Readers will recall that the April Edition of the BQR carried the first of two articles In/ Chris in which he reviewed the first five of his top ten favourite books (Excluding Levi.) Chris now shares his thoughts on the second jive of the ten.
Ignoring my own criteria, I am including this book mainly for aesthetic reasons. It is an imposing volume, 250mm high, 50mm thick, and 160 mm wide. It was first published in 1866 and its appearance leaves no doubt as to its Victorian influences. On green board, the front and back covers show a table, with pocket plates, as well as title and author, all tooled in gold.
Whereas many books are the work of two men, few acknowledge this on the cover. "Captain," Crawley, was the nom-de-plume of George Frederick Pardon, a writer who produced a number of books on billiards, bagatelle, chess, whist, and other gentlemanly pursuits. Lovers of English Literature will recognise the character of Rawden Crawley, the billiards playing rascal of Thackery's "Vanity fair." champion of billiards from 1872 to 1877 (the date of publication of the second edition,) William Cook's contribution did nothing to increase the worth of this book over the first edition other than have his name printed on the cover. As well as the usual instructional content, there are chapters on unusual variants of the game e.g. German Pyramids, and the Sausage game! There are comments on contemporary matches, the playing of billiards with the nose, billiards sharping, and ball twisting. The final chapter is on equipping a room including details on lighting, "n the absence of gas, belmontine, colza, or sperm oils are used. "here is also the following invaluable advice, "in a corner of the room there should be a small lavatory fitted with looking glass and toilet apparatus."
The book carries a profuse amount of advertisement, much of which has only the vaguest of connections with billiards. Of interest to bibliophiles and historians is a detailed. "Biographical Catalogue," beginning with a French book published in 1665. As with many of the 'Ads' the connection with billiards is not immediately apparent, though when a connection is apparent, the names of Pardon or Crawley are never far away.
A splendid epitaph to Victorian Billiards and an imposing sight on the bookshelf.
Years ago, when it was still possible to buy old billiard books by going into shops and asking for them, I was becoming increasingly frustrated at my lack of success in obtaining this one. One day I was leaving a large antiquarian book shop in Manchester after another fruitless quest when I saw it on a shelf - it was in a section marked, "Military History!"
Surprisingly, very few billiard books have combined autobiography and technical content. Although this is largely Tom Reece's life story, particularly his sporting life, there is an interesting chapter at the end -"Twenty-five hints for amateur players." these are all reprints of, "Sporting Life," articles that Reece had been contributing for many years. They contain very useful hints and round off the book satisfactorily.
The biographical part of the book (225 pages) was written by one M. Kingsley Long, a writer I had never heard of before and have not heard of since. (Can anyone help on this one?) Reece had a rich fund of anecdotes and Long expertly converted them into a most readable book.
Reece achieved early sporting success as a swimmer, and in later years became a familiar sight around racecourses as a handicapper and friend of the racing fraternity in general. The book reveals how, at the time of writing, he had lost something like £50,000 on the nags. No doubt the book was written to get some cash back in the coffers. The big achievement of Reece's career was the famous - or infamous -499,135 unfinished, but of more value to the reader are the stories of a man who travelled the world, made and lost fortunes, and who's life was rather larger than life itself.
Another, "Player/Writer," collaboration. This time it was W. C. Clifford who put the player's ideas onto paper. It seems odd that Clifford always did a good job as scribe for other people, yet his own books somehow seem dull and rather lightweight.
Another large volume, this book is very well indexed, and, rather than a work of reference, is a book to be consumed at a single sitting just for the pleasure of reading. It is lavishly illustrated with photographs and diagrams.
I am particularly lucky with my copy because a previous owner has carefully underlined what he considers to be the more important passages. (Could these be put together in a booklet?) The book is rather unstructured and tends to ramble a little but this does not seem to matter if it is read in just one or two sittings. Certainly the book is true to its title with nursery cannons, masse strokes, and top-of-the-table explained in detail.
This elegant and dapper Victorian was, by all accounts, as precise in his billiards as in his conduct and appearance. The book is tiny, almost a miniature, and was published by the table makers Cox and Yeman. As such it is bursting with advertisements but these do add to its interest. There are fascinating photographs of the Cox and Yemen factory showing aproned and capped craftsmen finishing slates, polishing legs, building cushions, and turning cues.
This slim volume has only about fifty pages of instructional content. Miniature diagrams are used to relate the story of a top-of-the-table century. 46 strokes, 46 explanatory texts. There is also a spot-end miscellany showing an assortment of strokes for getting position, maintaining position, and getting out of trouble. A delightful book and one that took me many years to find.
This book is usually one of the first that new collectors buy. Its price can vary considerably from £10 to over £80 depending on condition and whether the vendor knows its worth.
Major Broadfoot wrote most of the chapters himself but had certain specialist chapters written by recognised authorities of the day. The book goes into great detail. For example, most players are aware that the slate used to come from Welsh quarries; in the chapter covering implements we learn that there was a difference between that from Penrhyn and Aberdovey.
The diagrams are detailed, indeed, as with many books from this period, perhaps over detailed, and there are beautiful illustrations from the brush of the Victorian artist, Lucien Davis. R.A. The book is very well indexed, and under the section, "Country House Games," there are explanations of Pyramids, Pool, Shell-out, Three Pool, Single Pool, Black Pool, Black and Pink Pool, the newly emerging Snooker's Pool, and many others. The ideal book for the collector, enthusiast, or historian.