The good Dr W.G. Grace was far and away the best cricketer of the nineteenth century and so it was expected that come his death in 1916 he would be the subject of a fawning biography such as this.

Dr Grace lived an interesting life but sadly you wouldn't know it from this memorial biography. For too many pages, we hear that Dr Grace played well to make a fine 26 (of a total of 69) against the XXII of Shepton Mallett or similar, while stories about Dr Grace showing off the miniature bats he bought his grandchildren for Christmas, which explain the man far better than any score could, are sadly thin on the ground. Of course, Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein is mentioned, and I added 1/2 star when I read that Grace "ejaculated into his beard". ( )