Billiards Simplified

[Rayjayjam]

I was on here the other day and someone mentioned the Billiards Simplified book.
It has a lot of diagrams of Burroughes & Watts Table leg designs, Cue racks, Score boards, seats etc.
I've seen it for sale on eBay for around £50.00.
Here's the online version.
Thought some of you would find it interesting.

http://www.archive.org/stream/billia...e/n11/mode/2up

[johnroger]

billiars simple????

That looks like a very interesting book Do you know where I can get one? or any other caterlogue of antique billiard table manufactures.

[hotpot]

Thanks for sharing this . I would like to get into billiards but have,nt played for a good few years .

[Rayjayjam]

There's one on eBay at the moment.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BILLIARDS-SIMP...item439cd64aa0

[johnroger]

made an offer

Thanks for that info,,,I just made an offer. Once a little time ago I saw a catalogue from a table ( English not sure which one ) and it was a most beautiful book colour photos etc, I have been trying to find any examples ever since but I just can't .Any ideas.

[Geoff Large]

I have this book , you can sometimes pick it up for a few pounds , but it is getting very popular with collectors now and therefore will sell for much more .
My edition is a genuine Buroughs and watts one with a Dark Green cover . and was sold at a jumble sale or junk shop for 4d once in its life as it has that price still on it .
one picture just inside the front cover is very disturbing , in that James Burroughs is pictured sitting on a mountain of ivory balls contained in onion type bags .
only three full sized balls where produced from each tusk , look at the picture and try and figure out how many Elephants where Killed to produce the mountain of balls ?
I would say around 16 elephants per Bag .

[johnroger]

too many thats for sure

Hi Geoff, I just purchased the book and I must say it cost a little more than the 4p of years past, but at least I now have it. If you know where I can get any tabl catalogues I would love to know,thanks for contacting me all the best.
John

[Geoff Large]

Sorry John but that is my area of collection and one of my main sources for old prices of cues and tables etc , I have a few catalogues and other adverts of interest , such as riley / Burroughs and watts teaser edition booklets/ padmore catalogue / john gent catalogue , elston & hopkin catalogues , and pages from magazine adverts of George wright and thurston etc .
You never know when the next item of interest will turn up , for instance I was releveling a table a couple of years ago and under one leg where two tickets for an Exhibition of Billiards & Snooker by Clark McConachay on Monday november 10th 1947 .
to be played at the Chatham Billiards rooms Leicester , afternoon session at 3pm and evening at 7pm ticket numbers 101 and 102 .
Although this table was in a working mens club , the fitters must have used these tickets to fine level the table all those years ago after they had been to that exihibition , and there they remained until youres truly jacked the frame up to insert new level shims and found them .

[davipp]

I collect Snooker & Billiards books and would love a copy in my collection but was wondering and have always wondered whether these old books are worth reading to improve my game now that Aramith Balls are being used. I believe the old balls Ivory & bonzaline, crystalate and super crystalate balls used to spread less compared to the Aramith Balls. They definitely rolled slower, especially the ivory and bonzaline. Does anyone agree with my thoughts on this.

[Geoff Large]

I collect Snooker & Billiards books and would love a copy in my collection but was wondering and have always wondered whether these old books are worth reading to improve my game now that Aramith Balls are being used. I believe the old balls Ivory & bonzaline, crystalate and super crystalate balls used to spread less compared to the Aramith Balls. They definitely rolled slower, especially the ivory and bonzaline. Does anyone agree with my thoughts on this.

ivory balls went out of shape , sometimes very soon after purchase if kept in the wrong conditions , most ivory balls where produced oversized so that they could be returned later in life at a smaller diameter and then restained , this service was still available around the 1930s/40s .
ivory balls are collectable within the billiard collectors , also Bagpipe manufacturers and renovaters return the ivory balls for the decorative rings on the bagpipes , it is now under Defra rules ilegal to return Ivory and heavy fines can be imposed .
I have a few ivory balls for sale around 11 at £25 each , most have been returned to a diameter of 2 inch , but these are sold as collectables only .

bonzaline balls crack just like ivory and many people think they have ivory balls only to find they are bonzaline .

Now BCE ( Bristol coin equipment ) where the last owners to the right of name for Crystalate and super crystalate balls having bought chrystalate out and then subcontracted Arimith to make them in Belgium for them ,
ARAMITH did make chrystalate until the contract with bce expired , then arimith said we do not want to make the crystalate balls for you anymore , and being as Bce had sold them all the machinery from the uk , they did not have the facility to make them again in the uk . BIG MISTAKE

when BCE where retailing the aramith manufactured chrystalate balls they where priced at around £120 a set , as soon as Aramith started to sell the tounrament set in the blue and gold box ( in reality made to chrystalate recipe ) they where below £80

Now it is well known within the trade that the Blue and gold Aramith tournament set is realy made to the Crystalate recipe of mixture .

( info passed down = by salesman my old boss and other fitters in the 1980s and 90s )

so I am sure apart from colour there should be no differance between the tournament Aramith and the old crystalate sets . but I am not a realy good snooker player and I normaly go on the clicking or clacking sound and weight of a ball to judge if they are a good set .
a sharp click is the sound of the right type of ball , a clack and it is normaly a set that is cheaply made or passed their best .

Match sets of 147 Super crystalate in the black box where weighed and matched for colour . I do not think the standard crystalate balls differ in recipe of mixture , just that the reds where matched for colour match in the super crystalate and gram weighed for exact match too .
How can a manufacturer claim that they have the best product in the standard crystalate as used by profesionals then bring out a better product and still produce a lower class product unless they where just better in quality control , i.e the colour and weight match .

unlike the Aramith ball and the Aramith tournament , they differ in quality weight and colour so are true sepperate produts . one for standard club play , and the other for top quality snooker play .