David Rayvern Allen

David Rayvern Allen (5 February 1938 – 9 October 2014)^[1] was a cricket writer and historian, as well as a radio producer and presenter, and a speaker.^[2][3] He had also been a musician.^[4] His radio productions have won awards including the 1991 Prix Italia for Who Pays the Piper, a collaboration with Richard Stilgoe.^[5] He died aged 76 in 2014.^[6]

Works

Radio

• King Vidor profile BBC Radio 1978 (presenter)
• Billy Wilder profile BBC Radio 1978 (interviewer)

With Richard Stilgoe

• Used Notes^[7]
• Music on the Brain^[7]
• The Singing Wheelchair^[7]
• Hamburger Weekend (1984)^[7]
• Who Pays the Piper (1991)^[7][8]

Cricket-related (partial list)

• A Song for Cricket (1981) ISBN 978-0720712872
• The "Punch" Book of Cricket (1985) ISBN 978-0246123848
• Cricket on the Air: A Selection from Fifty Years of Radio Broadcasts (1985) BBC Books ISBN 978-0563203438
• Arlott on Wine (1987) ISBN 978-0006370611 (with John Arlott)
• Sir Aubrey: A Biography of C. Aubrey Smith - England Cricketer, West End Actor, Hollywood Film Star (1st 1982), J. W. McKenzie , (2nd 1987), ISBN 978-0947821197;^[9] augmented edition: limited to 150 (2005),^[10] 2010: ISBN 0947821198^[11]
• The Guinness Book of Cricket Extras (1988) (with Honor Head), Guinness Publishing ISBN 978-0851124858
• Arlott: The Authorised Biography (2004) ISBN 978-1845130022
• Jim: The Life of E. W. Swanton (2004) ISBN 978-1854109002
• The Second Lord's Cricket Ground: Home of MCC, 1811-1813 (2006) MCC^[12]
• Songs of Cricket (2011) mentor for this Signum CD by cantabile - the London Quartet with guests Rory Bremner, Tim Rice, Richard Stilgoe, Alex L'Estrange, Eliza Lumley and Chris Hatt

Other

• Punches on the Page: A Boxing Anthology (1998) ISBN 978-1851589876
• Living with London (2012) Methuen ISBN 978-0413777393 (with Nick Botting)

References

1. Michael Down "David Rayvern Allen obituary", The Guardian, 26 October 2014
2. "English-Speaking Union Hosts Lecture" ENCToday.com March 20, 2007
3. "Book of the Year 2011 Winner Announced" The Cricket Society
4. "Eleven Lords a-batting"
5. Prix Italia winners 1949-2010 RAI
6. "Cricket historian Rayvern Allen dies". 13 October 2014.
7. Richard Stilgoe website
8. Who Pays the Piper BBC Radio 2 listings 1991
9. Allen, David Rayvern (1987). Sir Aubrey: A Biography of C. Aubrey Smith - England Cricketer, West End Actor, Hollywood Film Star [Illustrated] [Paperback]. ISBN 978-0947821197. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
10. Sir Aubrey. 2005.
11. Sir Aubrey. 2010. ISBN 0947821198. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
12. MCC Publications