Product Description
This is the account of a summer journey through Sardinia in the 1950s, an island which at that time had hardly been touched by the twentieth century. The author has also written "Ranji" and two volumes of autobiography - "Blindfold Games" and "Coastwise Lights". ... Read more

Product Description
If you want to learn the game of pool and show off your talents to friends, this book provides you with the perfect introduction. It provides you with complete, step by step instruction on holding the cue stick, setting up a shot, rules, and winning strategies of the game. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Here's a suggestion:
First let me mention that I myself own not only this book but also 50 other "pool/billiard" titles. (In other words: "You name it, I own it.")

The point of this post is not only to suggest that SOME of the other reviewers' remarks about this BEGINNER'S guide are unreasonably critical, but also to suggest that there's an easy, FREE way that you could decide for yourself whether this book is for you. JUST BORROW A COPY VIA YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY (via "interlibrary loan," if necessary). Then you'll know whether it would be worth your while to purchase a low-cost (perhaps "used") "permanent" copy for your bookshelf.

A rather tepid book
All I can say is don't spend your hard-earned money on this silly book.

I think the authors must have geared this book towards masculine women as it definitely has a feminist-oh-yeah-womyn-can-do-it-better slant.

A complete waste.

Not even for the recreational player
If you have even a basic knowledge of playing pool, I'd look elsewhere for a book. I just bought a table a year ago and am looking for a book to help me understand how to use the diamonds, bank shots, etc. This book doesn't help much with that. The easy stuff is well written but I pretty much knew all that already. The more advanced techniques are not well written and the author did not use many diagrams to explain the point better. I'm just a recreational player looking to get better and I don't find this book of much use.

Not the most useful pool book
With a plethora of quality pool publications that appeared in the last ten or so years, I find this effort rather unoriginal and uninspiring.

It has that "something borrowed, something plagiarized..." feel to it.

Caveat Emptor!

An amateurish effort
There is a definite lack of original material in this book. As I have almost all the pool books published in the last 20 years this new entry seems to offer slim pickings for any enthusiasts out there.

But hopefully this is the authors' debut effort and the next edition will be far more complete. Also the graphics and diagrams can use a great amount of sprucing up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

In British footsteps
To call this a meta-mystery would be too pretentious for such a light-hearted book, but that's in effect what it is. The detective, Ghote, an overworked and very insecure Bombay policeman, has been invited to a former exclusive Birtish colony in South India by a man who is steeped in classic British mysteries. Having read about Ghote's prowess (presumably in other books by Keating!), he assumes him to be the rightful heir to Holmes and Poirot, and presents him with what appears to him to be a classic locked-door mystery: a body on a billiard table. His first briefing contains a sentence to the effect "Of course we assume that the fact that the billiard-room window was smashed and the club's silver trophies stolen is merely a trick to throw us off the scent." And so it goes. Ghote goes through the book haunted by this flattery as a great detective of fiction, and does to a certain extent follow the pattern, but in the end comes up with a solution that nonetheless fits the more prosaic norms of routine policework!

As a matter of personal disclosure, I should confess that I did not read this book in the original, but rather in Spanish translation while working in Central America. My own cultural and language shift may have heightened my appreciation of the similar shifts in the book, as Ghote is sent from his familar Bombay not only to a virtually foreign part of his country, but also to a living relic of a different era, and a vanished colonial culture. Since my own father was born in India, the son of one such government official who must have frequented clubs like the one in the book, and since I too have become an expatriate of a different sort, I found the picure that Keating paints of post-colonial India to be rather touching.

Goodbye to all that
For the first half of this book I was irritated as heck-- it seemed as though Keating were doing a memory lane romp through all the Agatha Christie-land, with Inspector Ghote being forced to labor under every hackneyed assumption about detection to ever come out of the genre. Towards the end, however, it became a very sad book-- more about the death of empire and the passing of an age than anything else. There was something so majestic in the final moments that I was willing to forgive its other sins and excesses, grievous though they were.

Ghote is summoned from Bombay to solve a murder at the Ooty Club-- the last bastion of colonial India. He needs to determine who left a servant dead in the middle of the billiard table and what all the motives are in the little enclave out of time. ... Read more

Product Description
Everyone who plays pool knows that it is "mostly mental," but the conventional wisdom about the mental game is about as accurate as the idea that the earth is flat. Until now, no one with any expertise on how the human mind works has bothered to write about pool. In Pleasures of Small Motions, Bob Fancher, a psychotherapist and pool columnist, breaks new ground by applying good science to the mental game of billiards.This book does for pool what Timothy Gallwey's bestselling "The Inner Game" books did for golf and tennis. Fancher explains how the conscious and unconscious mind work together, prescribes drills to help players improve, advises on mastering emotion and developing rhythm, explains the difference between concentration and focus, and gives invaluable insight on competitive play. (6 x 9, 160 pages, illustrations)

Bob Fancher's column, "Dr. Bob, Pool Shrink," appears monthly in The American Cueist. He earned his Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University and practiced psychotherapy in New York for fourteen years. His acclaimed book Cultures of Healing has been used in classes at Columbia University, Princeton, and many other schools, and is writing has appeared in The Washington Post and other publications. He lives in Austin, Texas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

You must have this book!!
This is a must for anyone serious about learning to play pool or elevating your game to new heights. I have been playing pool for a long time and shoot at a "B" level, this book has opened up my eyes in ways I can't even explain. All I can tell you is that you are insane if you do not add this knowledge to your game, it is total enlightment. You will be amazed what this book will do for your game, I have a huge Library of books written by the best authors on the subject of pool and I am glad I invested in this one, it was worth every penny and then some.

I rate it lousy...
The whole book was spent trying to explain a concept...duh, as if we didn't get it the first time.It is a well known concept that is used in many areas of skill and was nothing new.The explanations weren't even good.I tossed it.

I love this book
I thought this book was fantastic and I don't even play pool.My game is table shuffleboard but "Pleasures of Small Motions" applies to just about any competitive sport.The author presents a convincing argument why players who only play to win, will never be winners.The trick is in the "pleasure of small motions".This book not only improved my game, it has given me a new attitude towards the game as well as the competition.If you play shuffleboard, pool, or any other game, this book is an absolute must.

great read
probably the best book out their describing what the pros are thinking or not thinking while their running rack after rack .I especially enjoyed the chapter on rhythm , the music you play to when you have achieved relaxed concentration. Nothing takes theplace of practice , but this comes close.

Deeply Insightful
Awesome book chocked full of insights on the mental game of pool and sports psychology in general.Helps instill a healthy mind set to enable you to play at your optimum with out all the baggage that goes along with performance.Invaluable to anyone serious about there game. ... Read more

Product Description
If you are an active sports participant, fan, or official, you have experienced or observed games that were lost because of some successful sharking trick or trap. This material provides descriptions of many of those distractive efforts and how to stop or counter them.Study these ways that concentration and focus can be affected. When you can recognize mind attacks, you can prevent them from being effective. With this knowledge, you can play, enjoy, and judge sports competitions with greater awareness. This book gives you the tools. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Sneaky, sneaky tricks - I love to see them coming
I wrote this book to document that massive variety of tricks played by opponents on each other in every sport at every level. This is not a complete list, but is comprehensive.

You can enjoy this book on three levels
1. A treatise on the usually hidden side of sports described with a humorous twist - just a fun read.
2. A catalog of mind games, both unconscious and consciously applied against you and your team - an educational tool to identify and react to ruthless gamesmanship.
3. A training guide for the gamesman. Setting up conditions to manage the opponent's viewpoint.

(Maybe there should be a new position in sports - the master gamesman, responsible for analyzing opponent's strengths and weaknesses, then developing plans to confuse the opposing coaches)

Many of these I have personally experienced and used in 50 years of competitive fun. Others have been provided by other old coaches

There was a time when I considered gamesmanship to be at the edge of cheating. But bitter experience has told me that sportsmanship by others can not be expected. I don't need to use these tricks but when some poor fool tries something against me - all that is needed is for someone to sweep up the floor.

