The Pocket Book of Pocket Billiards: The Rack, The Rules―And A Working Pool Table Board book – May 1, 2011

The description is very deceptive. There are three categories listed for this "book:" hardcover, paper back, and board book. Whoever wrote the description needs to understand the definition of these terms. I ordered the hardcover version, which I expected to be a book with hard covers that is meant to be read like any normal book - front cover to back cover - with pages in-between . Instead what I got was a novelty game designed in the manner of a hard cover book. When you open the book, there is a plastic pool table, about .75" thick, glued to the inside cover. There are no book pages in this book. On the right side as you open the book is a slip sleeve pocket on the inside back cover. In the pocket is a small book of rules of various pool games. The plastic pool table come with a cue stick (appx. 4" long) and tiny balls that are smaller than peas. It is a joke! I say it is not a book because it is actually like any board game that has a playing board and a set of printed instruction. That's it; except it is so micro small (about 8" long) that you cannot realistically play or even simulate a real game. I believe the actual description probably refers to the paper back version priced at approximately $139. As I read the reviews, I presume this version comes with a miniature table and pool accessories to actually play on (by miniature I am referring to a table top version or mini table that is about 4 feet long). As for the board book version, I couldn't actually figure out what that was (based on the description) because by definition, a board book is designed for toddlers. It has hard cardboard pages so that toddlers can easily handle them and turn the pages (call me stupid!). I even called Barnes and Noble to see if they could clarify for me. They were also confused. After receiving Mike Vago's book, I went to Barnes and Noble and found an actual book on pool that I was able to skim and see it for what it actually is before buying it. The book from Barnes and Noble is the one I will give as a gift to a friend who recently bought a standard pool table for his home.

Makes for a great novelty gift. It's not perfect, the cues don't have a lot of mass to them, but it works well enough that you can play. No trick shots, though (not that we were that skilled anyway.).

I got his for my brother who is a faithful pool player and he loved to see the scaling. Perfect for your average pool lover.

The balls this book comes with are filled with air. When they hit, there is hardly any weight there to transfer energy to the other ball. Every shot you make will make the table move because every shot requires too much force. It might be fun when I replace the balls with some kind of BB but until then it's just collecting dust on my desk. Also, retrieving the balls after a game is terrible and should have been designed better.

She liked it and it made her smile.

it will do its job and keep you entertained for a few minutes while on a long hold or just nothing to do

I was looking for a book that had games to play on our full sized pool table and this one has many to offer. My husband loved getting it for a Christmas gift from my son. He said it was a great book.

Great gift for tweens and preteens - immediately played with once opened.

This book is informative about the various forms of Pocket Billiards (Pool) played. However as already mentioned in previous reviews the plastic balls, the accompany the mini table, are too light and unplayable. I've tried ball bearings, as suggested by other reviewers, but these are aslo too light for the roughnees of the baize on the table. The book itself is worth about £3 and the table £0. So Good Book (Over priced) - Rubbish Mini Pool Game!

My dad thought this was hilarious. I'm on the university pool team and I bought this for Christmas so my dad could practice while I'm away in preparation for our matches in the holiday. The book is great... The table is obviously a bit of a joke and doesn't really work like a real table as the balls are too light but great fun. Would highly recommend

This is a very good stocking filler.very good price.ideal for the billiards fan with limited space, sits nicely on the coffee table.

Fun for when you need to sit long periods on the toilet, also good gift for your friends!

looks like fun. received it but the "balls" missing. very disappointed to say the least!