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 a 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.

About the Author

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.

Reviews

This is a revised and updated edition of Shamos's 1992 encyclopedia, researched both from library holdings and the author's own extensive archives of historical materials on billiards and all other cue sports. Clearly written entries on games and their rules, particular shots, cue sports' paraphernalia, and arcane terminology of the field are listed alphabetically, with plentiful See references. Entries also conveniently include citations to original source material and are well illustrated with photographs, shot diagrams, and period graphics. Among the appendixes are a compilation of significant statistics in billiards and lists of over 400 games and roughly 100 organizations included in the text. An index to names and an extensive bibliography complete the volume. This encyclopedia is an amazingly thorough and entertaining reference that would be welcome in any library's collection. (Index not seen.)--John M. Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

"This may be the best review of any game or sport ever published... at once authoritative, surprising, and witty." - Robert Byrne, author of Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards