Much has been written about Brian Close but, as Robin Smith, Chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, writes in his foreword, surely there is little to add. Just a Few Lines... is not about bewildered batsmen being caught at mid-wicket off a crouched Close's balding pate at short-leg but it is a story of the younger Close's earlier days in sport and life, and written by himself.

It may not be known that Close was an inveterate and indeed prolific letter writer. After Close's death in 2015 at the age of 84, a treasure trove of letters was found which the young Brian had written to his best friend, John Anderson, who had also died.

David Warner and Ron Deaton have done a fine job in reprinting many of these letters and added helpful, background comments so that the reader can be more conversant with the subject being written about. Some of the letters have been written on hotel or cricket organisations' headed paper, and many are long and will have taken the author much time to write.

It is an ideal way to find out even more about Brian Close and could be considered almost autobiographical. There are some rare photos in the book as well as autographs (which he gathered for John Anderson) and other memorabilia. The letters are not solely about cricket but some are written during his period of National Service, and contain his youthful experiences and observations also. Close may have subsequently built up a reputation for talking frankly and there are some interesting insights along the way with the recipient sometimes being admonished for possibly expecting too much of his famous friend.

It is nice to see the style and fine handwriting in which the letters have been written and the envelopes addressed with each subsequent line started pretty much after the third letter of the upper line. Readers will also quickly notice the much-mentioned ending to a letter of "Cheerio and Good Luck."
The letters do run out but this may have been because, at that time, the telephone was more readily available.

Great Northern Books have produced another beautifully presented and bound book involving Yorkshire cricket and are once again to be congratulated.