Robert Byrne (author)
Encyclopedia
Robert Byrne is an American author
and Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
instructor of pool and carom billiards.
. He attended St. Columbkille's elementary, Loras Academy, and Loras College
.
He left Dubuque to attend Iowa State University
, where his first sign of talent as a writer emerged as he edited a humor column in the school's newspaper. He transferred to University of Colorado
, where he edited Flatiron, the school's humor publication, and he graduated in 1954 with a degree in civil engineering
.
Byrne began his career in 1954 as a Junior Civil Engineer for the City and County of San Francisco, Department of Engineering, Bureau of Public Works, Division of Highways.
and writing
talents by joining Western Construction magazine as a reporter for the heavy construction industry. In 1961, he was named editor
of the magazine, a position he held for over ten years.
Byrne became a full-time writer in 1977 after the publication of his third book. He is the author of seven novel
s, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two anthologies
, and an expose of frauds in the literary world. One of his novels, Thrill, was made into NBC
’s Monday Night Movie, which aired for the first time on May 20, 1996. Four of his novels were selections of Reader's Digest Condensed Books
and published in over a dozen languages.
Byrne's unusual mix of talents as a writer, engineer and billiard player formed the right skill set to creat what would become one of the definitive instructional works on cue sports. Byrne’s Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, published in 1978 and expanded in 1998, has sold over 500,000 copies. It is one of the very few such works that includes diagrams that are mathematically and physically accurate, plotting the path of the center of the balls, which never quite reach the cushions of the table. Byrne coined the pool jargon term "" in this book, defining the deflection effect that sends the toward the right when struck with left , and vice versa.
Byrne's books, hundreds of instructional magazine articles, seven instructional videos (shot on sound stages in Burbank
and Hollywood, California), have established him as the preeminent teacher and commentator in the world of pool and billiards. He has been a columnist and Contributing Editor for Billiard Digest magazine since its first issue in 1978, and a columnist for Dubuque's Telegraph Herald
since 2000. His most recent publication is Behold My Shorts, a collection of a decade of his monthly newspaper columns.
In 1994 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
, he received the Industry Service Award from the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America, an honor previously bestowed on Willie Mosconi
, Paul Newman
, and Jackie Gleason
. In 1998, the readers of Billiards Digest named Byrne "Best Billiards Writer". His contributions to billiards and pool were recognized with induction into the Billiard Congress of America
's Hall of Fame
. The honor, perhaps the greatest in the field, was bestowed for Meritorious Service, on July 21, 2001, at the Las Vegas Hilton
at a banquet closing the annual International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo. He was inducted with many-time World Three-cushion Billiards Championship|World Three-cushion Billiards Champion]] Raymond Ceulemans
of Belgium
.
As of May, 2011, he is nearly finished with a new collection of humorous quotations.
As a player, he has ranked in U.S. national-class tournaments in multiple disciplines:
Byrne performed the pool trick shot
s for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
in 1993.
He has had a three-cushion billiards
of 14, at age 29 and again at 79. The last time he ran his age in straight pool
was Age 78.
. On May 16, 1962, Josefa gave birth to Russell Heifetz Byrne, their only child, who now works as a network consulting engineer for Cisco Systems
. Byrne and Heifetz were divorced in 1976. On May 9, 1991, Byrne married Cynthia Nelms, a graphic artist and painter, who struck his fancy by sending him an extremely well-written fan letter.
After living in California
for nearly 40 years, Byrne moved back to his childhood home of Dubuque, Iowa with Cindy in 1996, which was not without complications due to the controversial nature of his semi-autobiographical novel Memories of a Non-Jewish Childhood. Byrne's civic involvement in Dubuque includes serving as president of the Friends of Wahlert Library, Loras College
, and as a boardmember of both the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
and Dubuque Museum of Art.
Byrne is also an amateur stage magician, is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians
, and has published tricks in Genie magazine. He was once a Class A tournament chess
player, with a United States Chess Federation
rating over 1800.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
This is the list of people inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's hall of fame. Many of these were inducted based on their excellence as world-class players , while others were inducted for their contributions to the game or the billiards industry .The year of induction is listed after...
instructor of pool and carom billiards.
