many of the game's leading personalities tell their favourite story about him in this volume of appreciation. Contributors include The Rt.Hon. John Major MP, Geoff Boycott, Ray Illingworth, Ted Dexter, Sir Colin Cowdrey, Michael Parkinson, Dominic Cork, John Woodcock, E.W.Swanton, Fred Trueman and many,many more.There are also scores of previously untold anecdotes from Dickie's less well-known colleagues, including fellow umpires,ground staff and scorers who have to interpret some of his more bizarre signals. The son of a Barnsley miner,Umpire Bird was christened Harold Dennis but is known universally as Dickie.He played cricket for Yorkshire between 1956-9 and for Leicestershire from 1960-4.He was appointed as a first-class umpire in 1970 and was promoted to the Test panel in 1973.Since then he has stood in 66 Test matches,a world record.His last Test was England v India at Lord's in June 1996. Please contact seller @ rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence, then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **