Roland Perry’s “The Don” is a biography of Donald Bradman's exploits as the world’s greatest cricketer. It is a detailed, comprehensive account of his performance on the cricket field as a boy, through to his retirement from the game as a player, selector and administrator. The breadth and depth of Perry’s book are astounding – it’s almost an annotated narrated almanac. The author’s intention is to comprehensively and exhaustively detail Don Bradman’s cricketing achievements. It is through observing these achievements and Bradman’s conduct while achieving them that we learn something of the character of this private, competitive man of exceptionally rare talent and ability.
Perry’s book’s greatest strength is his coverage of Bradman’s entire cricketing career. By obtaining Bradman’s co-operation in the production of the book, Perry explains in exquisite detail Bradman’s childhood encounters of the game, his first schoolboy innings, as well as notable club, State, invitational and national team batting and bowling performances. We learn of the origin of his unorthodox batting grip, his exceptional concentration, relentless domination of all forms of bowling that broke many batting records, both in terms of the runs scored, and the speed with which he scored them. Perry also demonstrated Bradman’s humility and good natured competition conducted within the true spirit of the game. His achievements, so meticulously described in Perry’s book, give no doubt to even the most skeptical observer of the game, that Bradman was, without doubt, the greatest batsman that the game of cricket has ever seem, or is likely so see ever again. To convince the reader of Bradman’s status in the cricketing world, (and some readers need no convincing, only confirmation), Perry’s book takes more than 500 pages. If there is any weakness in the book it is (arguably) that the recollection of Bradman’s exploits takes too long, over too many pages. Some readers may tire of the recollection of excellence, however, this should only underscore the uniqueness of Bradman’s on-field achievements, namely that there are so many of them, that the diligent reader may tire reading about them. Nonetheless, Perry achieves the purpose of showing the uniqueness of Bradman.
This is a book for cricket fans who wish to be reminded to Bradman’s place as the greatest batsman ever to play cricket. It is also a book for serious sports lovers interested in the on-field achievements of the greatest cricketer that game has ever seen, or is likely to see again.
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