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Greenleaf: Pool's Greatest Champion
"The book is a thrilling narrative of Greenleaf's turbulent life — something like a book version of an entry in ESPN's 30 for 30 series of documentaries. The book is well-written and engaging, so any prospective reader won't have trouble consuming a story with plenty of twists and turns." Billiards Digest, May 2021
#1 New Release -- Billiards & Pool (Amazon, December 2020)
Ralph Greenleaf is a billiard legend. He dominated the sport in the 1920s and 1930s, won multiple world championships, and transformed pool into one of America's favorite pastimes. Ralph earned fame and riches equal to Babe Ruth and became a national icon. Then, at the peak of his popularity, he disappeared. Nine months later, he washed up in a jail cell a thousand miles from home. Ralph had lost everything, except he could still shoot pool.
Ralph's infamous disappearance, and not his many world championships, defined his legacy until now. This book, the first biography of Ralph Greenleaf, documents his rise, famous fall, and surprising return to glory.
#1 New Release -- Billiards & Pool (Amazon, December 2020)
Ralph Greenleaf is a billiard legend. He dominated the sport in the 1920s and 1930s, won multiple world championships, and transformed pool into one of America's favorite pastimes. Ralph earned fame and riches equal to Babe Ruth and became a national icon. Then, at the peak of his popularity, he disappeared. Nine months later, he washed up in a jail cell a thousand miles from home. Ralph had lost everything, except he could still shoot pool.
Ralph's infamous disappearance, and not his many world championships, defined his legacy until now. This book, the first biography of Ralph Greenleaf, documents his rise, famous fall, and surprising return to glory.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 31, 2022
A Good If Short Biography
A biography of a long dead pool player from the early 20th century is the most niche of niche subject matters. So I appreciate the dedication and love for the sport the author must have to have researched and wrote this book for the consumption of the few who would appreciate it like myself. Also I appreciate the difficulty the author must have had in tracking down all the sourced material as pool has a track record of apocryphal stories and shoddy record keeping at best. The author could have made up a lot of stories and conjecture and no one would know the difference, but I appreciate the quotes from other books and newspapers from the time period to verify we are getting an accurate picture of the man. And finally while the book isn't long I'd say it does do a good job of exploring what made Greenleaf a champion and what made him human , never glossing over his self-destructive tendencies. If you're a pool fan, or simply interested in sports from a different era I can recommend throwing a couple of bucks at this book in the Kindle store.
A biography of a long dead pool player from the early 20th century is the most niche of niche subject matters. So I appreciate the dedication and love for the sport the author must have to have researched and wrote this book for the consumption of the few who would appreciate it like myself. Also I appreciate the difficulty the author must have had in tracking down all the sourced material as pool has a track record of apocryphal stories and shoddy record keeping at best. The author could have made up a lot of stories and conjecture and no one would know the difference, but I appreciate the quotes from other books and newspapers from the time period to verify we are getting an accurate picture of the man. And finally while the book isn't long I'd say it does do a good job of exploring what made Greenleaf a champion and what made him human , never glossing over his self-destructive tendencies. If you're a pool fan, or simply interested in sports from a different era I can recommend throwing a couple of bucks at this book in the Kindle store.
January 19, 2021
A great player,a great story!
Not much has been written about the greatest pool player ever and most is unreliable at best.
Here however is as complete a biography as you can get.
A very good read for anyone interested in the history of the game.
Not much has been written about the greatest pool player ever and most is unreliable at best.
Here however is as complete a biography as you can get.
A very good read for anyone interested in the history of the game.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews