Christopher Douglas

Andrew Nickolds

Dave Podmore knows cricket inside out and isn't afraid to say his piece. A doughty county crusader who has missed several England call-ups through celebration-related injury niggles, Pod is also a plain-speaking commentator whose Guardian columns have covered subjects as diverse as match-fixing and umpiring scandals, England's Test performance and 2001's whitewash of the Aussies (at the post-match fancy dress night, that is, largely due to Marcus Trescothick's unbeaten Scary Spice). Now The Word of Pod preserves the cream of Pod's salty wisdom in handy book form for cricketers, their fans and their fiancees everywhere. And there's even some exclusive advice for those ladies from the lovely Mrs Podmore.

Christopher Douglas and Andrew Nickolds

The Word of Pod

Nick Newman

The Autobiography of Dave Podmore

Pod Almighty!

Welcome to the world of Ed Reardon, writer and liver of life at the cutting edge. Above The Cutting Edge, to be accurate, a one-bedroom flat over a hairdresser's in Berkhamsted, where Ed has lived on his own since his wife and grown-up kids left him, forcing the sale of the London home. Ed's first (and to date last) published novel 'Who Would Fardels Bear?' was bought by Hollywood, relocated from Oldham to San Francisco and turned into a Sally Field movie ('Sister Mom') in the mid-70s. It was directed by Ed's best mate Jaz Milvane whose career has since gone stratospheric. Ed's broke up on re-entry; with the exception of his episode of Tenko in 1982, the royalties of which now amount to about £17 a year - but are anxiously awaited nonetheless. Ed has often been forced to do a spot of lowbrow work for the ever popular Christmas book market. Jane Seymour's Household Hints (1996) and The Brand's Hatch Story got him through a couple of winters, although sadly his own proposal for a Little Book of Publishers Rejections was turned down because it ran to over two thousand pages. Ed however remains bullishly optimistic, as the series reveals. He may have only one pair of trousers and a seven-figure Amazon sales ranking but no writer knows more about stealing his agent's stationery... and as a freeloader Ed Reardon is the acknowledged leader of his profession. ED REARDON'S WEEK tracks Ed's flawed attempts to escape poverty and gain the literary success that is surely his due...

Andrew Nickolds

Books

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