Vinciness – paperback edition pre-order

Vinciness (eng. noun. pron. Vincz-ee-ness)

Definition

1 . the state of being immersed in the beauty of a game.

2. to describe a moment of promise cut short by carelessness, or recklessness, or bad luck.

Format

Vinciness, Or The Unbearable Sadness of Batting will be published in a B-format paperback edition on 2 June 2026.

It has once again been designed by the great Dan Toomey at Fisher Classics. The cover is on 300gsm silk with matt laminated finish, and the 100pp inside on 100gsm Lessebo Vanilla. Perfect bound. 

You can pre-order here, and it will be mailed to you on 2 June. 

The book

What is it like to have the world know one thing about you?

James Vince is a cricketer with more than fifty international caps and a pro career that has seen him lift trophies in domestic and franchise cricket. He was on the field during a World Cup Final and played in heated Ashes Test matches. 

And yet that same career has become symbolic of something else: a fragility and failure that has driven both supporters and detractors to despair, and worse.

Starring not just James Vince, but Tiger Woods, Gus Caeser, Ralph Steadman, John Arlott, Bill Buckner, David Inshaw, George Best, Brian Lara, sharks, and the greatest cricket picture ever painted, Vinciness is a unique exploration of expectation versus reality, and of what makes cricket beautiful. 

Jon Hotten is the author of seven books, including The Years of the Locust, The Meaning of Cricket and Bat, Ball & Field.

'In its crisp prose and and reflective digressions, Vinciness is typically delightful’ - Gideon Haigh, Cricket et al.

'Hotten has emerged as a worthy addition to the lineage of writers who adhere to C L R James’s aphorism: “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” - New Statesman

Further info

A note on orders outside the UK:

For Australian orders, please click here where you can order direct for domestic shipping.

For anywhere else, email me - jonhotten@icloud.com and I can ship to you.

Shipping calculated at checkout.

For orders outside the UK, or personalised copies, please contact jonhotten@icloud.com.