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{{short description|American novelist}}
{{self-published|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Robert Byrne
| name = Robert Byrne
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| caption = Robert Byrne
| caption = Robert Byrne
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|05|22}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1930|05|22}}
| birth_place = [[Dubuque, Iowa]]
| birth_place = [[Dubuque, Iowa]], United States
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|12|06|1930|05|22}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|12|06|1930|05|22}}
| occupation = [[Author]]
| occupation = [[Author]]
| language = English
| language = English
| nationality = American
| citizenship = US
| education = [[Bachelor of Science]]
| education = [[Bachelor of Science]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Colorado]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Colorado]]
| period = 1969 - Current
| period = 1969–2016
| genre = [[Thriller (genre)|Thriller]], Collections of quotations, Billiards instruction
| genre = [[Thriller (genre)|Thriller]], Collections of quotations, Billiards instruction
| notableworks = ''Memories of a Non-Jewish Childhood'', 1970<br />
| notableworks = ''Memories of a Non-Jewish Childhood'', 1970<br />
''Byrne's Standard Book of Pool & Billiards'', 1978<br />
''Byrne's Standard Book of Pool & Billiards'', 1978<br />
''Thrill'', 1995
''Thrill'', 1995
| spouses = Josefa Heifetz (1958-1976), div.
| spouses = Josefa Heifetz (1958–1976; div.)<br/>Cynthia Nelms (1991–2016; his death)
⚫
| children =
Cynthia Nelms (1991-2016)
⚫
| children = Russell Byrne
| awards = BBIA Industry Service Award, 1994<br>
| awards = BBIA Industry Service Award, 1994<br>
BCA Hall of Fame (Meritorious Service), 2001
BCA Hall of Fame (Meritorious Service), 2001
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}}
}}


'''Robert Byrne''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɜr|n}}; May 22, 1930 – December 6, 2016) was an American [[author]] and [[Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame]] instructor of [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]] and [[carom billiards]].
'''Robert Leo Byrne''' ({{IPAc-en|b|ɜr|n}}; May 22, 1930 – December 6, 2016) was an American [[author]] and [[Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame]] instructor of [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]] and [[carom billiards]].<ref name="Obit">{{cite web |title=Robert Leo Byrne | date=8 December 2016 |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/robert-byrne-obituary?pid=183028438 |publisher=Legacy |access-date=8 January 2021}}</ref>


== Early life and education ==
==Early life and education==
{{One source|section|date=June 2024}}
Robert Leo Byrne, son of Tom and Clara Byrne, was born on May 22, 1930, and raised in [[Dubuque, Iowa]].<ref name="Brown">''The Byrne Family History'', self-published, Linda Byrne Brown, 2001</ref> He attended St. Columbkille's elementary, Loras Academy, and [[Loras College]].<ref name="Brown" /><ref>Byrne's novel ''Memories of a Non-Jewish Childhood'' is loosely based on his own childhood</ref>
Robert Leo Byrne, son of Tom and Clara ({{nee|Loes}}) Byrne, was born on May 22, 1930, and raised in [[Dubuque, Iowa]].<ref name="Brown">''The Byrne Family History'', self-published, Linda Byrne Brown, 2001{{sps|date=June 2024}}</ref> He attended St. Columbkille's elementary, Loras Academy, and [[Loras College]].<ref name="Brown" />


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]].<ref name="Brown" />
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]].<ref name="Brown" />


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.<ref name="Brown" />
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.<ref name="Brown" />


== Writing career ==
==Writing career==
In 1955, a year later, he found a way to combine his [[engineering]] and [[writing]] talents by joining ''Western Construction'' magazine as a reporter for the [[heavy construction]] industry.<ref name="Brown" /> In 1961, he was named [[editor]] of the magazine, a position he held for over ten years.<ref name="Brown" />
In 1955, a year later, he found a way to combine his [[engineering]] and [[writing]] talents by joining ''Western Construction'' magazine as a reporter for the [[heavy construction]] industry.<ref name="Brown" /> In 1961, he was named [[editor]] of the magazine, a position he held for over ten years.<ref name="Brown" />


