by Mayukh Ghosh
"I have combed the internet, but in vain. One or two sellers in the U.K. has it but they are not very keen to ship the magazines to India. Perhaps you can help?"
"Okay. I will arrange all 24 issues by the end of the year."
This was in June 2017. For a couple of years, I have been desperate to get hold of a complete run of Wisden Cricket Monthly. No one could assure me like that.
"Do you have the two volumes of Webster? And Post-Padwick by Gibbs?"
"I do have the two volumes. I will get a copy of Post-Padwick in a few months."
"Something signed by Ray Robinson? And the privately published Guide to the Green Lillies by G Derek West?"
" I do have a copy of the first edition of 'On Top Down Under' signed by the author. Can provide G Derek West's book as well"
When I met Gideon Haigh, he told me that there are two places in the world that I must visit.
David Frith's house in Guildford, Surrey.
Roger Page's house in Yallambie, Victoria.
When he was 12 years old, he came to Australia. When he was 21, he wrote a book on the history of Tasmanian cricket.
Then, in June 1969, he went to England to acquire stock.
In October 1969, he published his first catalogue.
It's been 50 years.
Roger Page has never failed to publish a catalogue which has been a bi-monthly affair since 1973.
When I asked him about his early days, he was honest:
"I got into dealing,at first from Tasmania, as a means of increasing the personal library and making contact with other collectors in Australia.
The first customers were mainly subscribers to the serious English cricket periodical ‘The Cricket Quarterly’. (Was appointed Australian agent in 1965).
It was a part-time business for 3 years with the tax man taking all the profits!
Moved to Melbourne in late 1971 and set up the business full-time, working from home.Took about 4 years to become fully established."
He could continue only because his wife provided financial support during those early years.
He never says 'no' because he is always confident that he'll be able to find 'that book'.
And nothing stops him from finding those rare books- multiple surgeries over the last couple of years but every time he has made a successful 'comeback'.
Roger Page, Australia's last specialist cricket bookseller, was born on June 25, 1936.