The 150 editions of Wisden Cricketers' Almanac have contained more than 133,000 pages since the first edition was published in 1864. Over the years the Almanack – published every year without fail – has charted the highs and lows of the game, always giving its authoritative opinion on the players, the matches and the pressing issues of the day.

For the first time in one volume, The Essential Wisden provides the pick of those 150 years and 133,000 pages. From the forthright Editor's Notes by the likes of Sydney H. Pardon, Hubert Preston, John Woodcock and Matthew Engel, through reports on key matches around the world, and features on the game's top players, to the renowned obituaries of people in and around the game, and a range of cricket's idiosyncratic “Unusual Occurrences”, John Stern and Marcus Williams distil the Almanac's most significant and fascinating writing into one anthology.

With the pick of a century and a half of the best cricket writing, from the leading writers on the game including John Arlott, Neville Cardus and Gideon Haigh, The Essential Wisden is a must-have for any dedicated reader of the Almanack – and indeed for any devoted follower of the history of cricket – providing a fascinating lens through which to view the changing nature of the game.