Byrne became a full-time writer in 1977, after the publication of his third book. He authored seven [[novel]]s, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two [[Anthology|anthologies]], and an exposé of [[Literary frauds|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 became a full-time writer in 1977, after the publication of his third book. He authored seven [[novel]]s, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two [[Anthology|anthologies]], and an exposé of [[Literary frauds|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 create 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, with lines plotting the path of the center of the balls; the lines, therefore, do not touch the cushions of the table.<ref> [Clarification: Geometrical explanations in billiards often simplify bounces off the rails ("banks") as occurring where the ball touches the rail (the "cushion") and use this point as a focus during aiming the shot. More accurately, Byrne made the distinction that aiming lines use the centers of balls rather than their edges. If a bank was to be planned better, it was necessary to visualize that the bounce line ends a half-ball away from the rail when the ball's center recoils to the new direction. (Even then, this isn't perfectly accurate because the rail deforms as a ball bounces against it, and Byrne always noted that other factors -- such as ball speed and spin -- were equally at play in predicting the angle of a bank.)] As described by Byrne in an interview with Shelley Till on the local [[public-access television]] program ''On the Edge with Shelley Till''.</ref>{{clarify|date=September 2011|reason=This citation requires a date, channel ID and location.}} Byrne coined the [[Glossary of cue sports terms|pool jargon]] term "{{Cuegloss|Squirt|squirt}}" in this book, defining the deflection effect that sends the {{Cuegloss|Cue ball|cue ball}} toward the right when struck with left {{Cuegloss|Sidespin|sidespin}}, and vice versa.<ref name="Shamos1">{{BDMag |title=Happy Birthday, Bob: A Thank-You to Robert Byrne for His Contributions to Billiard Literature |first=Mike |last=Shamos |date=June 2000 |volume=22 |issue=7}}</ref>
Byrne's unusual mix of talents as a writer, engineer and billiard player formed the right skill set to create 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, with lines plotting the path of the center of the balls; the lines, therefore, do not touch the cushions of the table.<ref>[Clarification: Geometrical explanations in billiards often simplify bounces off the rails ("banks") as occurring where the ball touches the rail (the "cushion") and use this point as a focus during aiming the shot. More accurately, Byrne made the distinction that aiming lines use the centers of balls rather than their edges. If a bank was to be planned better, it was necessary to visualize that the bounce line ends a half-ball away from the rail when the ball's center recoils to the new direction. (Even then, this isn't perfectly accurate because the rail deforms as a ball bounces against it, and Byrne always noted that other factors -- such as ball speed and spin -- were equally at play in predicting the angle of a bank.)] As described by Byrne in an interview with Shelley Till on the local [[public-access television]] program ''On the Edge with Shelley Till''.</ref>{{clarify|date=September 2011|reason=This citation requires a date, channel ID and location.}} Byrne coined the [[Glossary of cue sports terms|pool jargon]] term "{{Cuegloss|Squirt|squirt}}" in this book, defining the deflection effect that sends the {{Cuegloss|Cue ball|cue ball}} toward the right when struck with left {{Cuegloss|Sidespin|sidespin}}, and vice versa.<ref name="Shamos1">{{BDMag |title=Happy Birthday, Bob: A Thank-You to Robert Byrne for His Contributions to Billiard Literature |first=Mike |last=Shamos |date=June 2000 |volume=22 |issue=7}}</ref>


Byrne's books, hundreds of instructional magazine articles, and seven instructional videos (shot on sound stages in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] and [[Hollywood, California]]), established him as the pre-eminent teacher and commentator in the world of pool and billiards.<ref name="Shamos2" /> He was a columnist and Contributing Editor for ''Billiard Digest'' magazine from its first issue in 1978,<ref name="Shamos2" /> and a columnist for Dubuque's ''[[Telegraph Herald]]'' beginning in 2000.<ref name="EncycDBQ">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Byrne, Robert|url=http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=BYRNE%2C_Robert|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Dubuque}}</ref> His most recent publication is ''Behold My Shorts'', the collection of a decade of his monthly newspaper columns.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Behold My Shorts'' Debuts |url=http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=262527 |archive-url=https://archive.is/20120918225333/http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=262527 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-09-18 |work=[[Telegraph Herald]] }}</ref>
Byrne's books, hundreds of instructional magazine articles, and seven instructional videos (shot on sound stages in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]] and [[Hollywood, California]]), established him as the pre-eminent teacher and commentator in the world of pool and billiards.<ref name="Shamos2" /> He was a columnist and Contributing Editor for ''Billiard Digest'' magazine from its first issue in 1978,<ref name="Shamos2" /> and a columnist for Dubuque's ''[[Telegraph Herald]]'' beginning in 2000.<ref name="EncycDBQ">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Byrne, Robert|url=http://www.encyclopediadubuque.org/index.php?title=BYRNE%2C_Robert|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Dubuque}}</ref> His most recent publication is ''Behold My Shorts'', the collection of a decade of his monthly newspaper columns.<ref>{{cite news |title=''Behold My Shorts'' Debuts |url=http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=262527 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918225333/http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=262527 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-09-18 |work=[[Telegraph Herald]] }}</ref>


