The Straight Pool Bible: Personal Instruction from a World Champion

by Laurence S. Moy and Arthur "Babe" Cranfield

Book Overview

"Secrets of a world champion revealed with clear text and diagrams. This one will repay every minute you spend with it".--Mike Shamos, author of "The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards" and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158574025X
• ISBN13: 9781585740253
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

The Straight Dope

I think the book will be extremely usefull to all pool players that are use to moving the cue ball all over the table with little regard for absolute position and control. It's a no nonsense approach to the game of Straight Pool and Billiards in general. It a good resource that can be usefull in all cue games.

The best book on straight pool ever written

To my great pleasure, I've noticed a number of posts recently from players taking up the game of straight pool for the first time. I've been playing 14.1 (straight pool) for almost 40 years, and I consider it the most challenging and fascinating of all the pool games. Oddly, though, in all my years of playing, I've seldom seen a decent book on straight pool. Only George Fels' (all his books are excellent) nearly 15 year old book is worthwhile for the aspiring straight pool player. But now there is a terrific new addition. One of the greatest straight pool players of all time, Babe Cranfield, has produced a really useful book on straight pool called "The Straight Pool Bible". I highly recommend this book to anyone--newcomer to veteran. It is concise, accurate, filled with wonderful insights and advice, and provides clear and useful illustrations. I particularly enjoyed that he emphasizes there is seldom only one correct way to run a rack. He acknowledges there can be many effective routes to the break ball. His advice, then, is not dogmatic, rather, it is dynamic, suggesting concepts over rigid patterns. (He does, however, offer some common "by the numbers" patterns to illustrate points.) His sections on pattern play and position will help players of any game, from straight to 9-ball. This is one great book.

Insights and Inspiration

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. In pool speak - a "dead on" combination of personal anecdotes of one of pool's greatest champions and useful techniques for improving your game. This book is much easier to read (and thus, in many respects, more useful) than a number of comprehensive treatises on the game that are available. Larry Moy has made a great contribution to the game and, together with "Babe," has gone a long way to making a difficult, but exciting, game a little easier and even more enjoyable.

Straight Pool from a Straight Shooter

I've never been much of a pool player, but I have always wanted be play well. I have a decent eye but little, if any, technique. I play on an infrequent basis, mostly because I am good enough to beat novices on a regular basis, but not nearly good enough to beat anyone who truly understands the game. I tried once to watch some videos on the game but it seemed as though they were either too rudimentary or got caught up on trick shots that I could never use in a practical manner.I needed someone to show me how to play the game. How to make my next shot easier--not harder. In short, I wanted to know the "tricks" that made me a better player. This book does all of that.If you want to learn how to improve the very essence of your game, whether you are a true novice or an intermediate player (like myself) this really is the "Bible of Pool." For the pros, I still think this is a great source. Cranfield is a former world champ, is in the Billiards Hall of Fame, and has shared all of his insights with Moy. If you like the game, make the investment.

The Straight Pool Bible

The Straight Pool Bible conveys the basics (physical and mental), the art, and the strategy of playing pool in the most simple yet comprehensive manner. Beginners as well as advanced players will learn much from reading less than 200 pages. The information is clear, and the diagrams are most helpful. Of course the concentration of the book is straight pool, for which there is ample instruction; but the lessons learned will be applied easily to eight-ball, nine-ball, one pocket, and even snooker. I found the sections devoted to the mental game extremely interesting and helpful. I have not found another book devoted to billiards that has conveyed the way to acquire, practice, and focus the mental aspect of pool as well as The Straight Pool Bible by Cranfield and Moy.