The Quotable Gambler

This book contains a lot of wit and wisdom gathered from a vast array of sources. Gambling pervades the economy of the American masculine soul, so we need to study it as art and as disease, and this book is a wonderful resources in that regard. Like the man said in the pool hall, take this book to Las Vegas along with "Das Kapital" and your lucky mojo charm.

"Eat your betting money, but don't bet your eating money," may be true for some, but betting $20 of your eating money on this book will get you food for thought. The book groups quotations in categories and starts each category with commentary by editor Paul Lyons. Quotations come from writers, gamblers, sages, and whatall from all over the world and throughout history. A sure bet if ever there was one.

I've always loved gambling, whether in a friendly poker game or I'll place a trifecta during lunch so after work I can see if I hit--there's a thrill in not knowing, having the possibility--I mean, maybe you won ten grand and you don't know it. I never thought much about that thrill, but when I saw this book on the shelf in Barnes & Noble and flipped it open I came across all these passages with people's insights on why and how people gamble. I never really thought of gambling in connection to belief or religion, but this book shows how gambling goes way back into the history of many cultures and how it appeals to that contest between human beings and their destinies. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand gambling better.

The quotes, including Einstein, Shakespeare, and Woody Allen are abundantly witty, with hopeful speculation mingling with multiple sarcasm. Loved it, and fully recommend it for all levels of gambling enthusiasts. Lyons did an excellent job of editing this book, and amazingly managed to transcend the trap of the quotation book genre.