Take at look at the table of contents, and read a few of them. If you want to make sure these tricks won't get pulled on you, it will be worth the study time. Plus with the book in hand, you can write in the margins.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great all around book on Pocket Billiards
Well writen book on pocket billiards or Pool.Shows how to from the most basic to very complicated trick shots. ... Read more

Product Description
Mathematical billiards describe the motion of a mass point in a domain with elastic reflections off the boundary or, equivalently, the behavior of rays of light in a domain with ideally reflecting boundary. From the point of view of differential geometry, the billiard flow is the geodesic flow on a manifold with boundary. This book is devoted to billiards in their relation with differential geometry, classical mechanics, and geometrical optics. Topics covered include variational principles of billiard motion, symplectic geometry of rays of light and integral geometry, existence and nonexistence of caustics, optical properties of conics and quadrics and completely integrable billiards, periodic billiard trajectories, polygonal billiards, mechanisms of chaos in billiard dynamics, and the lesser-known subject of dual (or outer) billiards. The book is based on an advanced undergraduate topics course. Minimum prerequisites are the standard material covered in the first two years of college mathematics (the entire calculus sequence, linear algebra). However, readers should show some mathematical maturity and rely on their mathematical common sense. A unique feature of the book is the coverage of many diverse topics related to billiards, for example, evolutes and involutes of plane curves, the four-vertex theorem, a mathematical theory of rainbows, distribution of first digits in various sequences, Morse theory, the Poincaré recurrence theorem, Hilbert's fourth problem, Poncelet porism, and many others. There are approximately 100 illustrations. The book is suitable for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers interested in ergodic theory and geometry. This volume has been copublished with the Mathematics Advanced Study Semesters program at Penn State. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

This is the best book ever for a beginner!!
Five years ago I was that beginner.I studied this book as though I were taking a college course.Two years ago I bought my own pool table.Sorry Ewa, not a Brunswick.Now that I'm ready for them, I have just ordered 3 books by Robert Byrne's.I also have a pool mentor/friend who teaches me and loans me pool videos.

April 4, 2007 - Our "Olhausen" pool table was the only piece of furniture that survived Hurricane Katrina.We didn't even have to recover it.

Best So Far
I've read quite a few books on pool and billiards, and this one is the best so far.I find myself returning to it for reference quite often, even though I've read several books since this one.

It does get a little wordy in places but it's an easy read and full of interesting facts.Although geared toward beginner to intermediate, I believe this book would be helpful and entertaining for anyone interested in pool or billiards...at any skill level.(I've been playing over 30 years.)

A Wonderful Book
This book covers everything from history to buying a table, from the kick shot to the masse shot. It includes lists of players and their awards, resources, trick shots, and lots of other useful stuff, plus funny or amazing stories. I must have read it 10 times, and I'm still not tired of it.

a G reat book for everyone
I READ THIS BOOK BY EWA MATAYA LAURANCE & i THINK EVERYONE THAT NEEDS TO FIND A PART OF THERE GAME THAT IS MISSING OR JUST WANT A GREAT READ THIS IS IT . sHE EXPLAINES THINGS WELL & SIMPLE . Ifeel that even the more advanced player can get something out of this book . I lirned about the different amounts of english you can use for different results on pg. 210.

A good book about billiard
Probably it's not the best tutorial but it's still a good book. It tells you about billiard culture, people and history and gives you a big picture of that world. I think the goal of this book is make you interested in billiard and get you motivated to learn more. It also teaches you some basic stuff but not very deep. So it's exactly what the name says - a good starting point. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Please buy later edition
This is the earlier, and flawed, edition of a great book.Shamos himself has specifically disowned this book for many reasons.Among other things, the publisher forgot to include a crucial diagram which illustrates the meaning of various terms used to describe markings and locations on the table.For example, head string, billiard spot, balk line, etc. This is the only such diagram in print, and the publisher forgot it!The next edition, The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards, rectifies this.

