Tom Thompson correspondence with Don Bradman, 1994-1998

MLMSS 8646

fonds

1994-1998

423683

0.05 metres of textual material (1 folder)

Donald George Bradman was born on 27 August 1908 in the NSW country town of Cootamundra, moving to Bowral in the Southern Highlands of NSW two and a half years later with his family. He attended Bowral Public School and spent many hours during his childhood playing backyard cricket with a golf ball and a cricket stump. As a teenager Bradman played cricket for his school and county, coming to the attention of state and national selectors. In 1928 Bradman made his Test cricket debut for Australia, which was the beginning of his celebrated and record-breaking career. During his 21 years of first-class cricket, Bradman achieved everything that was possible in the sport - he captained his South Australian Sheffield Shield team; was a State selector; Test selector; and captain of the Australian Team for almost a decade, including of the 1948 Australian Test team known as The Invincibles. Bradman averaged a century - 100 runs - once in every three innings he played. His batting averages are revered. In his first international tour (1930) Bradman made 2960 runs (with a batting average of 98.66), including 10 centuries. In his final tour 18 years later, he made 2428 runs with an 89.92 batting average, including 11 centuries. When he retired in 1948, Bradman's legacy to the cricketing world was a remarkable Test batting average of 99.94. The tributes to Bradman kept coming after he retired. In 1949 he became the only Australian cricketer to be knighted. And in 1988 the Australian Confederation of Sport voted him greatest male athlete of the past 200 years. In 1960 Bradman became the first former Test player to be elected chairman of the Australian Board of Control. He continued to serve cricket as a selector and a member of the Board, including as chairman, for two terms. On 16 June 1979 he was invested as a Companion of the Order of Australia. Sir Donald Bradman died on 25 February 2001 at the age of 92. He is widely recognised as the world's best ever batsman and a truly great Australian.

Sir Donald Bradman wrote a number of autobiographical and instructional books related to cricket. These include, 'Farewell to cricket' published by ‬ETT Imprint in 1997 and
‬'The art of cricket‎' published by ETT Imprint in 1998.

References:
http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/don-bradman, accessed 08/08/2012.
Also compiled from the collection

Correspondence, including 40 letters between publisher Tom Thompson of ETT (Editions Tom Thompson) Watsons Bay, Sydney, and Sir Donald Bradman and one by his secretary, related to the publication of 'Farewell to cricket' published by ‬ETT Imprint in 1997 and 'The art of cricket‎' published by ETT Imprint in 1998.
Collection also includes letters to Ray Martin and others, together with copies of Thompson's letters to Bradman.

Copyright status:: In copyright - This collection has multiple rights owners
Approval for reproduction required:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

Information upgraded as part of the Manuscripts Unprocessed eRecords Project 2012-2013