Providing guidance for beginners and experts alike, hundreds of photographs, illustrations and examples are used to bring to life a detailed analysis of every aspect of the game. Also included is the full story of pool's evolution from its little known medieval roots to modern day superstardom, including profiles of the game's leading personalities and complete listings of all major tournament results. The focus of the book is on the game of eight ball pool as traditionally played on the smaller tables found predominantly in the United Kingdom, Australasia, Africa and parts of the rest of Europe and Asia, one of the most popular incarnations of the game, yet one about which surprisingly little has thus far been written. Much of the material is, however, equally relevant to the versions of the game played in America and parts of the rest of the world, as indeed it is to snooker and billiards, with which games pool shares much of its basic technique.