This book is not an instruction manual on how to play pool or billiards, but is instead a first- rate guide to all of the language used in every cue sport. Terms are clearly defined and, where appropriate, well illustrated. If you want to know what word the British use for "English," or where the often misunderstood "tangent line" actually is, this book will give you a clear and authoritative answer. The author is a true scholar and is the curator of The Billiard Archive, the most complete collection of books and periodicals about pool, billiards, and snooker.

Comprehensive reference for billard players
This is an outstanding resource book for anyone interested in learning more about biilards generally, or for someone with a specific questions about any aspect of the sport.I found many topics to be very extensive,providing background data, and perspective far beyond simple defititions.Many times after looking up a term, I would continue to read items over thenext few pages just to learn about other topics. This is the mostinteresting and informative book about billiards that I own.. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Position play in 3 cushion billiards
Anexcellentbookfortheplayerwhoalreadyknowsthebasicsofthegame.It enableshimtoperformexcellentshotsandmakehighruns.Whenyoufirstlook atthebookyoufeelyoualready knew,theshotshadtobeplayedinthewayshown. Unfortunately yourealisethatifyouneverhadthechancetoreadthisbook youwouldnotthinkaboutitduringthegame. EddieRobinclearly demonstrateshisskillnotonlyasaplayerbutalsoasa greatinstructor. Probablythemostimportantbookforanyonewho takesthreecushionbilliardsseriously ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in London in the 1920s as a revised and enlarged edition based on Hoyle's early works of the 1700s. The book is an illustrated compendium of over eighty games and their varieties including card, billiard and board games. These are fully explained with rules and advice on play. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Product Description
Billiards is the third most popular participant sport in the United States, and is a subject rich in history. With more than two thousand entries and two hundred illustrations, this is a most comprehensive book. From à cheval to zigzag ball and everything in between, this treasure trove covers the entire range of subjects through accessible and entertaining entries.

Recognized as the foremost authority since its original publication in 1993, this exhaustive volume has been augmented with hundreds of new entries. (8 1/2 x 11, 336 pages, illustrations)

Mike Shamos is the curator of the world-renowned Billiard Archive, the single largest library and memorabilia collection in the world. He lives in Pittsburgh. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic reference work, and very entertaining
This is a *great* reference on the terminology, history, and facts of pool, billiards, snooker and other cue sports, written by the curator of the Billiard Archive (i.e., he knows what he's talking about.)Stein & Rubino's "The Billiard Encyclopedia" is much larger, but the works are complementary.Shamos's is an alphabetical glossary, not unlike Britannica's "Micropedia", while the S&R volume (now in its 3rd edition) is a sprawling narrative, divided into topical chapters (history of the sport, cuemaking, etc.)I can't recommend them both enough.The Shamos book is a "workhorse" reference (unlike S&R beautiful coffee table book) - it's purpose is looking up billiards terminology.This revised version is a substantive improvement on the original (and beware: that edition has been published under multiple titles by different publishers). The trade paperback version is more affordable than the hardback, but I'm really happy to have the hardback version; I would have thrashed a softcover with overuse by now.Shamos, a regular "Billiards Digest" history columnist is a hardcore researcher, and digs up really fascinating bits of information both in his column every months and in massive quantities in this book.



















<[...]> ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Most Excellent
This book is the most excellent book for beginners to advanced players.Jack is an incredible teacher, coach, tournament director and pool shooter and his techniques and tips are crucial to the mastery of the game of pocket billiards. This book is a must have.To my long-lost friend who borrowed my copy of it ~> Please return it as I miss it dearly.Thanks.

