Knocking Down The Don

As heroes go, Don Bradman has proved more durable than most. Playing before the television era helped, as did the quiet way he lived out his latter years. Nonetheless, cricket fans who've read widely are aware that Bradman had his flaws. He was aloof, a little selfish, perhaps, and parsimonious. Not for him drinks with the boys and colorful chat. Australia's greatest sportsman was an introvert who preferred reading and sipping tea to making friends.

To which you might say, so what? These are hardly grave faults. A new biography of a...