Early life and education
Robert Leo Byrne, son of Tom and Clara Byrne, was born on May 22, 1930, and raised in Dubuque, IowaDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
. He attended St. Columbkille's elementary, Loras Academy, and Loras College
Loras College
Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...
.
He left Dubuque to attend Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
, where his first sign of talent as a writer emerged as he edited a humor column in the school's newspaper. He transferred to University of Colorado
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
, where he edited Flatiron, the school's humor publication, and he graduated in 1954 with a degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
.
Byrne began his career in 1954 as a Junior Civil Engineer for the City and County of San Francisco, Department of Engineering, Bureau of Public Works, Division of Highways.
Writing career
In 1955, a year later, he found a way to combine his engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
talents by joining Western Construction magazine as a reporter for the heavy construction industry. In 1961, he was named editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of the magazine, a position he held for over ten years.
Byrne became a full-time writer in 1977 after the publication of his third book. He is the author of seven novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
, and an expose of frauds in the literary world. One of his novels, Thrill, was made into NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
’s Monday Night Movie, which aired for the first time on May 20, 1996. Four of his novels were selections of Reader's Digest Condensed Books
Reader's Digest Condensed Books
The Reader's Digest Condensed Books were a series of hardcover anthology collections, published by Reader's Digest and distributed by direct mail. Each volume contained several current best-selling novels , abridged...
and published in over a dozen languages.
Byrne's unusual mix of talents as a writer, engineer and billiard player formed the right skill set to creat what would become one of the definitive instructional works on cue sports. Byrne’s Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, published in 1978 and expanded in 1998, has sold over 500,000 copies. It is one of the very few such works that includes diagrams that are mathematically and physically accurate, plotting the path of the center of the balls, which never quite reach the cushions of the table. Byrne coined the pool jargon term "" in this book, defining the deflection effect that sends the toward the right when struck with left , and vice versa.
Byrne's books, hundreds of instructional magazine articles, seven instructional videos (shot on sound stages in Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
and Hollywood, California), have established him as the preeminent teacher and commentator in the world of pool and billiards. He has been a columnist and Contributing Editor for Billiard Digest magazine since its first issue in 1978, and a columnist for Dubuque's Telegraph Herald
Telegraph Herald
The Telegraph Herald, locally referred to as the TH, is a daily newspaper published in Dubuque, Iowa for the population of Dubuque and surrounding areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin...
since 2000. His most recent publication is Behold My Shorts, a collection of a decade of his monthly newspaper columns.
In 1994 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...
, he received the Industry Service Award from the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America, an honor previously bestowed on Willie Mosconi
Willie Mosconi
William Joseph Mosconi , best known as Willie Mosconi, was an American professional pool player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Between the years of 1941 and 1957, he won the World Straight Pool Championship an unmatched fifteen times. For most of the 20th century, his name was essentially...
, Paul Newman
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
, and Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
. In 1998, the readers of Billiards Digest named Byrne "Best Billiards Writer". His contributions to billiards and pool were recognized with induction into the Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America
Billiard Congress of America is a governing body for cue sports in North America , the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association...
's Hall of Fame
Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
This is the list of people inducted into the Billiard Congress of America's hall of fame. Many of these were inducted based on their excellence as world-class players , while others were inducted for their contributions to the game or the billiards industry .The year of induction is listed after...
. The honor, perhaps the greatest in the field, was bestowed for Meritorious Service, on July 21, 2001, at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
at a banquet closing the annual International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo. He was inducted with many-time World Three-cushion Billiards Championship|World Three-cushion Billiards Champion]] Raymond Ceulemans
Raymond Ceulemans
Raymond ridder Ceulemans is a three-cushion billiards player and possibly the most dominant single figure in any one sport, having won 35 World Championship titles , 48 European titles and 61 national titles...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
As of May, 2011, he is nearly finished with a new collection of humorous quotations.
