Working in the receiving department at a Barnes and Noble affords me the opportunity to know when new pool books come out. Three days ago, my store got its first allotment of The Hustler & The Champ by R. A. Dyer. We got five copies for our store. Four are left.
This 309 page book is arranged in 34 chapters. I briefly read through the names of some of the chapters, but I had to force myself to not skip through the book looking for certain ones. With chapter titles like "Records" and "The TV Disaster" and "The Best Trick Yet", I wanted to skip all over the book just to see it all. I was the proverbial kid in the candy store. Nevertheless, I forced myself to read it in the order the author deemed appropriate and I'm glad I did.
I would recommend this book first to all those players who are old enough to remember the Mosconi-Fats era. There are so many details and footnotes in this book, you're bound to find things you never knew about these two giants of our beloved sport. Dyer has written a book that dives head first into the waters infested with some of the greatest sharks ever. It will not disappoint.
Second, I would recommend this book to younger players just for the sheer respect these two icons deserve. Every young player must know who Mosconi and Fats were. R. A. Dyer has done a huge service to the younger players of today by capturing the lifestyle led by Mosconi. I don't think I've ever read a book about Mosconi that was this detailed and honest, yet respectful at the same time.
This book is well worth the price ($24.95 US, $29.95 CAN). Books like this make me glad that I work in a bookstore. I usually wait a few months before I reread a book. In this case, I'm making an exception. As far as pool books go, you can't get much better.
This 309 page book is arranged in 34 chapters. I briefly read through the names of some of the chapters, but I had to force myself to not skip through the book looking for certain ones. With chapter titles like "Records" and "The TV Disaster" and "The Best Trick Yet", I wanted to skip all over the book just to see it all. I was the proverbial kid in the candy store. Nevertheless, I forced myself to read it in the order the author deemed appropriate and I'm glad I did.
I would recommend this book first to all those players who are old enough to remember the Mosconi-Fats era. There are so many details and footnotes in this book, you're bound to find things you never knew about these two giants of our beloved sport. Dyer has written a book that dives head first into the waters infested with some of the greatest sharks ever. It will not disappoint.
Second, I would recommend this book to younger players just for the sheer respect these two icons deserve. Every young player must know who Mosconi and Fats were. R. A. Dyer has done a huge service to the younger players of today by capturing the lifestyle led by Mosconi. I don't think I've ever read a book about Mosconi that was this detailed and honest, yet respectful at the same time.
This book is well worth the price ($24.95 US, $29.95 CAN). Books like this make me glad that I work in a bookstore. I usually wait a few months before I reread a book. In this case, I'm making an exception. As far as pool books go, you can't get much better.
