$8728.85 for old (1684) billiard related book!

Billy_Bob

Billy_Bob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
How much are old billiard books worth? This one is up there! (I like the description though...)

Price: $8728.85

Title: The school of recreation: or, the gentlemans tutor, to those most ingenious exercises of hunting, racing, hawking, riding, cock-fighting, fowling, fishing, shooting, bowling, tennis, ringing, billiards

Description: London: 1684 ...The last chapter is on billiards. This contains a detailed technical account of the game including "the forme and make of the table," "the utensils, instruments and balls," followed by an elaborate explanation of the rules. As it is a civilised game, players are urged to observe "diligent Care of keeping a Decorum, in the prosecuting of the same, so does it require that we handle our instruments with a neat and tractable hand, [and] dislikes a Clumsey-Fist, which palms the Stick, as if he were handling a Plough-share.."...

More info on book...
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=302915624
 
I had 12 Brunswick Balke and Collender one piece pool cues a few years ago that were in very good condition. I gave them away not knowing that they were worth a pretty penny. This isn't really related to your post, but thought I would share it anyway. (Although I did triple my money on the table that I sold).
 
Billy_Bob said:
How much are old billiard books worth? This one is up there! (I like the description though...)

Price: $8728.85

Description: London: 1684 ...The last chapter is on billiards. This contains a detailed technical account of the game including "the forme and make of the table," "the utensils, instruments and balls," followed by an elaborate explanation of the rules. As it is a civilised game, players are urged to observe "diligent Care of keeping a Decorum, in the prosecuting of the same, so does it require that we handle our instruments with a neat and tractable hand, [and] dislikes a Clumsey-Fist, which palms the Stick, as if he were handling a Plough-share.."...
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This is classic. Pool was very up-scale back then, played by the upper classes only.

It was the billiard players of hundreds of years ago that give us the tapping of the stick to show approval of opponent's shot. Where did they get it from?
Oddly enough, it comes from the professional etiquette of symphony orchestra productions. Musicians were not permitted to speak or applaud during the performances, so the way they showed their approval for the performance of a soloist was by tapping their feet on the ground. Back then, talking was also not considered proper etiquette during a game of billiards, so the tapping of the cue in billiards was, similarly, a means of showing approval for another's "performance" without speaking.

I'm sure those of you who are over 200 years old remember it well.
 
sjm said:
This is classic. Pool was very up-scale back then, played by the upper classes only.

It was the billiard players of hundreds of years ago that give us the tapping of the stick to show approval of opponent's shot. Where did they get it from?
Oddly enough, it comes from the professional etiquette of symphony orchestra productions. Musicians were not permitted to speak or applaud during the performances, so the way they showed their approval for the performance of a soloist was by tapping their feet on the ground. Back then, talking was also not considered proper etiquette during a game of billiards, so the tapping of the cue in billiards was, similarly, a means of showing approval for another's "performance" without speaking.

I'm sure those of you who are over 200 years old remember it well.
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dey didnt have cue sticks 200 year ago dude so keep fishin and tryin to rerite history. where you get that infromation from guy
 
Cue tapping and books

Any article of lterature that is 321 years old has got be worth whatever price it is marked (to someone). I did not follow the link but if the book is available it might be interesting to Simonis, as this is near the time the family began making cloth.

sjm - As far as cue tapping on the floor, your story is enlightening and I would like to know more about your researched information, or is it second hand?

The story I tell to my billiard class about the recent history of "cue tapping" came from a friend of mine who owned a pool room back in the forties.

It was a small room in a small town on the west coast with three pocket billiard tables. Each morning he would open the room, set up shop and begin practicing. If the first patron of the day was alone, he would play the customer and charge a nickel per two racks (or games). If there were two customers he would charge a nickel per game, and move to the next table and continue practicing. This went on until all the tables were being used.

He would then tend to the counter and rack for the patrons at the end of each game. If he was busy, the patrons would get his attention by "Tapping on the floor with their cue", and of course collect his nickel. He controlled his income by not allowing the customers to rack for themselves.

Now I want to ask him if he allowed players to tap (or applaud) for a good shot. He's a pretty funny guy and I'll bet he had a sign made saying, "No Racking, and tapping costs a nickel".
 
Banker Burt said:
As far as cue tapping on the floor, your story is enlightening and I would like to know more about your researched information, or is it second hand?
Click to expand...

Second hand, Burt........

I learned it many years ago from a tour guide when I visited Hampton Court, royal residence of yesteryear, on the outskirts of London. The tour guide mentioned that Hampton Court had been among the first places where billiards was played, and mentioned that the game was originally played in formal attire with no talking during the play. When somebody asked how one might compliment one's opponent during the play, the tour guide explained that tapping the cuestick lightly on the grass (yes, that's grass --- the billiard table there had apparently been supported by just grass) was the etiquette for silent approval, and that it had derived from the symphony, where speaking was taboo.

Next time you go to a symphony, you might notice that, although orchestral members are now, generally, permitted to applaud the efforts of a soloist, some still prefer to tap their feet on the ground as their means of showing "old-style" approval.
 
lawn game

Thanks sjm.

Your source is good enough for me, since you were hearing it from a tour guide with knowledge about proper etiquette.

It might just be, though, the tour guide is referring to croquet. I am just trying to visualize a table wih grass on it. Then again, it is common to see grass on rooftops in Europe so maybe he is right.

Either way, it stills makes for good conversation about our sport's history.

Thanks again
 
I think SJM was refering to the grass as the floor, the tour guide may very well of mentioned croquet as the earliest forms of billiards were indoor variations of the outdoor game (the traditional green cloth was simulated grass).
 
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