Playing career
Byrne's first success as a pool hustler came at the age of 12 when he beat the gas meter reader out of 85 cents on the family home's basement pool table in a game of 8-ball.As a player, he has ranked in U.S. national-class tournaments in multiple disciplines:
- Champion, National Senior Billiard Tournament, 1999
- Champion, National Amateur Athletic Club Billiards Tournament, 1999
- Third place, National Professional Three-Cushion Championship, 1977
- Fourth place, National Professional Three-Cushion Championship, 1968
Byrne performed the pool trick shot
Trick shot
A trick shot is a shot played on a billiards table , which seems unlikely, impossible, or requires significant skill...
s for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones and primarily stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the title character, with...
in 1993.
He has had a three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards
Three-cushion billiards is a form of carom billiards, and one of the most popular and challenging cue sports in the world.The object of the game is to the off both and contact the at least 3...
of 14, at age 29 and again at 79. The last time he ran his age in straight pool
Straight Pool
Straight pool, also called 14.1 continuous or simply 14.1, is a pocket billiards game, and was the common sport of championship competition until overtaken by faster-playing games like nine-ball...
was Age 78.
Personal life
On May 12, 1958, Byrne married Josefa Heifetz, concert pianist and daughter of legendary violinist Jascha HeifetzJascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
. On May 16, 1962, Josefa gave birth to Russell Heifetz Byrne, their only child, who now works as a network consulting engineer for Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
. Byrne and Heifetz were divorced in 1976. On May 9, 1991, Byrne married Cynthia Nelms, a graphic artist and painter, who struck his fancy by sending him an extremely well-written fan letter.
After living in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for nearly 40 years, Byrne moved back to his childhood home of Dubuque, Iowa with Cindy in 1996, which was not without complications due to the controversial nature of his semi-autobiographical novel Memories of a Non-Jewish Childhood. Byrne's civic involvement in Dubuque includes serving as president of the Friends of Wahlert Library, Loras College
Loras College
Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...
, and as a boardmember of both the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra
The Dubuque Symphony Orchestra is a non-union, fully professional orchestra located in Dubuque, Iowa. It serves the residents of Dubuque and its surrounding tri-state area which includes 12 counties in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. Under Music Director William Intriligator, over 75 professional...
and Dubuque Museum of Art.
Byrne is also an amateur stage magician, is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
, and has published tricks in Genie magazine. He was once a Class A tournament chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player, with a United States Chess Federation
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
rating over 1800.
Pool and billiards books
- McGoorty, The Story of a Billiard Bum, 1972, Lyle Stuart (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-8184-0056-8); republished 1984, as McGoorty, A Billiard Hustler's Life, Citadel Press, (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-8065-0925-9); republished again 2004, as McGoorty, A Pool Room Hustler, Broadway Books (paperback, ISBN 978-0-7679-1631-8)
- Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, 1978, Harcourt Brace & Jovanovich (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-15-614972-3), 1987 (paperback, ISBN 978-0-15-614972-3)
- Byrne's Treasury of Trick Shots in Pool and Billiards, 1982, Harcourt Brace/Harvest (paperback, ISBN 978-0-15-614973-0); 1983, Mariner (paperback, ISBN 978-0-15-115224-7); 1984, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Press (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-15-115224-7)
- Byrne's Advanced Technique in Pool and Billiards, 1990, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Press (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-15-614971-6), Harcourt Brace (paperback, ISBN 978-0-15-614971-6)
- Byrne's Book of Great Pool Stories, 1995, Harcourt Brace (ISBN 978-0-15-600223-3)
- Byrne's Wonderful World of Pool and Billiards, 1996, Harcourt Brace (ISBN 978-0-15-600222-6)
- Byrne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, 1998, Harcourt Brace (ISBN 978-0-15-600554-8)
- Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots: 350 Moves Every Player Should Know, 2003, Harcourt/Harvest Books (ISBN 978-0-15-602721-2)
Instructional videos
- Byrne's Standard Video of Pool, Volume I, 1987, Premiere Home Video
- Byrne's Standard Video of Pool, Volume II, 1988, Premiere Home Video
- Byrne's Standard Video of Trick Shots, Volume III, 1993, Premiere Home Video
- Byrne's Standard Video of More Trick Shots, Volume IV, 1993, Premiere Home Video
- Byrne's Power Pool Workout, Volume V, 1996, Premiere Home Video
- Byrne's Rack 'Em Up!, 1996, Premiere Home Video
- Byrne's Gamebreakers, 2002, Accu-Stats Video Productions
Billiard tournament commentary videos
- The Best of Three Cushion Billiards, Volume I, 1995, Accu-Stats Video Productions
- The Best of Three Cushion Billiards, Volume II, 1997, Accu-Stats Video Productions
Novels
- Memories of a Non-Jewish Childhood, 1970, Lyle Stuart (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-8184-0112-1); 1972, New American Library (paperback, ISBN 978-0-8184-0112-1) Staged as a musical by Dubuque's Grand Opera House in 2005.
