I received last week a copy of Alfie Taylor’s book, “The Other Side of the Road…a Pool Hustler’s Tale”. He graciously sent it to me gratis since I was selected in one of his contests. I read the entire book in about three innings! I encourage you all to add this wonderful book to your libraries!
One way or another, I’ve been acquiring all of these pool history books (such as Jay Helfert’s “Pool Wars” and Robert LeBlanc’s “Confessions of a pool hustler”) since I find it so interesting to read about the adventures and characters associated with hustling. It is truly a lifestyle that is almost incomprehensible to most of us.
In “The Other Side of the Road…a Pool Hustler’s Tale” you get to hear from Alfie’s perspective as a hustler in the 1960’s and 1970’s who knew all the tricks to acquire money from his hapless opponents. He readily admits that he was not a world beater, but simply knew how to choose his victims and match up in his favor. He did this successfully for many years, travelling around from room to room, often in his motorhome.
In Alfie’s book you see parts of the hustler’s life that are exhilarating and we want to imagine ourselves as participants. Other elements are terrifying and involve truly life threatening events. Either way, you can’t help but put yourself in those circumstances and imagine how you would have fared. That is what is so captivating about these stories.
I find it fascinating how many of the heroes and villains intersect in all of these books, and we get to see them from different perspectives and experiences. Alfie befriended and travelled with Minnesota Fats, Eddie Taylor, U.J. Puckett, Buddy Hall, Weenie Beanie, among many others. Alfie and Eddie Taylor, in particular, were road partners for many years, having a very profitable collaboration and close friendship. It was wonderful to hear of his experiences with these legends of pool.
Thirty years ago, Alfie decided that he had had enough of that life and ultimately became a very successful businessman. I am now eagerly awaiting his next book that will chronical that transition that led him to Morocco, among other places.
We all like success stories, and Alfie’s is definitely one.
His book can be found at:
http://www.alftaylor.com/
You can also PM Alf Taylor here on AZ Billiards for more information.
--Steve
One way or another, I’ve been acquiring all of these pool history books (such as Jay Helfert’s “Pool Wars” and Robert LeBlanc’s “Confessions of a pool hustler”) since I find it so interesting to read about the adventures and characters associated with hustling. It is truly a lifestyle that is almost incomprehensible to most of us.
In “The Other Side of the Road…a Pool Hustler’s Tale” you get to hear from Alfie’s perspective as a hustler in the 1960’s and 1970’s who knew all the tricks to acquire money from his hapless opponents. He readily admits that he was not a world beater, but simply knew how to choose his victims and match up in his favor. He did this successfully for many years, travelling around from room to room, often in his motorhome.
In Alfie’s book you see parts of the hustler’s life that are exhilarating and we want to imagine ourselves as participants. Other elements are terrifying and involve truly life threatening events. Either way, you can’t help but put yourself in those circumstances and imagine how you would have fared. That is what is so captivating about these stories.
I find it fascinating how many of the heroes and villains intersect in all of these books, and we get to see them from different perspectives and experiences. Alfie befriended and travelled with Minnesota Fats, Eddie Taylor, U.J. Puckett, Buddy Hall, Weenie Beanie, among many others. Alfie and Eddie Taylor, in particular, were road partners for many years, having a very profitable collaboration and close friendship. It was wonderful to hear of his experiences with these legends of pool.
Thirty years ago, Alfie decided that he had had enough of that life and ultimately became a very successful businessman. I am now eagerly awaiting his next book that will chronical that transition that led him to Morocco, among other places.
We all like success stories, and Alfie’s is definitely one.
His book can be found at:
http://www.alftaylor.com/
You can also PM Alf Taylor here on AZ Billiards for more information.
--Steve
