The collection of all sorts of memorabilia relating to Billiards and Snooker continues to be popular. One of the oldest themes has been the collection of books relating to Billiards and Snooker.

The amount of books relating to this subject is vast , but some of these books command prices significantly higher than others due to their rarity. Here are a few to look for on your travels.

50 Years of Billiards in Grimsby -  Bob Lincoln 1915 116 pages in Hardback

In Lincoln’s address to the reader he says it is not “my intention to pose as an expert or yet critic on the game but simply chronicle the rise of it in the fisheries”. He certainly achieves that aim with match results , statistics , and informed insight into some of the main players and characters in the local leagues. The book is bound in green cloth and has a russet coloured leather spine.  Value £340-£360

Billiard Stories and Anecdotes - Unknown author 1824 7f pages in Paperback

There are eleven chapters in this volume  , all covering anecdotes that is says in the preface “have been published before” but unfortunately not staing where. The first is called “The Head of my Profession” and details a young gentlemans adventures in the city of Bath , playing and watching some of the better players in that city. The cover is an interesting one  , depicting two swordsmen clashing swords on top of a billiard table. Value £500 - £800

Billiards Mathematically Treated - George Wirgman Hemming 1899 45 pages in Hardback

The 1st Edition of this book has the ubiquitous dark green boards of many billiards books and the title in gilt on the cover. The 2nd edition has blue boards. This book is full of mathematical equations relating to the game of Billiards , all explaining the effects of friction , velocity , acceleration and impact. George Hemming was a mathematician and law reporter who wrote several books on this subject. If you can find the elusive First Edition expect to pay Value £300- £500

Tables For Ascertaining The Factor Of A Billiard Player - Earl Of Crawford 1890 14 pages in Hardback + 138 pages of diagrams

The British Library copy of this volume is a fine specimen complete with near perfect dark blue boards , gilt lettering to the cover , marbled endpapers and the pages tipped in gilt. NB This copy may have been rebound as copies have been seen in a Burgundy board. There are various explanations and formula concerning how to ascertain the factor of points scored divided by number of visits to the table. There were only 50 copies of this book ever published and thus this book will continue to increase in value when they come up.

The author was James Lindsay (1847-1913) who was the 26th Earl of Crawford and the 9th Earl of Balcarres , an astronomer and book collector who originally lived at Haigh Hall in Wigan. He eventually became MP for Wigan in 1874 and held  that seat until 1880 when he succeeded to his father’s Earldom and sat in the upper house as Earl Wigan. Value £2,400 - 2,600

Please do not be put off , as there are many books at affordable prices with which you can start a collection - however if you see any of the following in Oxfam shops or Car boots snap them up.

 Prize Essays on “Billiards as an Amusement for all classes , Especially in Reference to its use in Clubs , Literary Mechanics and other Institutes. Value £500-£800

The Spot Stroke Joseph Bennett 1872 Value £400 - £600 2nd Edition in Pink , !st Edition almost impossible to find.

The Handy Book Of Billiards - William Cook Junior 1870 Value £400-£600

White on Billiards 1867 Value £300-£500 (Front Cover has green boards with “Billiards by Cox and Yeman”

Practical Billiards William Dufton 1867 Value £550 +

The ABC of Billiards F.Hardy 1866 Value £300-500

Billiards Game 500 Up 1844 - Value £950 +

If further research is required may I suggest you look at the outstanding book by Gary Clarke “A Billiards and Snooker Compendium