P.S. - The only other book that I could not live without was "The Science of Pocket Billiards" by Jack H. Koehler

Get this if you can!
This is the absolute greatest book ever written on the subject pocket billiards by one of the most knowledgable players to have ever played the game.The book is written in much the same manner as Jack's clinic's and his one-on-one instruction is styled.This book will give you a great understanding of the mental, basics and andvanced techniques of the game.The story of Azul and the section on Jack's Magic Silver Spot will dramatically improve your mental game as well as the technical aspects of your game.Learning to 'control the rock' and how many bands to use will easily move your game to the next level.This book is a MUST read for any player, beginner to advanced. ... Read more

Product Description
If a player decided to study cue ball paths, he could not findenough "structured study information". What little material wasavailable, from the worlds top players, was out of print. A decisionwas made to research and collect information, which took Harris on a15 year trip into the global storehouses of billiard information. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A True Revelation
This is an ultimate and indispensable guide to 3-cushion players. All four books of this series are full of precious formulas and tips many of which were secret to amateurs. Systematic and pin-pointed explanations and diagrams are incredible. This series should go on.

congratulations
Words fail me to congratulate Harris for the splendid work he has done. The four books offer a large selection of secrets and techniques for studious billards players to explore. Putting all those systems and techniques into words, must have been pioneering !!! The greatest billiards players will nearly never reveal their secrets, unless one's willing to pay for expensive private lessons. People like Harris are very rare in the world of billiards

First three books are great
I bought because of one-pocket interest and find many useful ideas

Solve simple carom problems
As a tournament director, I have witnessed over 2000 pool and billiardtournaments and it is obvious that many VERY GOOD players cannot controlthe cue ball, or solve simple carom problems. There has never been anythingwritten like these Billiard Atlas books...these systems and techniques openthe door of possibilities for pool, or 3-cushion players, like neverbefore.

Solve simple carom problems
I have witnessed over 2000 pool and billiard tournaments and it is obviousthat many VERY GOOD players cannot control the cue ball, or solve simplecarom problems. There has never been anything written like these BilliardAtlas books...these systems and techniques open the door of possibilitiesfor pool, or 3-cushion players, like never before. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great biography of a billiard champion
I hope this book will be reprinted soon.This book was written when Willie Hoppe was in his late 30's.In the book Hoppe describes his rise to the top of the billiard world.What I like the most about this book arethe vivid descriptions of billiard players Hoppe encountered in his carreerand the matches between them.If you are a billiard player, you'll lovethis book. ... Read more

Product Description
DALY"S BILLIARD BOOK begins with a thorough explanation of the fundamentals upon which Daly's system is built, including proper cueing angles for draws, follows, and plain caroms, varying angle of reflection, the effect of drag, putting proper spin on the cue ball, and all aspects of the difficult masse shots. Part Two continues with a discussion of the basic principle of position play by defining the good position shot. Then, chapter by chapter, Daly explains in word and diagram his 12 elementary principles of position play., including discussions of the comparative virtues of long and short drives, position of balls before and after play, rail shots, and open-table shots. Part Three discusses advanced position play, the techniques of which will make a good player an excellent player. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

What a wonder of a book!
This is a book that I wish I had known years ago when I was a younger player. The way the different positions are displayed, including both the right and the false approaches, really gets one thinking about the game. I can read about the faults I clearly recognize that I make and then get advice on how to avoid them. This book is a must for any serious french carom player. I'm sure it will help me improve my position play.

The best book on carom billiards!!!
I bought this book used for $7.00 a year ago, and it is now $32.00, this should tell you how good it is by the demanding for it.This is by far the best carom billiards book I have ever read in English.Maurice Daly was well respected in the billards world back then not only for his skills but also for his knowledge of the game.This book helped me improving from a "10-15" average to "30-40" or greater."Once you see that light, the possibilities are endless..." as my teacher put it.

