Byrne's Treasury of Trick Shots in Pool and Billiards (Paperback)

by Robert Byrne (Author) "Once invented, some trick shots are best forgotten; others endure and become a permanent part of a people's culture..." (more)
Key Phrases: cueball hits, exhibition player, dashed ball, Mike Massey, San Francisco, Bob Jewett (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
More than three hundred secrets and showstoppers, explained and diagrammed by a master player. “The most complete book on the subject I have ever come across. I especially like the historical notes”(Jimmy Caras, four-time World Champion). Diagrams, photographs, and line drawings.

About the Author
Robert Byrne is the author of seven novels, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two anthologies, and an expose of frauds in the literary world. One of his novels, Thrill, was made into NBC’s Monday Night Movie, which aired for the first time on May 20, 1996. Four of his novels were selections of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books and published in many languages. His style is widely praised for its clarity and wit. Byrne’s Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, published in 1978 and expanded in 1998, has sold over 400,000 copies. In the world of pool and billiards, his books, hundreds of instructional magazine articles, six videotapes (shot on sound stages in Burbank and Hollywood, California), have established him as the preeminent teacher and commentator. As a player, he has won tournaments in almost every form of the game. He finished third in the National Professional Three-Cushion Championship in 1977 held in North Hollywood. In 1999, he won both the National Amateur and the National Senior billiard tournaments. His contributions to billiards and pool were recognized when he was awarded the greatest honor in the sport: induction into the Billiard Congress of America’s Hall of Fame. The honor, for Meritorious Service, was bestowed on July 21, 2001, at the Las Vegas Hilton at a banquet closing the annual world billiard trade show. He was inducted with many-times world billiard champion Raymond Ceulemans of Belgium. Byrne was born and raised in Dubuque, Iowa, spent forty years in the San Francisco Bay Area, and returned to Dubuque in 1996, where he now lives with his wife Cindy, a painter and graphic artist. After graduating with a civil engineering degree from the University of Colorado in 1954, he edited a trade journal in the heavy construction industry. He became a full-time writer in 1977.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (November 21, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156149737
• ISBN-13: 978-0156149730
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #243,427 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super-Excellent, Awesome Book for Trick Shots!, July 24, 2002

A Kid's Review

This book covers the classics, such as the football shot, butterfly shot, machine gun shot, just showin' off, etc, plus variations, (i.e. masse machine gun shot) lesser known shots, and shots by the author. Some require almost no skill at all, while making others could keep pros happy all day.
Every shot has information about its history, how to do it, and sometimes even suggestions on what to say before you attempt it, plus a clear yet detailed digram of the setup and shot.
Almost any book will tell you how to do a few, common trick shots, but this one has them all.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Luck..., November 27, 1999

By A Customer

The book is interesting, but I tried a number of the supposedly "easy" trick shots.. They're not easy and I'm a fairly decent shot (play in leagues etc..). I'm sure with consistent practice, you could actually make 1 or 2 of these shots, but even then they would be "low percentage" shots. The placement of the balls must be perfect and no text can tell where to place these balls with the kind of precision you'll need to make these shots. Just don't expect to buy this book and be making trick shots the next day.. - You'll be disappointed. Even so, it's fun just to see these shots diagramed and the historical facts/anecdotes are interesting.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Byrne's Delivers, August 21, 2001

By	Rick Jennings (Lebanon, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews

Once again Byrne delivers concise info in an easy understandable manner. I currently own several of his books and videos; all of which are helpful. Some of his info may be found in earlier writings, but that's the case with many tomes in this area. It's no surprise he was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame for his wonderful contributions to this sport via his writings/videos.