Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World [Hardcover]

Clive Everton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2007

Throughout its colorful history, the billiard sport of snooker has had more than its fair share of heroes and villains, champions and chumps, rascals and rip-off artists. In the last 20 years, every sleazy scandal imaginable has attached itself to this raffish sport: corruption, match fixing, bribery, sex, recreational drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, ballot rigging, fraud, theft, and domestic violence—all against a background of inept petty czars fixated on the pursuit, retention, and abuse of power. Clive Everton recounts the glory and despair that have characterized the game since it was invented as an innocent diversion by British Army officers in India in the 19th century. He tells the true and unexpurgated story of snooker's transformation into a television success story, second only to soccer, and exposes how the sports potential has been shamefully squandered.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Clive Everton is the BBC's senior snooker commentator. As the sport's leading journalist, he has published and edited Snooker Scene magazine since 1971 and has been snooker correspondent for The Guardian since 1976. He lives in Birmingham.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845961994
• ISBN-13: 978-1845961992
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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3.0 out of 5 stars It's alright, September 18, 2008

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This review is from: Black Farce and Cue Ball Wizards: The Inside Story of the Snooker World (Hardcover)

Written with all the eloquence and fervor of a of a golf commentator. This is a decent read if you are looking for an atlas of snooker facts (or enjoy reading a dictionary), but the feeling and flow is just not there. This seems like a recap of years of old sports page scores and commentary. Seems to be lacking true grit! Nice cover art though