From Publishers Weekly
Driven byESPN's coverage of the annual World Series of Poker and the TravelChannel's unlikely hit coverage of the World Poker Tour, poker is nowa hot item in American culture. Both of these shows feature a varietyof poker known as Hold 'Em, whose virtue, to television audiences andpoker players alike, is its fast pace and "action" (the number of betsplayers can make in quick succession). Watching men and women who canbet $200,000 on nothing and win has captivated a new generation. Pokerwriter Stravinsky's collection of essays, short stories, book excerptsand poems mines some of this excitement, featuring articles onthree-time World Series champion Johnny Chan and colorful Hold 'Emlegend Amarillo Slim. Likewise, contributions from Andy Bellin andA. Alvarez, both steeped in the contemporary poker scene, will feelfamiliar to the television-bred Hold 'Em aficionados. But much of thematerial, though classic-for example, Mark Twain's rumination on pokerin Life on the Mississippi and an excerpt from Nelson Algren's The Manwith the Golden Arm-are from a bygone poker world that lacks theintensity of the modern tournament game. Most of Stravinsky's choicesfall into this category. The selections are invariably well chosen:poetry by Billy Collins and Stephen Dunn, short stories by W. SomersetMaugham and James Thurber, among them, but they are aimed at an older,more literary audience and will have little appeal to the new, youngerpoker fans. This collection falters because it is unable tosuccessfully move between poker's romanticized past and its big-moneycelebrity-driven present. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
More than 50 million Americans play poker. But poker is much more than a popular game. It is a world unto itself, populated by a multitude of colorful characters -- professionals and amateurs, hustlers and dreamers.
From the rich field of all the writers who have ever loved the game, editor John Stravinsky has gathered thirty-nine best-of-breed short stories, essays, excerpts from novels, and poems: Mark Twain, John Updike, James Thurber, Nelson Algren, Martin Amis, and Billy Collins are among the winning hand of renowned writers in this collection who have mined their personal experiences at the poker table.
Entertaining, enlightening, and essential, Read 'Em and Weep is a stacked deck of pure poker-reading pleasure.
About the Author
John Stravinsky is the author of five books and has written on sports for a number of publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Village Voice, The Wall Street Journal, Billiards Digest, and Men's Journal. He lives in Long Island, New York.
Read 'Em and Weep FROM THE PUBLISHER
More than 50 million Americans play poker. But poker is much more than a popular game. It is a world unto itself, populated by a multitude of colorful characters -- professionals and amateurs, hustlers and dreamers. From the rich field of all the writers who have ever loved the game, editor John Stravinsky has gathered thirty-nine best-of-breed short stories, essays, excerpts from novels, and poems: Mark Twain, John Updike, James Thurber, Nelson Algren, Martin Amis, and Billy Collins are among the winning hand of renowned writers in this collection who have mined their personal experiences at the poker table.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
READ 'EM AND WEEP: A Bedside Poker CompanionJohn Stravinsky. HarperCollins, $19.95 (256p) ISBN 0-06-055958-6 ~ Driven by ESPN's coverage of the annual World Series of Poker and the Travel Channel's unlikely hit coverage of the World Poker Tour, poker is now a hot item in American culture. Both of these shows feature a variety of poker known as Hold 'Em, whose virtue, to television audiences and poker players alike, is its fast pace and "action" (the number of bets players can make in quick succession). Watching men and women who can bet $200,000 on nothing and win has captivated a new generation. Poker writer Stravinsky's collection of essays, short stories, book excerpts and poems mines some of this excitement, featuring articles on three-time World Series champion Johnny Chan and colorful Hold 'Em legend Amarillo Slim. Likewise, contributions from Andy Bellin and A. Alvarez, both steeped in the contemporary poker scene, will feel familiar to the television-bred Hold 'Em aficionados. But much of the material, though classic-for example, Mark Twain's rumination on poker in Life on the Mississippi and an excerpt from Nelson Algren's The Man with the Golden Arm-are from a bygone poker world that lacks the intensity of the modern tournament game. Most of Stravinsky's choices fall into this category. The selections are invariably well chosen: poetry by Billy Collins and Stephen Dunn, short stories by W. Somerset Maugham and James Thurber, among them, but they are aimed at an older, more literary audience and will have little appeal to the new, younger poker fans. This collection falters because it is unable to successfully move between poker's romanticized past and its big-money celebrity-driven present. (Jan. 1) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
It is estimated that over 50 million people in the United States play poker, and this collection of short stories, poems, articles, and book excerpts is aimed at the readers among them. Edited by Stravinsky, who has written on gambling for a variety of publications, including Newsday and the Village Voice, and with an introduction by poet-novelist James McManus, it includes fiction by Nelson Algren, Bertolt Brecht, Stephen Crane, James Jones, W. Somerset Maugham, Mark Twain, James Thurber, and John Updike; excerpts from poker manuals like attorney John Blackbridge's The Complete Poker Player; portraits of famous poker players; and descriptions of high-stakes games by writer-gamblers. Contributors of nonfiction include Peter Alson, Chris Calhoun, Clark Clifford, David Mamet, and Barbara Tuchman. The collection is varied and well balanced, though some of the articles presume a fairly thorough knowledge of the card game in its various forms. A good bet for public libraries.-William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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