- Once a Catholic, 1981m New American Library (paperback, ISBN 978-0-523-41165-1)
- The Tunnel, 1977, Harcourt Brace & Jovanovich (ISBN 978-0-15-191385-5). Selected for inclusion in a volume of Reader's Digest Condensed BooksReader's Digest Condensed BooksThe Reader's Digest Condensed Books were a series of hardcover anthology collections, published by Reader's Digest and distributed by direct mail. Each volume contained several current best-selling novels , abridged...
in 1977 - The Dam, 1981, Atheneum (ISBN 978-0-425-05385-0). Part of Reader's Digest Condensed Books #136, 1981, vol. 3
- Always a Catholic, 1981, Pinnacle (ISBN 978-0-523-42035-6)
- Skyscraper, 1984, Atheneum (ISBN 978-0-451-13557-5). Part of Reader's Digest Condensed Books #154, 1984, vol. 3
- Mannequin, 1988, Atheneum (ISBN 978-0-7089-2308-5). Included under the title Death Train in Reader's Digest Condensed Books #180, 1988, vol. 5
- Thrill, 1995, Carrol & Graf (ISBN 978-0-7867-0199-5)
Collections of quotations
- The 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1983, Fawcett (ISBN 978-0-449-20375-0)
- The Other 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1985, Fawcett (ISBN 978-0-449-20762-8)
- The Third and Possibly the Best, 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1998, Ballantine Books (ISBN 978-0-449-21337-7)
- The 1911 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1988, Fawcett/Columbine (ISBN 978-0-449-90285-1). Collection of the first three volumes.
- The Fourth and by Far the Most Recent 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1981, Fawcett (ISBN 978-0-449-21975-1)
- The Fifth and Far Finer than the First Four 637 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1994, Crest (ISBN 978-0-449-22312-3)
- The 2548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, 1996, Budget Book Service (ISBN 978-0-88365-960-1); 2001, Galahad (hardcover, ISBN 978-0-88365-960-1); 2002, Fireside (paperback, ISBN 978-0-7432-3579-2); 2006, Simon & Schuster (hardcover, ISBN 978-1-4165-4035-9). Collection of the first four volumes.
Other books
- Writing Rackets, 1969, Lyle Stuart (ISBN 978-0-8184-0095-7)
- Cat Scan: All the Best from the Literature of Cats, 1983, Scribner (ISBN 978-0-689-11390-1)
- Every Day is Father's Day, 1990, Crest (ISBN 978-0-449-21822-8)
- Behold My Shorts, 2009, Telegraph Herald (ISBN 978-0-9819806-2-1)
As editor
- Heifetz-Byrne, Josefa. Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words, Gathered from Many and Diverse Authoritative Sources, 1974, University Press (ISBN 978-0-586-20600-3)
- Kruse, Len. My Old Dubuque: Collected Writings on Dubuque Area History, 2000, Loras College Center for Dubuque History (ISBN 978-0-936875-07-1)
External links
- Robert Byrne's official website, Byrne's Books & Billiards
- Billiards Digest magazine website, with Byrne columns