- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press; New edition edition (3 Oct 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 022406150X
- ISBN-13: 978-0224061506
- Product Dimensions: 16.4 x 10.4 x 1.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,633,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'An engrossing read - a love letter to spott penned by a great writer' Glasgow Herald 'The book's strength lies in Richler's rich exuberance' Observer
Product Description
Mordecai Richler honed his cueing action in the pool halls of Montreal where he misspent his teenage years hustling. He was addicted to the game and its grownup cousin - snooker - ever after. This book traces the history of snooker from its nineteenth-century origins to the tobacco-sponsored world of today's game. Richler visits the craftsmen who make the cues, the agents who control the sport, the groupies who obsessively follow the circuit and the millionaire players themselves. The 'bad boys' from Alex Higgins to Ronnie O'Sullivan, his fellow countrymen Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens and, the central figure of the book, Stephen Hendry, the game's most talented exponent ever. A brilliant, witty and compact look at the game, On Snooker is sports writing at its best. It is a book that transcends its subject in unexpected and fascinating ways.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This kind of book can be more irritating than anything. You read the description and expect a wealth of interesting stories from the world of snooker. Well in a way, you get this. It's just that all the good stories are from other sources and most snooker followers have already heard all of them.
"On Snooker" is a deeply personal work, and as these kinds of books tend to go, Richler wanders around the subject quite freely. We hear about Jewish boxers, ice hockey, Edward Gibbon's anti-semitism...but in the end, very little interesting about snooker. Just about all the stories about professional snooker are ripped from other sources.
Richler meets the players but doesn't get anything out of the interviews. And as bad journalists have done throughout history, he blames the interviewees for this. We read a page-long description about Richler waiting for Cliff Thorburn in a bar, and then all the Thornburn stories are just quotes from his autobiography!
Maybe it's not a bad book as much as it is completely unnecessary one. Luckily, also a short one. Very short.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this entertaining look at the game, the Canadian novelist describes how he grew up in Montreal, frequenting its pool halls and developing a love of pool and later snooker. He notes that spending his youth in this way was not considered appropriate for a young Jewish boy but this did not prevent him from continuing to appreciate the game, an appreciation which comes across in this book, despite some acerbic observations on some of those involved with the modern game.
He traces the history of snooker from its origins, through the Joe Davis era, to today's multi-million pound televised circuit. Richler reflects frankly on the players, in some cases making his distaste all too apparent, yet making his respect and admiration for others plain to see. He narrates meetings with several players and recounts stories, many of which will be new to all but the most ardent of snooker followers. His observations are not limited to the players though, some of his most critical and witty remarks are reserved for those running the game and for the groupies which follow the circuit.
The book culminates with the author's visit to the 2000 World Championship where he assesses the various characters involved. This is not a review of the tournament but a thoughtful and witty reflection on many of the players - his shock and disappointment at Stephen Hendry's defeat is notable.
This is a very personal book, written honestly, but with humour and respect. Its style is light and is interspersed with Ronnie Corbett-like digressions, particularly on other sports and their heroes. It should entertain not only lovers of snooker, but those who are passionate about any sport.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A North American View of Snooker
17 Aug 2001
Format:Hardcover
This book will be of intense interest to snooker enthusiasts and should hold some appeal for most billiards players and all Richler fans. A lifelong snooker fanatic, Richler begins with rich anecdotes from his childhood in Montreal, reviews the early history of cue sports, then devotes several chapters to coverage of the British snooker tournament scene, with special attention paid to Stephen Hendry, Alex Higgins, Cliff Thorburn and Kirk Stevens. He concludes with a discussion of sports themes in recent fiction. Some of the quotes and anecdotes will be overly familiar to the devoted snooker follower but entertaining for the more casual reader. Richler's final work is a welcome addition to the recently sparse snooker literature.
Chalk up one for Richler!!
27 Oct 2003
Format:Hardcover
Richler has given us a great read on snooker. It will be a long time before we see the likes of another as good on this from the viewpoint of a Canadian fan.Snooker has suffered at the hands of the establishment the same fate as Country Music,Comics,Reading and virtually all entertainment media.
Being about the same age as Richler;a lot of my youth was "mis-spent" ,but not regrettably,in the local Snooker Academy.That was where one learned early that "you paid for the lesson but the experience was for free".Richler brought back many menories to me of watching and talking with the greats during the Competitions at the CNE in Toronto in the early 80"s.At that time Alex Higgins was the character that created the fan interest and support.The establishment would just as soon he didn't exist.Perfection and dullness crept in.
Now in an effort to get the fans and money back;we are being fed 9-Ball.What the establishment never learns is that entertainment belongs to the fans;and they will make the choice of what they want and will support.
Being about the same age as Richler;a lot of my youth was "mis-spent" ,but not regrettably,in the local Snooker Academy.That was where one learned early that "you paid for the lesson but the experience was for free".Richler brought back many menories to me of watching and talking with the greats during the Competitions at the CNE in Toronto in the early 80"s.At that time Alex Higgins was the character that created the fan interest and support.The establishment would just as soon he didn't exist.Perfection and dullness crept in.
Now in an effort to get the fans and money back;we are being fed 9-Ball.What the establishment never learns is that entertainment belongs to the fans;and they will make the choice of what they want and will support.
A lively first person expose of memorable characters
10 Nov 2001
Format:Hardcover
In On Snooker, Mordecai Richler here considers his love of the snooker game and his observations of the men and women who share his enthusiasm. Enjoy a blend of autobiography and game insights which examines snooker tables from Canada to Dublin, in a lively first person expose of memorable characters and games.
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