The Blue Book of Pool Cues [Paperback]

Brad Simpson (Author), Victor Stein (Editor), Paul Rubino (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999 | ISBN-10: 1886768129 | ISBN-13: 978-1886768123 | Edition: 2nd

The 2nd Edition Blue Book of Pool Cues is a softcover reference work/pricing guide on pool cues. It is the only book available specifically on pool cues. The new 2nd Edition is approximately 600 pages, and contains both up-to-date pricing and detailed technical information on both new and used pool cues, including custom cue manufacturers. Features 56 pages of color photos featuring the best cues by both current and custom cuemakers. The photos illustrate the various level of intricacy and ornateness commonly encountered when buying, selling or trading pool cues. The Blue Book of Pool Cues is now being used by most insurance companies, pawn shops, collectors, dealers, and billiards players/professionals to accurately determine pool cue values and related information.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author Brad Simpson has spent many years on the billiard circuit and is well known in the field of cue collecting. He divides his time between IL and Thailand. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Blue Book Publications; 2nd edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886768129
• ISBN-13: 978-1886768123
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The bible for Cue Collectors and serious Pool Players !, November 17, 1998

By 

[e-mail] or Cholly McKinstry (Cherry Hill, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blue Book of Pool Cues (Paperback)

The book is broken into sections that include the history of Cue making, the components and tools required to construct a cue, and an comprehensive illustrated catalog of the various cue makers and manufacturers. Whether your interested in Balabushka, Szambotti or Cognoscenti, you'll find the data you need to recognize and enjoy the craftmanship of their work. The author provides a rating system for the intricacy and condition of the cues that is the standard for buying, selling and grading cues today. I would like to see more illustrations of the master cuemakers than the many cues that were shown of the mass production companies. Too much space was taken up by these cues that are computerized clones. All in all the book was well written and I am eagerly awaiting the overdue release of Vol 2.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blue Book of Pool Cues, 3rd Ed. - Review, May 12, 2007

By 

Michael A. Guastello (Hells Kitchen, NYC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Book of Pool Cues, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

As this is the 3rd edition of Blue Books, that tells you that people into pool cues have been buying them, with good reason.

First off, the author, Brad Simpson, has been adding more and more info into each new edition, the 1st ed.(1996) had 465 pages, the 2nd, (1999) 600 pages, and this 3rd edition,(2005), a whopping 913.

The number of color photos's showing the work of the more well known cuemakers, past and present, living and dead, has also increased with each new edition and, IMO, is the best feature of these books.

The 3rd edition has a fairly extensive listing of cuemakers and a brief business bio of them. Their current cue offerings, as well as their older and one of a kind cues is provided. The pricing guidelines should be regarded in the most general of terms, as so much goes into the value of a pool cue.

If your a collector or just someone looking to spend a few hundred dollars on a nice cue to play with, The Blue Book of Pool Cues, 3rd Ed., can provide both useful information and enjoyment at a reasonable cost.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive material, November 9, 2006

By 

Arthur Tripp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Book of Pool Cues, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

This is a great value for content and price! I don't know how it could have been done much better for the cost. Some of the minor cuemakers don't have pictures of their work, but I suspect they didn't submit any to the publisher. It was a big help to me when I went to buy a cue.