New Ralph Greenleaf Book

kling&allen said:
Thanks everyone for all the kind thoughts. To be clear I think Amazon will publish anything so it's not a sign of anything.
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Hahah...

It was an amazing read, both in content and structure. There are too few books about pool/ billiards and an unfortunate majority of them suffer from sub-sophomoric writing and editing. Your writing is on par with R.A. Dyer's, mccumber's, byrne's...

Well done, Sam. Thank you for preserving what was largely unknown.
 
I got it downloaded. I'll start reading it later after pool. I'm in a high stakes match against the wife.
 
kling&allen said:
Amazon published my book on Ralph Greenleaf, which a few of you had questions about over the last few months. The ebook version is currently free and can be downloaded here:


You don't need a kindle to read the ebook. Amazon has free apps for computers, tablets, and smartphones that work just as well.

The book is around 100 pages and is based on my original research. I was able to locate sources that others missed over the years, namely local newspapers, to fill in a lot of gaps in Ralph's story.

If you like the book all I ask if that you try to leave a review on Amazon. It not only helps me, but it will impact Amazon's algorithms to make sure other pool books wind up in search results as well. Amazon won't allow me to leave the price at 0 for more than a few days, so if you're interested I suggest downloading it now.

I'm proofing the paperback version and it should be out in a month or so. The paperback version can't be free as Amazon must print and ship it, but I'm working to keep the cost as low as possible.

Sam
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I bought (yes, bought) this book for $1.07 cents (or somewhere on the ballpark. So, it wasn't for free, but DAMN... great book!!! I have always been fascinated by Ralph Greenleaf for quite some time. For some particular reason, I have a theory that Greenleaf was better than Mosconi in a way that the former's position on the cue ball was crisp as well as the velocity he hit the object ball into the pocket was just precise. Thank you for taking your time into developing this book, Sam!
 
SlickRick_PCS said:
I bought (yes, bought) this book for $1.07 cents (or somewhere on the ballpark. So, it wasn't for free, but DAMN... great book!!! I have always been fascinated by Ralph Greenleaf for quite some time. For some particular reason, I have a theory that Greenleaf was better than Mosconi in a way that the former's position on the cue ball was crisp as well as the velocity he hit the object ball into the pocket was just precise. Thank you for taking your time into developing this book, Sam!
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Hahahaha. Dont let xharrimandarx read that, or the fact that a big part of mosconi's rise to fame was Brunswick's strong-arming of players, room owners and the domestic billiard world in general.
 
SlickRick_PCS said:
I bought (yes, bought) this book for $1.07 cents (or somewhere on the ballpark. So, it wasn't for free, but DAMN... great book!!! I have always been fascinated by Ralph Greenleaf for quite some time. For some particular reason, I have a theory that Greenleaf was better than Mosconi in a way that the former's position on the cue ball was crisp as well as the velocity he hit the object ball into the pocket was just precise. Thank you for taking your time into developing this book, Sam!
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Black-Balled said:
Hahahaha. Dont let xharrimandarx read that, or the fact that a big part of mosconi's rise to fame was Brunswick's strong-arming of players, room owners and the domestic billiard world in general.
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Thanks everyone for the continued feedback. I tried to avoid answering the question of who shot better pool (Ralph or Willie?), as I don't think it can be accurately answered. Ursitti did a statistical analysis, and Willie's tournament stats were better than Ralph's--something like 75% win rate to Ralph's 70%. And Willie had more high runs and higher run averages. But Ralph played against tougher competition in a tournament format that collected players from around the country. And by the 1950s the tournaments were held on 9 foot tables instead of the 10 foot tables used pre-WW2.

The easy question to answer is "Who would you rather watch play?" Ralph is universally the answer.
 
I just finished it- great job on the book! I never realized just how great a player Greenleaf was over such a long period- without the bottle- the book hints at him possibly being the best ever- giving Mosconi fits even towards the end of Greenleaf's career and life, when Mosconi was in his prime.
I am glad that someone gave Greenleaf his due with this book - I have a new and greater respect for the man and his game - too bad Mosconi did not personify the outward charisma that Greenleaf added to the billiard world - we sure could use someone like him now!
 
I just finished reading this book and I highly recommend it.

It covers far more than Greenleaf's excellence as a pool player. You'll learn about his demons and how he battled them for much of his adult life. You'll learn of his falls from grace and about how the repeal of prohibition affected his life. You'll learn just how highly Mosconi thought of him. You'll learn about Brunswick's stronghold over pool and how it affected the careers of both Greenleaf and Mosconi. Mostly, though, you'll learn the story of the man who may have been pool's most charismatic figure ever.

Find a way to get your hands on a copy of this book. It's a really good read, and it's just over 100 pages, so you can get through it relatively quickly.
 
sjm said:
I just finished reading this book and I highly recommend it.

It covers far more than Greenleaf's excellence as a pool player. You'll learn about his demons and how he battled them for much of his adult life. You'll learn of his falls from grace and about how the repeal of prohibition affected his life. You'll learn just how highly Mosconi thought of him. You'll learn about Brunswick's stronghold over pool and how it affected the careers of both Greenleaf and Mosconi. Mostly, though, you'll learn the story of the man who may have been pool's most charismatic figure ever.

Find a way to get your hands on a copy of this book. It's a really good read, and it's just over 100 pages, so you can get through it relatively quickly.
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And don't forget to add that it also sheds a good bit of light on another famous billiards name from days long past...princess nai tai tai...whose story might just be more remarkable than Ralph's.
1612234987730.png
 
Black-Balled said:
And don't forget to add that it also sheds a good bit of light on another famous billiards name from days long past...princess nai tai tai...whose story might just be more remarkable than Ralph's.
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Agreed! Here's a link to her full 1966 interview with Karen Fox (wife of Tom Fox, who wrote the Minnesota Fats books):

poolhistory.com

An Interview with Greenleaf's Widow, the Princess Nai Tai Tai - Pool History

Vaudeville star Amelia Parker and celebrated billiard champion Ralph Greenleaf met in Philadelphia, and it is there — in the City of Brotherly Love, that Amelia put down deep roots until the end of her days.
poolhistory.com poolhistory.com

And another photo from Mike Shamos' collection:

1612237232525.png
 
On another note, this book validated the legend of Ruth McGinnis, a far too overlooked woman who played before there were organized championship events for women. I'd heard a few of the old timers call Ruth the equal of Jean Balukas at straight pool, and Bob Jewett has added to her legend on this very forum, but seeing her results against Greenleaf, she obviously was quite a force to be reckoned with.
 
kling&allen said:
Agreed! Here's a link to her full 1966 interview with Karen Fox (wife of Tom Fox, who wrote the Minnesota Fats books):

poolhistory.com

An Interview with Greenleaf's Widow, the Princess Nai Tai Tai - Pool History

Vaudeville star Amelia Parker and celebrated billiard champion Ralph Greenleaf met in Philadelphia, and it is there — in the City of Brotherly Love, that Amelia put down deep roots until the end of her days.
poolhistory.com poolhistory.com

And another photo from Mike Shamos' collection:

View attachment 583839
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I did read the fox piece a while ago.

Pretty amazing life she led...could be a movie and would probably do far better than one about greenleaf, in the real world.
 
Black-Balled said:
Hahah...

It was an amazing read, both in content and structure. There are too few books about pool/ billiards and an unfortunate majority of them suffer from sub-sophomoric writing and editing. Your writing is on par with R.A. Dyer's, mccumber's, byrne's...

Well done, Sam. Thank you for preserving what was largely unknown.
Click to expand...
I bought the printed book from Amazon for $8, free shipping.
I agree with BB, well written and very enjoyable quick read.
 
Poolhall60561 said:
I bought the printed book from Amazon for $8, free shipping.
I agree with BB, well written and very enjoyable quick read.
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I too purchased the hard copy from Amazon. It was a fun read. I was surprised and a little disappointed that there was no mention at all of Hal Houle, and his interactions with Greenleaf, late in his life. Amelia contacted Hal a number of times to go out and track down Greenleaf, when he'd gone on a bender! Hal would find him in some flophouse, get him some clean clothes and a bath, and take him back home. They had many pool conversations that led to Hal Houle's many aiming systems, including 2 or 3 versions of CTE. Hal was a big aiming guru here for many years until his passing in 2007 iirc. I visited him at his home on July 4th of that year. Very interesting fellow, who should have had at least a name mention inconnection with Ralph Greenleaf. Other than that, a fine book!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
 
Scott Lee said:
I too purchased the hard copy from Amazon. It was a fun read. I was surprised and a little disappointed that there was no mention at all of Hal Houle, and his interactions with Greenleaf, late in his life. Amelia contacted Hal a number of times to go out and track down Greenleaf, when he'd gone on a bender! Hal would find him in some flophouse, get him some clean clothes and a bath, and take him back home. They had many pool conversations that led to Hal Houle's many aiming systems, including 2 or 3 versions of CTE. Hal was a big aiming guru here for many years until his passing in 2007 iirc. I visited him at his home on July 4th of that year. Very interesting fellow, who should have had at least a name mention inconnection with Ralph Greenleaf. Other than that, a fine book!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour
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Thanks Scott, glad you liked it. I couldn't independently verify any of Hal's stories and some of the dates don't match up to the known timeline, which isn't surprising due to the number of years that have passed. I don't accurately remember what happened two years ago! But that's why the stories aren't featured beyond documenting that Greenleaf was gainfully working in the post WW2 years.
 
kling&allen said:
Will do. Once I get a little feedback on the ebook and the paperback proof is finished, I'll order a set of paperbacks to sell on the forum here.
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Looking forward to that, sir....I still prefer the printed page.
 
I finished the book a few days ago and it is a wonderful read.

The book is filled with plenty of stories and details about Greenleaf, his contemporaries such as Mosconi and Taberski (The Snail), and pool during it's glory days. If you love pool it's a must read.

Lou Figueroa
 
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