Luther Lassiter Instructional Book

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recoveryjones

AzB Silver Member
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I was recentley in a 2nd hand book store and bought a 96 page Billiards instructional book called "Billiards for everyone" as taught by the legendary Luther Lassiter. In this book Luther shows the aspiring pool player the basics of pool.It is full of black and white pictures featuring Mr Lassiter.The book was printed in 1965.The book was in very good to excellent condition so I bought it along with 2 Bob Byrne books all at a great price.

My thinking is that it may some day (or already is) a collectors item.Does anyone else have this book?Are there any collectors of Billiards meorablilia out there?

The book has a picture of Luther's unique left handed fist bridge for left handed shots.He also explains his 4 finger cue hold as he didn't believe in gripping the cue but rather cradling it in the fingertips.I didn't learn much else from the book, however, enjoyed the classic B+W pictures throughout.

I heard that Luther Lassiter was one of the greatest 9 ball players of all time.Did anyone ever see him play? Does anyone have videos of him playing 9 ball? If so I'd like to check them out. RJ
 
Great player

Yeah, I have the book...it is ok.
Just to have some of these old books...is a great collection.
I watched Luther play many times...Stardust hotel...World Pool tourney in LA...etc.
I ran a tourney in Vegas 1974 and he drew Dick Lane...known as a very slow player...Luther jumped up and asked where was a store nearby he could buy a book...he showed up for his match with a book on the players table near him!!!
Yes...a great player.
 
recoveryjones said:
Does anyone have videos of him playing 9 ball? If so I'd like to check them out. RJ
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I never knew he wrote a book. ESPN had a series that was filmed many years ago called the Legends of Pool or something, which they just ran in it's entirety a few months back. He with all of the greats were competing against each other in an old timer's tournament. They were somewhat past their prime, however, they could ALL still play damn good. I also won a couple of auctions on ebay that had him playing in a couple of tournament way back that were in B&W. He was a tremendously deadly shooter from anywhere.
It included Mosconi, Fats, Cowboy Jimmy Moore, U.J. Puckett, Joe Balsis, and more.
 
Yes, I have a copy of the book, just as a collector's item. It's worth the price just to read the quote about pool, "this game is tough as a cob."

Bert Kinister has all of the Legends of Pocket Billiards television shows for sale on videotape (in addition to tons of old documentary footage from as far back as the 1930's).
 
recoveryjones said:
I heard that Luther Lassiter was one of the greatest 9 ball players of all time.Did anyone ever see him play? Does anyone have videos of him playing 9 ball? If so I'd like to check them out. RJ
Click to expand...

You know, RJ, I probably saw Lassiter play about twenty times, but every time it was straight pool. Still, I saw enough of him to realize that he pocketed balls at a level that was downright scary. In discussions of the best pocketers of all-time, Lasister's name always comes up (the names Earl Strickland, Cole Dixon and Fong Pang Chao seem to surface in such discussions, too).

Everyone in those days considered Lassiter the best nine-baller, and I once heard that his nine-ball game was so strong that he had a hard time getting even the most dangerous action players onto the table. Johnny Irish, who had a good record against Irving Crane at nine-ball, didn't want any piece of Lassiter when it came to nine ball.

Still, and I often post this, beware the danger of comparing Lassiter to today's nine ball greats. The "Texas Express" game on today's equipment is not easily compared to the "One-shot Shootout" version on the old equipment. The comparison, in the end, isn't really possible. Nonetheless, as the nineball great of his era, Lassiter is certainly deserving of mention among the all-time nine ball greats.
 
I have an autugraphed copy that I havent seen in 15 years. I hope that I can findit. And maybe you will se it on ebay soon.
 
recoveryjones said:
I was recentley in a 2nd hand book store and bought a 96 page Billiards instructional book called "Billiards for everyone" as taught by the legendary Luther Lassiter. In this book Luther shows the aspiring pool player the basics of pool.It is full of black and white pictures featuring Mr Lassiter.The book was printed in 1965.The book was in very good to excellent condition so I bought it along with 2 Bob Byrne books all at a great price.

