Eddie Felson Books

"A wonderful hymn to the last true era when men of substance played pool with a vengeance."- Time Out When it was first published in 1959, The Hustler was the first--and the best--novel written about billiards in the 400-year history of the game. The book quickly won a respected readership and later an audience for the movie with the same name starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. The Hustler is about the victories and losses of one "Fast" Eddie Felson, a poolroom hustler who travels from town to town conning strangers into thinking they could beat him at the game when in fact, he is a skillful player who has never lost a game. Until he meets his match in Minnesota Fats, the true king of the poolroom, causing his life to change drastically. This is a classic tale of a man's struggle with his soul and his self-esteem. "If Hemingway had the passion for pool that he had for bullfighting, his hero might have been Eddie Felson."- Time

"Tevis in unequaled when it comes to creating and sustaining the tension of a high stakes game. Even readers who have never lifted a cue will be captivated." -- Publishers Weekly Twenty years after he conquered the underground pool circuit as The Hustler, "Fast" Eddie Felson is playing exhibition matches with former rival Minnesota Fats in shopping malls for prizes like cable television.With one failed marriage and years of running a pool hall behind him, Eddie is now ready to regain the skills needed to compete in a world of pool that has changed dramatically since he left. The real challenge comes when Eddie realizes that in order to compete with a new wave of young players, he must hone his skills in the unfamiliar game of nine-ball as opposed to the straight pool that had once won him fame. With a new generation of competitors, a higher-profile series of matches, and a waning confidence in his own abilities, "Fast" Eddie faces new challenges with unpredictable outcomes. The Color of Money is the source of the 1986 film starring Paul Newman in the role he had originated in The Hustler.