A Billiard Masterpiece
I am beside myself just reading the previous two reviews of this great work.How can a book under ten dollars in the year 2003 be overpriced?And, I can hardly believe that anyone who has played billiards (not pool) can honestly say that this book is for beginners, that no advanced technique will be found here.I challenge that reviewer to run even twenty-five balls at straight rail, let alone perform a rail nurse!
This book is a rarity in all the pool and billiard literature, which is admittedly littered with poorly written fluff.Daly's Book should be a model to writer's on pool and billiards (and snooker, etc.) on how to exposit clearly and honestly the subtleties of playing these games well.Reading his Billiard Book, one imagines an atmosphere in his day and place where there existed a free flow of ideas in the game, a billiard Golden Age so to speak.After many decades where top players kept newly discovered ideas to themselves as closely guarded secrets, it appears that we are coming out of pool and billiard's Dark Ages, and entering into a billiard Renaissance.I look forward to new literature about the game in the spirit of Daly's fine work.

THE REVIEW 2nd attempt
This book looks good, but it is very over priced, so if you buy this book you area stupid fool. That is all.

Good for beginner
This book is good for people who want to know the basics of billard game. The various techniques in the book are useful for beginners. If you are looking for more advanced techniques, you won't find them here. ... Read more

Product Description
The courageous story of one woman's successful battle against ovarian cancer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

My immune system booster!
I was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in July 2000. After reading and hearing about the dismal survival statistics, I became extremely distressed and upset.A few months later, I discovered 'Feather'.This book boosted my immune system!It is informative, encouraging, humorous, and best of all, human.Barbara's story is certainly worth telling.I retell it often. My copy gets revisited on those sad and down days - a source of encouragement that helps me stay happy and strong.

An inspirational guide to living with ovarian cancer.
Once my mother was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer, I began to learn about this terrible disease.

Of all the books and internet sites I found, this little paperback is among the best. Brief, authoritative and written by a long-term suvivor. It gives you the good, the bad and ugly about treatment options and the disease with an upbeat undercurrent that science and medicine is becoming more successful in treating ovarian cancer.

The author wrote this book from the victims perspective, which makes it a great introductory tome for anyone just diagnosed with this vicious disease.

"EXCELLENT" UPLIFTING FEATHER IN MY WIG
This book that was written by an R.N. who experienced all of the Ovarian Cancer Disease and has indicated humor, positive attitude towards beating this "Beast".It's a must read book to make your day that is filled with laughter and a determined feeling of getting better each and every day.The review with one star is obviously a person who did not read the entire book and I challenge her to read it in its entirety and guarantee that she will love the book when finished!I absolutely loved the book and found so much healing in reading it myself.For I am also an Ovarian Cancer Survivor of two years and going strong.Godbless you Barbara...

It upset my mother
I bought this book for my mother, who is currently battling ovarian cancer. I bought it to inspire her, and let her know that there are survivors out there. Well, the introduction was written to dramatize the book. It went on and on about how few people survive ovarian cancer (not true!!) and what a miracle it was that the writer survived. Consequently, my mother got extremely depressed. She never read the whole book because the introduction upset her so much.

Worth every penny!
I got this book for my mom who's recently been diagnosed with cancer.Ipicked it up this afternoon and didn't put it done until I was finished.What an inspiration! Just what I needed after a long week of discouragingnews and facing grim statistics.The author was cured of Stage III OvarianCancer and tells how she battled the disease and won.Nothing"hokey" or "alternative" about it--unless you considermeditation, prayer, visualization, and POSITIVE thinking "hokey." This is an EXCELLENT book, surely it's a "must-have" for anyonefacing this disease.

AN UPDATE 01/18/09: My mother is now a 9-year cancer survivor from stage 3 ovarian cancer.At the time of her surgery & diagnosis, her surgeon said it was the most advanced & aggressive case he'd ever seen, and gave her a very dire prognosis.Even though my mom didn't read the book (she was afraid it would bring her "down"), it was a lifeline for me, and set in motion a different attitude and way of looking at what she was going through.My mom focused on gratitude and all the positive things in her life (and viewed the cancer and treatment as a minor inconvenience, a pesky little fly to be swatted away). The book gave me the wisdom to view her perspective NOT as denial, but as a very real and effective way to live her life and "treat" her illness. I'm very grateful for this little book which came along at just the right time for me, and I HIGHLY recommend it! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more