MODERN BILLIARDS.
Modern Billiards. By John Roberts, jun., and Others. Edited by F. U. Hotine. (C. Arthur Pearson. G+.)—The first part of this book gives a history of present-day billiards. Early in the story comes the handicap of 1867. Roberts, sea., owed 100, the next being Hughes, who received 10; Roberts, jun., who was then nineteen, received 35. Father and son were left in for the last game, and the lad won, actually scoring 375 against his father's 403; the winner's highest break was 61, the loser's 55. This would be quite third-class now. A common device, now forbidden, used under certain circumstances, was for a player to knock his own and the red ball off the table. After this history comes Mr. Roberts's own contribution, "How to Play Billiards," with many illustrative diagrams (pp. 43-176). Then we have Typical Breaks," one by W. Mitchell, of 70 strokes, for each of which directions are given, with an illustrative diagram. After this come " Breaks by an Amateur and a Professional from the Same Leave," the editor remarking that the amateur " was almost always in difficulties, and showed considerable ingenuity in sur- mounting them, the professional's strokes were all very simple. The amateur had some luck, at strokes 3 and 30. At 31 he broke down, whereas the professional at 33 was still likely to go." A 534 break by C. Dawson is given, and a narrative of champion- ship matches. We should say that this book should teach all that can be taught by a book.
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