Pinball!

by Roger C. Sharpe, James Hamilton (Photographer)

In Washington, D.C., during the last days of the Civil War, a teenage boy who performs in a mind reading act befriends a clairvoyant girl whose frightening visions foreshadow an assassination plot on President Lincoln.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Seth Arnopole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinball! is a coffee table book that came out in 1977, just as solid-state electronic pinball games were entering the scene. It’s a nice time capsule, with photos of players, games, and venues. The author talks to some of the “old guys” who ran the pinball companies, including Harry Williams and Sam Stern. He explores the business in the 1930s, as some companies produced “payout” machines to compete with slot machines. This brought the attention of law enforcement in numerous localities, some of which outlawed the games altogether because of the association with gambling (even when games only offered opportunities to win a free game, or an added ball). At the time the book was published, there were four major pinball companies in the US, and each of them were producing 8-12 titles a year. They were just beginning to have to compete with video games, although “Space Invaders” and other blockbuster video games had not yet been released. The author himself had just helped re-legalize pinball in New York City by demonstrating for the city council members that it was a game of skill, not chance.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to read for pinball enthusiasts!

[Brenten Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING 3.33 STARS

Interesting history of pinball. Lots of photos of pinball machines through the years.

Kind of a nerdy book, but I enjoyed it as a man of a certain age.

[Ceci Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

My best friend has been into pinball lately. I checked this out to be more in the know. The pictures were great. The information was sparse. I could probably get more info just surfing Wikipedia on the subject.