Favorite Billiard Books

sizl

sizl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am interested in some of the better "billiard books"(stories about the road and hustling not "how to" books).

So what is your favorite?

I have recently read "The Green Felt Jungle" and I must say it was a good read for me. It seemed like almost every person in the book I knew and was at some of the spots Humphries was referring to. If you are a poolplayer from the southeast you have to read this book.

I am now reading "Playing off of the Rail", not a bad read so far but it is more about west coast pool.
 
Buddy Hall's book has some great stories in it. He even admits losing (once) to Andy Oguine. There is a great story about how he got to Oklahoma the first time and beating Louie Roberts, "giving him the 7 ball" many times before Louie ever woke up.
 
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I read a few of Robert Byrne's books. His Great Pool Stories book is alright but most of the stories are boring and fictional. Some drag on for too long and some just arent long enough. I just finished reading The Colour Of Money. It is an awesome book. Doesn't follow the storyline of the movie at all. They are not even similar, not one event in the movie is in the book. Tom Cruises character doesn't even exist in the book. It is a real sequel to 'The Hustler' all about Fast Eddy Felson getting back into pool. I would recommend it to anyone!! I read 'Playing off the Rail' and thought it was a pretty damn good book. I'm looking for a few more too read though, hopefully i get some good recommendations in here.
 
The only book regarding stories of playing pool on the road that I've read is "Playing off the Rail" by David McComber (I think that's the way he spells it). I recommend it highly. Of course I live on the west coast and am familiar with a lot of the characters in the book so that probably made it a little more interesting to me. It's about Tony Annigoni and David McComber traveling up to Seattle and then back down to LA and a few other spots but primarily along the western states. David did a great job of writing and I think the book would be a good read for just about anyone.
 
Oh, btw, I understand Keith McCready is thinking about having a book published of all his escapades. If it's written as good as "Playing off the Rail", it should be a great book.
 
:D Playing off the Rail is a great read. My favorite book was written by Grissom, the name escapes me but it is 7AM and I only been at work 2 hours, HAHAHA. Stories of legends like Fats, Gene Nagy and mention of the great James Evans. I'll look at the name and get back to ya. The book is outta print, but ya can find it on E-Bay or used book stores. Maybe a poster {KATO, get in here} will come up with the name.
 
[. Stories of legends like Fats, Gene Nagy and mention of the great James Evans. I'll look at the name and get back to ya. The book is outta print, but ya can find it on E-Bay or used book stores. Maybe a poster {KATO, get in here} will come up with the name. [/B][/QUOTE]


Voodoo Daddy, the book is 'Hustlers and Heroes, Legends and Lies'. It was also the first mention of Efren and the great players of the Phillipines.

Andy
 
I just checked Amazon and I could not find it on there, I will look on Ebay for it. Thanks for the info!

P.S. Is this Andy G. from Starcade, by way of Enterprise, Ala.?
 
Sizl,

I believe it to be Ozark but not sure.
What I am sure about is... let me know if you
find a place to order that book. I will order one also.

I will also purchase Winning One Pocket by Eddie Robins
if anyone knows where one is to be had.
 
Hi Sizl (and Frank),

Yes, it's me, still around after all these years.

The book is by John Grissom, and I believe the complete title is 'Hustlers and Heroes, Legends and Lies, and the Search For Higher Truth on The Green Felt'.

It has some great stories and great quotes from years ago. I've heard that it's been out of print for some time. I have no idea where you'd find a copy., but if I run across a lead, I'll pass it on.

The book was prophetic, as I mentioned in an earlier post, because the author spent some time in Manilla, and saw the great potential of the Fillipino players.

AndyG
 
A fun book to read...
The Bank Shot and other Great Robberies"
by Minnesota Fats and Tom Fox
 
Sizl, thanks for the great plug of my book. We recently printed 1500 more books and I added an additiona chapter which has some real good Keith McCready stories in that added on chapter.
Once again, I'm glad so many of my readers enjoyed my book which has 182 pages of true adventures......Gerald Huber
 
fxskater said:
...not one event in [The Color of Money] is in the book.
Click to expand...
Sorry, man, I'm going to have to bust you. In the movie, Grady's character orders a Drambuie and potato salad. Boomer orders the same thing in the book. :p

I'm a bookworm and have been on a pool literature kick for about the past year. Some of my favorites are:

Playing off the Rail - Big thanks to McCumber and Annigoni for taking us on their road trip. This book has more ability to sell outside of the pool enthusiast market than any other book I've read.

Willie's Game - Fun and informative autobiography of the master.

McGoorty - Grimy and sometimes unpleasant. So much talent; if only it hadn't been blurred by the bottom of a shot glass. But there's a lot of information about billiards and its luminaries in the day when billiards was America's game. I wish America still had that billiards presence.

Cornbread Red - Billy Joe Burge has led quite an interesting life. I have an Accu-Stat video of one of his games on the way and can't wait to see him play.

The Hustler and The Color of Money - Classics. Both were better than the movies - Grady and Keith's performances excepted, of course.

I have a copy of Rags to Rifleman at my father's house, but I haven't read it yet. I'm looking forward to it.
 
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I believe in the book Eddies' character gets new glasses and spends alot of time in the pool
 
jungledude said:
Sizl, thanks for the great plug of my book. We recently printed 1500 more books and I added an additiona chapter which has some real good Keith McCready stories in that added on chapter.
Once again, I'm glad so many of my readers enjoyed my book which has 182 pages of true adventures......Gerald Huber
Click to expand...

I saw you on ccb asking keith to let you write a book about him and he said he was going to write his own book. Were these keith stories in that add on chapter written and published prior to this conversation?

BW
 
I just read Amarillo Slims book and it was an interesting read; I didn't know that he was such a good pool player. Limited description of pool gambling but a good gambling and especially poker history book. I would like to read Grady's book but I'm not sure I want to pay to read about his sex life. Buddy's book was interesting; Playing off the Rail was a good read- I was actually watching when Boy George worked Bob for the cash. Twenty 100's stacked on the light and the guy shot like a C player- he lost 10 of 11 sets. The stuff dreams are made of...
 
Gradys book was interesting but the sex part was completely unnecessary, actually kind of disturbing.........Playing off the rail was excellent
 
jungledude said:
Sizl, thanks for the great plug of my book. We recently printed 1500 more books and I added an additiona chapter which has some real good Keith McCready stories in that added on chapter.
Once again, I'm glad so many of my readers enjoyed my book which has 182 pages of true adventures......Gerald Huber
Click to expand...

Gerald, sounds like a GREAT book. I am going to purchase one later today.

By the way, with the additional Keith McCready stories in the second edition, did he provide any input into the final product before publication? So many things are written these days about a lot of players, and I was curious about the "spicy Keith McCready stories" and whether he had been consulted beforehand as to the veracity of this new second edition. Just curious.

ManlyShot
 
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