**A selection from Wisden's Notes By The Editor--the forthright
opinions that changed cricket, its laws, its players and its history.
The Editor of Wisden is an important personage. It is he who decides the
policy of the Cricketers' Bible and cricketers the world over look to
him to give a lead on all controversial problems. His is, therefore, no
easy task, but Wisden has been fortunate in its editors. That was
written in 1933, and it is still true.
The heart of the Almanack is the section entitled Notes By The Editor.
The editor's opinions can change careers, laws--indeed every part of the
game. This anthology is a brief dip into the half a million words or so
that make up the annual Notes as the editors take a view of what
really matters--the spirit in which cricket is played and how to keep it
relevant and popular. And, of course, the weather.
Throughout the Notes the Editors retain their sense of optimism and
fervent love of the game, even when dealing with difficult issues such
as bodyline or match-fixing, and they express their views succinctly and
stylishly. As John Woodcock wrote in 1983, 'the game is never quite the
same from one season to the next' and nor, indeed, are the Notes.
However, as this anthology shows, the Notes are always stimulating and
firmly expressed, providing an important insight into the cricket of the
day.
