Young Wisden, the updated edition just brought out, is an outstanding publication and beautifully designed - the first book for younger readers from the publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the oldest name in sports publishing.

The book got rave reviews when first released in 2007. 'Incomparable really, different planet stuff. It is comprehensive without being bewildering, colourful but not showy, confident but never esoteric', according to The Wisden Cricketer.

"It is a guide to cricket - how it works, why it's fun, who plays it best, how it has grown. It's not a coaching manual, although it contains dozens of tips that you could apply to your own game, according to Tim De Lisle.

Unlike big Wisden it's not an annual either. Although it is topical, using current and recent players to shed light on the workings of the game, it is not a record of what happened over the past year. But the book is like its much older sister in one crucial way: it is driven by a love of cricket. In many offices, there are jokey mugs saying "you don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps". Well, you do have to be cricket-mad to work at Wisden."

The liveliest book ever written about how cricket works, it's packed with facts and stats about players and matches, and features clear explanations of the game; Quick guides to cricket's language and history; The game at home and around the world; County Cricket, Tests, Twenty20s and one-day internationals and Stores of the stars from Bradman to Broad.

Australia's spin wizard, Shane Warne has been profiled in storytime by the editor: "Warne was certainly a fantastic bowler, a fascinating character and a great entertainer. And, by making legspin fashionable again, he changed the game. Not mainy cricketers can claim that." Sir Donald Bradman has been described "He wasn't just the best batsman ever: he was the best by miles."

Through this book, we have been informed that women have been playing cricket for centuries. The first recorded county match between two female sides was Surrey vs. Hampshire in 1811. Women's Test cricket began in 1934. The first cricket World Cup was contested by women in 1973, two years before the men. There are women cricket writers, photographers, physios, scorers, press officers, committee members and administrators.

Tim de Lisle considers Sachin Tendulkar as cricket's biggest star. "Once I watched India play Australia in Mumbai. Many of the crowd cheered when Rahul Dravid was out, even though it was a blow to India's hopes. They cheered because it meant they would see Tendulkar."