Generally, I'm not terribly partial to books written by sportsmen. They are usually, though not always, self serving diatribes or tell alls. But I first stumbled onto Ed's first book, "Playing Hardball", because I was very interested in how a cricketer might view baseball. "Playing hardball" was an intelligent, entertaining read, which helped me learn a great deal about cricket.

[Editor's note: Ged reviewed  "Hardball" in 2005 when Ed Smith first joined Middlesex:

http://www.cricketnetwork.co.uk/main/s66/st64121.htm]

And so it is with Ed Smith. This is a writer who is also a cricketer. My prejudice is to expect excellence from Ed Smith the author before I even open the book. And "What Sport Tells Us About Life" does not disappoint.

First and foremost, it is entertaining, a very fast read. But it is not shallow. Second, it is thoughtful. It will, I think, help the reader to
think about sports in significantly different ways than he or she might have before reading it.

The book begins by asking "what kind of sports fan are you?" From there the reader goes on an eclectic tour of many aspects of sport. The book
ranges from a Macaulian explanation of why England won the Ashes to an interview with Nick Hornby about why he likes sport. It touches on the thin line between greatness and madness (in sport and other endeavors), a sentimental recollection of Welsh Rugby, a very interesting explanation of why there will never be another Don Bradman, and many other fascinating
topics.

Smith uses words well, never writing more than needs to be written to get to the point.

My favorite chapters in the book were about the amateur ideal and the importance and meaning of luck in sport. Here we find what I think is
ideal in a book, seemingly a new idea to think about almost every page. This is a book that can easily be read in a day, but you might want to take more time to allow yourself to mull over the ideas.

When you read the book, pay careful attention to the chapter on amateurism. I think there are insights into the batsman and captain here.
You may or may not agree. The theme is play well and enjoy your game.

I think the Captain is going to have a big year this year. If he does, I submit, I think you can read it between the lines in this book.

Available from all good book shops, itinerent book-sellers and of course Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Sport-Tells-About-Life/dp/0670917222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207634071&sr=1-1