Of all the rules governing sport, the laws of cricket are among the oldest. The first written rules of 1744 survive uniquely on the border of a piece of linen at the MCC Museum of Cricket. They were drawn up by certain 'Noblemen and Gentlemen' at a time when gambling on cricket matches was rife. The 'laws' were codified to ensure a fair outcome when so much was riding on the game. The story of the evolution of these laws and how they affected the game is a fascinating and seldom told chapter in the history of cricket. Following on from the success of The Rules of Association Football 1863 and The Original Rules of Rugby, this book reproduces the complete text of the original laws and is illustrated with images from the unique manuscript held at the MCC as well as images of the game from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It also includes what is thought to be the first known image of cricket dating from a fourteenth-century manuscript now in the Bodleian Library.

This is a down-to-earth, 'how to do it' textbook on the making of dictionaries. Written by professional lexicographers with over seventy years' experience between them, the book presents a step-by-step course for the training of lexicographers in all settings, including publishing houses, colleges, and universities world-wide, and for the teaching of lexicography as an academic discipline. It takes readers through the processes of designing, collecting, and annotating a corpus of texts; shows how to analyse the data in order to extract the relevant information; and demonstrates how these findings are drawn together in the semantic, grammatical, and pedagogic components that make up an entry. The authors explain the relevance and application of recent linguistic theories, such as prototype theory and frame semantics, and describe the role of software in the manipulation of data and the compilation of entries. They provide practical exercises at every stage.
The Oxford Guide to Practical Lexicography draws on materials developed by the authors over more than twenty years of teaching courses for publishing houses and universities in the US, Japan, Hong Kong and China, South Africa, Australia, the UK, and Europe. It will be welcomed everywhere by lexicographers, teachers of lexicography, and their students. It is also fascinating reading for all those interested in discovering how dictionaries are made.

Do you know...- the difference between a chinaman and a doosra? - where to find cow corner, the V, and the corridor of uncertainty? - what Nelson, Merlyn and Michelle have to do with cricket? - how to get a ball to reverse-swing, or how the Duckworth/Lewis method works? - the origin of yorker, googly, and third man? The Wisden Dictionary of Cricket is the definitive guide to the noble game. This fully updated third edition is not only an A-Z guide to all things cricket, it also includes illustrations showing positions and strategy, and quotations from cricket literature worldwide - from 18th century match reports right up to the Darrell Hair affair. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in the game - from the seasoned aficionado to the youngest new recruit. If you've ever wondered why a batsman can expect a jaffa on a bunsen, or how to go aerial when you're on a shirtfront...this is the book for you.