Cricket and sport generally was never the main preoccupation of Vanity Fair, which was started as a satirical magazine, without illustrations, in 1868. The first cricketer W. G. Grace, did not appear until 9 years later. Before Grace the only sportsman to appear was Captain Webb, in 1875, after swimming the channel, and the gymnast Captain Fred Burnaby (1876). About half the cricketers were drawn from the home counties -- Middlesex, Surrey, Kent and Essex -- and no professional was included until 1902. Of nearly 2,500 cartoons published before the magazine finally folded in 1914, only 32 were chosen primarily as cricketers. Nevertheless, the game had a better representation than any other sport in the magazine, and were it not for its gallery of sportsmen who would remember Vanity Fair now? As individuals, the Vanity Fair cricketers will always be the object of fascination. John Arlott stated in his introduction to Russell March's book: "The Vanity Fair drawings were skilfully executed by capable draughtsmen, and the colour-litho prints were technically extremely well made". VANITY FAIR (publisher) - 'RANJI', chromolithograph by 'Spy', 26th August 1897, 285 x 415mm., framed and glazed. With 5 other Vanity Fair's of exact dimensions and also framed and glazed, "An artful bowler", "Yorkshire", "A Flannelled Fighter", "Repton, Oxford & Somerset" and "Plum", also included are 2 Vanity Fair supplements. (8)