Thomas Fensch

The Lions and the Lambs Thomas Fensch

First published in 1970, The Lions and the Lambs profiles the best pool players of that time. It followed the release of The Hustler, a highly acclaimed-and financially successful film-starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. Until 1970, there has been no book about pool/billiards that separated the facts from the legends of this timeless sport. Shakespeare mentions billiards in Anthony and Cleopatra; Mary Queen of Scots played the game and Lord Bryon also mentioned billiards.

Lions, in the language of the game, are gamblers or hustlers; those who can win when there is money on the table; Lambs are tournament players, but not necessary gamblers.

The book includes both categories of players; each chapter is a comprehensive profile of the player-his (or her) attitudes toward the game and comments about other players.

Also included is a Introduction about pool in the United States; a section about the film The Hustler and a lexicon of terms. It is illustrated with a wide variety of photographs, many taken by the author.

The book went out-of-print after its original printing and the book publisher also disappeared. Copies available on the internet have listed at $200-$250 or more; this is a reprint of the 1970 edition.