At the age of 17, David McCumber was stricken with "road fever" that irresistible call to the itinerant life of a professional gambler. Twenty-two years later, he got the chance to follow that dream-not as a player but as the "stakehorse" (financial backer) for Tony Annigoni, a non-smoking, macrobiotic-eating "Renaissance Pool Hustler," student of Eastern religion, and master of the pure green-felt poetry of the dead stroke." With $27,000 in David's pocket they took off together on an astonishing four-month odyssey across America-traveling from seedy, hole-in-the-wall billiard parlors to high-class snooker rooms to high-tension pro tourneys, from Seattle to Miami and back again-exploring a shady twilight subculture and uniquely American mythos, in search of serious money, local glory...and the perfect hustle.

From a popular senior writer for Sports Illustrated comes this high-stakes, boys-on-the-road story about the most unlikely of phenoms--a heavyset, bipolar, and endlessly charming pool hustler named Kid Delicious In most sports the pinnacle is Wheaties-box notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at--the felt--and hits the road. Running the Table spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly--if less talented--set-up man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from Podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage one night to take down as much as $30,000, only to lose so much the next night that they lack gas money to get home. With every stop, the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious's prowess with a cue stick becomes known more and more widely. Ultimately, Delicious sheds his cover once and for all and becomes professional pool's biggest sensation since Minnesota Fats. In a book sure to appeal to fans of Bringing Down the House and Positively Fifth Street, Wertheim evokes a subculture full of nefarious but loveable characters and illuminates America's fascination with games and gambling. He also paints a lasting portrait of an insanely talented and magnetic hustler, who is literally larger than life.

The bestselling author of "Italian Neighbors" returns with a wry and revealing portrait of Italian life--by riding its trains.

Thirty-one stories on pool and billiards written over the past 150 years. The authors range from Pushkin to Vachss, the stories from Wallace Stegner's The Blue-Winged Teal, on competition between a father and a son, to Bill Pronzini's science fiction story, The Hungarian Cinch.

The Broadway Books Library of Larceny Luc Sante, General Editor McGoorty is master billiards writer Robert Byrne’s racy account of the life of Danny McGoorty, a billiards champion of that bygone era when cue artists were often scam artists and pool rooms were held to be dens of iniquity. Hustler and hobo, womanizer and fashion plate, McGoorty was at once eyewitness to Capone’s Chicago and the feats of greats like Willie Hoppe and Willie Mosconi. In an all-American voice at once sarcastic, profane, humorous, and chock full of colorful lingo, he relates his colorful and seedy life and times with a unique style and brio.

Road Player: The Danny Diliberto Story. This new book by Jerry Forsyth, Pool & Billiards Magazine's premier writer, was just released at the Derby City (pool and billiards) Tournament on January 6th, 2006 and was an instant smash. Published by Bebob Publishing, it is a lifetime of stories from the vibrant memory of Danny Diliberto, one of Accu-Stat Video's most popular commentators. Beginning with the Hustler's Tournaments in Johnston City, Diliberto was one of the fabled road players. He excelled in four sports: baseball, bowling, boxing, and pool. Boxing was his first love, but his own hands could not stand the power of his blows. Pool gave him his greatest fame and that's what this book is about. Any devotee of the game will be fascinated with this look into the immediate past of pool and billiards. From Las Vegas to Hollywood to the smallest towns on the most distant highways, this is the life of the roadman, a gambler's tale in his own words. A great book!

Young Thomas fans will love these easy readers, perfect for bedtime reading.

This account tells of the Mitchell brothers' rise and fall in the world of pornography--a sordid story of sex, scandal and murder. The first in Pinnacle Books' In Cold Blood true-crime classic reissue promotion. photos.

The story of a young man growing up during difficult times in the Bronx, New York.