The Other Side of the Road by Alf Taylor

alf taylor

jgpool said:

This was one of the best pool related books I have ever read. Alfie is very funny with his self deprecating, sarcastic humor at every turn. He is lucky to be alive after living through some of the most frightening events throughout his life as a pool hall patron. Some highlights that caught my attention were:

Page 93 - Alf's letter to Teresa Bell (Fats wife at the time he passed) was used as Fats eulogy at his funeral.

Page 103 - Alf, you brought tears to my eyes with your telling of how you felt at Eddie Taylors death bed.

Page 153 - Very funny stuff here, Grady and the fire ants. (Alfie was a practical joker sometimes)

Page 199 - A very touching contribution from Alfie's first wife Bev.

Page 213 - Alfie is about to die on the highway but a piece of ice saves his life.

Thanks Alfie for sharing your life experiences with me.

This is a must read, go get it now!!

Click to expand...

best pool book out there

Get an autographed copy and a photo with the author

Alf is leaving Thursday for Las Vegas and will be at the Riviera Hotel & Casino during the U.S. Open One Pocket Tournament. He will be sitting at a table in the vendors area and would love to talk with any of you AZ people who stop by. This would be a good chance for you to get an autographed copy of his book and a photo of yourself with the author. I believe he will also have copies of the DVDs he has mentioned in several posts here on AZ.

Another nice comment on Alf's book came in just yesterday when Kevin Cook emailed me his reaction to the book:

"Taylor Runs the Table
A rollicking account of hustling in its heyday, vividly told by a pro who crossed paths with the legends.
--Kevin Cook, author of Titanic Thompson, the Man
Who Bet on Everything"

I am heavily biased because of my own involvement with Alf's book, but I do believe it is one of the best pool player autobiographies and is also great read for the non-pool playing public.

It's a must-read!

I just finished reading the copy I won through Alf's contest here. I have read most of the pool "road story" books and autobiographies that have come out in the past 20 years or so, and Alf's book is as good as any I've read. Alf doesn't do a lot of listing who he has beaten and for how much over the years, that isn't what the book is about. What he does do is paint a vivid picture of numerous experiences he had on the road, and in life. The book is written in such a way that you really feel like you are sitting beside Alf watching the story unfold as it happened.

A few particular things I appreciated about the book were:

1) The way you would often times "tease" a story by foreshadowing the end in the first paragraph, then weaving through the story (and sometimes an unrelated story) before tying in the foreshadow at the end. I'm sure there is a term for this technique, but I'm not a writer so I don't know what it's called....but I enjoyed it.

2) The pictures (mostly at the end) were great.

3) The quality of the materials used. This may seem like a minor thing, but Alf didn't skimp on the quality of paper he used for the pages of the book, this baby will hold up for a long time.

4) On a selfish note, the cherry on top for me came near the end of the book with a story about Alf's time in Des Moines.

If you are into pool at all (and if you are reading this on AZB you must be) then, trust me, this book is something you must add to your collection.

Thanks Alf!

where can you buy a copy?

The Other Side of the Road

efirkey said:

where can you buy a copy?

Click to expand...

you can buy it at: alftaylor.com

It's a great book.

First off, it's really well written. Alf writes well enough to be a professional writer. That's saying a lot for a guy who spent much of his life in pool rooms, a whole lot. A real pleasant surprise.

For example, it's never confusing. I've read a lot of pool books - almost all of them, in fact - and the storytelling frequently bogs down when you have to go back pages to find out "who's this guy again?". Names are thrown around as if the author expects the reader to keep track of every minor character that appeared briefly on some earlier page. I didn't have that problem with Alf's book. It's very easy to follow.

Second, there's no tedious shot-by-shot game replays like so many of these books have. If you find it hard to believe that a lifelong pool player can remember 20 year old games in such detail, then you and I think alike. Maybe they all have photographic memories? Even if every shot is as it happened, it's boring to read about how the author ran out in some long ago game.

Third, and most important, Alf's stories are good. All are interesting, a lot are funny, and some are poignant. As an example, I found Alf's recounting of how he turned the corner on his life quite moving, as was the final chapter in his personal "gunplay" story. You really get to know Alf as a person, a person you'd feel privileged to know.

Great job, Alf! I hope our paths cross someday so I can say that in person.