The Pinball Compendium: 1970 -1981: 1970 -1981

by Michael Shalhoub

Eagerly anticipated, this update of the highly regarded third book from pinball author Michael Shalhoub includes over 900 color photos and covers the most recent period in pinball history, from 1982 through 2011. Each chapter is devoted to a specific year and features descriptions, release dates, and historical background on the games released that year from manufacturers Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, Data East, Stern, Sega, and others. Current values are listed for each machine shown in the book. Interspersed with the games are stories and interviews with many of the legendary designers and artists who created them. Readers will gain fascinating insight into the planning that went into the games, how the designers and artists got their start in the industry, behind-the-scenes tales of life in the pinball world, and more. “Michael Shalhoub’s Pinball Compendium is a great documentary of our business,” says designer Steve Ritchie of the second book in the trilogy. Along with its two companion volumes (the first covering the 1930s-1960s and the second covering 1970-1981), this book is a must-have for all who love the sights and sounds of the world’s great pinball machines.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Robu-sensei · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readers of a certain age will fondly remember the old mechanical pinball machines showcased in The Pinball Compendium: 1970-1981, from a long-lost Golden Age of Pinball before skill took a back seat to incomprehensible playfields and audio overstimulation. Unfortunately, that's about all that recommends this book. Collectors, and nobody else, will appreciate the unexplained technical terms and rambling stories from the life histories of various pinball game designers and manufacturers. Worse yet, the writing is awkward and highly repetitious. Facts that belong in tables are presented time after time with precisely the same wording. Granted, many of the games featured are extremely rare, and so it is unreasonable to expect professional photography. Nonetheless, the author should have been a bit more discerning in selecting game photos: one collector prominently represented in the book has yet to become acquainted with his camera's focus or exposure settings. The author, an Australian pinball fanatic and game hobbyist, has amassed a reasonably complete collection of games from the transitional era from purely electromechanical to solid-state, electronic games. However, even I noticed omissions of at least three notable pioneers of the solid-state era, circa 1980.

[FranklinTV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely coffee table book with pictures of pinballs I played in the 70s & 80s. Good stuff.