My thinking is that it may some day (or already is) a collectors item.Does anyone else have this book?Are there any collectors of Billiards meorablilia out there?

The book has a picture of Luther's unique left handed fist bridge for left handed shots.He also explains his 4 finger cue hold as he didn't believe in gripping the cue but rather cradling it in the fingertips.I didn't learn much else from the book, however, enjoyed the classic B+W pictures throughout.

I heard that Luther Lassiter was one of the greatest 9 ball players of all time.Did anyone ever see him play? Does anyone have videos of him playing 9 ball? If so I'd like to check them out. RJ
Click to expand...

RJ,
I too have that book. I got it about 30 years ago. It is all pretty basic instruction covering rudimentary fundamentals. It is interesting to note the cue Wimpy is using on the cover of the book. It is a Harvey Martin cue with a cork wrap. There is a new book written by R.A.Dyer called "Hustler Days" that is currently availalbe at book stores (Barnes and Nobel) for sure that contains Luther Lassiter's biography, sadly incomplete, but there none the less, but is still interesting to read about. He was considered a truly fantastic player whether in torunaments or gambling. He was always complaining about some sort of ailment, real or imagined (nobody could tell) but no matter how sick he seemed, he always tended to make more balls than his opponent. Straight pool was the game when he was in his prime and running 150 and out was always a possibility with Wimpy...no matter how "sick" he was. The videos mentioned in another response are available and they show his style and his stroke. And even though he was in his early sisties when these were filmed, he could play very well. I would have liked to have seen him in his prime...as a spectator, not as an opponent. He was in his late sixties when he died. One of his nephews found him dead on the floor in his home. He had no money to speak of (12 dollars in his pocket), he had no family, just siblings and their children and he had no friends...actually, a pretty sad way to go for one of the greatest pool players that ever lived.
 
recoveryjones said:
...
My thinking is that it may some day (or already is) a collectors item.Does anyone else have this book?Are there any collectors of Billiards meorablilia out there?

The book has a picture of Luther's unique left handed fist bridge for left handed shots. ..
Click to expand...

The book sells on eBay fairly often for under $10. He also had a hardback book called "The Modern Guide to Pocket Billiards" in 1964 which goes for about $20. One thing to note about the "streak camera" pictures of balls in "Billiards for Everyone" is that the paths of the balls seem to have been touched in, in case someone wanted to try to study physics from them.

The first big tournament I attended was the US Open (14.1) in 1969. When I arrived, there was an old guy on the practice table. I watched him for a while, and he looked pretty bad. Often out of line, never happy with the position. I was wondering how such a weak player had managed to get into the Open (which you had to qualifiy for). I was ready to ask him to play some, but you had to be entered to use the practice tables.

That old stumblebum was Luther Lassiter. He won the tournament including the (two game) finals against Jack Breit. That was quite a tournament, including the record losing margin (150 to -13 with Joe Balsis on the short end) and a 3.5 hour match with a drunk Eddie Kelly against Danny Gartner. Kelly stalled long enough to sober up enough to win.

If Lassiter ran 80, you could be pretty sure he would have banked three balls. Often after getting tied up on the break, he would study the rack for a long time, then call the most improbable ball, give the rack a whack, and the ball would split the jaws. He was the best I've seen at using the 3-foul rule, and I saw him take three fouls three times in one game against Dick Lane. Lassiter ran 103 and eventually won the game. (1975 Open.)

Lassiter came to several tournaments in California, especially those run by Terry Stonier who was a great promoter in Sacramento. At one tournament, Lassiter was having trouble with his contact lenses, and had to take one out, but couldn't do it himself. He asked the young guy who was the referee -- A brief aside... If the promoter is any good, each table will have a referee -- to help him get the lens out. Lassiter had a tool that looked like a golf tee, and the ref had to place the cupped end on the lens and then pull it out of Lassiter's eye. How would you like the job of poking a stick in Luther's eye?

Stonier also had Lassiter to exhibitions, and he did one 14.1 break shot that I still don't believe.

Lassiter is not the only person who uses that left-handed bridge.
 
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