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]].<ref name="Shamos2">{{BDMag |title=The Byrne Legacy: A Review of Robert Byrne's Gifts to Billiards on His 80th Year |first=Mike |last=Shamos |date=May 2010 |volume=32 |issue=6}}</ref> In 1998, the readers of ''Billiards Digest'' named Byrne "Best Billiards Writer".<ref name="EncycDBQ" /> His contributions to billiards and pool were recognized with induction into the [[Billiard Congress of America]]'s [[Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame|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 [[UMB World Three-cushion Championship|World Three-cushion Billiards Champion]] [[Raymond Ceulemans]] of [[Belgium]].<ref name="Shamos2" /><ref name="EncycDBQ" />
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]].<ref name="Shamos2">{{BDMag |title=The Byrne Legacy: A Review of Robert Byrne's Gifts to Billiards on His 80th Year |first=Mike |last=Shamos |date=May 2010 |volume=32 |issue=6}}</ref> In 1998, the readers of ''Billiards Digest'' named Byrne "Best Billiards Writer".<ref name="EncycDBQ" /> His contributions to billiards and pool were recognized with induction into the [[Billiard Congress of America]]'s [[Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame|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 [[UMB World Three-cushion Championship|World Three-cushion Billiards Champion]] [[Raymond Ceulemans]] of [[Belgium]].<ref name="Shamos2" /><ref name="EncycDBQ" />
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As of May 2011, he had nearly finished a new collection of humorous quotations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Byrne |first=Robert |title=A Personal Question: How Would You Describe Yourself? |work=Telegraph Herald |date=April 11, 2011}}</ref>
As of May 2011, he had nearly finished a new collection of humorous quotations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Byrne |first=Robert |title=A Personal Question: How Would You Describe Yourself? |work=Telegraph Herald |date=April 11, 2011}}</ref>


== Playing career ==
==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¢, playing 8-ball on his family's basement pool table.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zentz |first=Renny |title=Byrne takes not-so-novel approach to billiard success |newspaper=Telegraph Herald |date=May 8, 1994}}</ref>
Byrne's first success as a pool hustler came at the age of 12 when he beat the gas-meter reader out of 85¢, playing 8-ball on his family's basement pool table.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zentz |first=Renny |title=Byrne takes not-so-novel approach to billiard success |newspaper=Telegraph Herald |date=May 8, 1994}}</ref>


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* Fourth place, National Professional Three-Cushion Championship, 1968
* Fourth place, National Professional Three-Cushion Championship, 1968


==Personal life==
Byrne performed the pool [[trick shot]]s for ''[[The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles]]'' in 1993.{{cn}}
On May 12, 1958, Byrne married Josefa Heifetz, concert pianist and daughter of legendary violinist [[Jascha Heifetz]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Milestones, May 12, 1958|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,863430,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422055018/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,863430,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 22, 2009|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=May 12, 1958}}</ref> Byrne and Heifetz were divorced in 1976.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}


He died on December 6, 2016.<ref name="Obit"/>
He had a [[three-cushion billiards]] {{Cuegloss|High run|high run}} of 14, at age 29 and again at 79.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}} The last time he ran his age in [[straight pool]] was at age 78.{{citation needed|date=September 2011}}


== Personal life ==
==Works==
⚫
===Pool and billiards books===
On May 12, 1958, Byrne married Josefa Heifetz, concert pianist and daughter of legendary violinist [[Jascha Heifetz]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Milestones, May 12, 1958|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,863430,00.html|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=May 12, 1958}}</ref> 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 "Cindy" 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.''{{clarify|date=September 2011|reason=Too vague. This is not a newspaper article; we do not insert teasers, insinuations and hints, just facts.}} Byrne's civic involvement in Dubuque included serving as president of the Friends of Wahlert Library, [[Loras College]], and as a board member of both the [[Dubuque Symphony Orchestra]] and [[Dubuque Museum of Art]].

Byrne was an amateur [[Magician (illusion)|stage magician]], a member of the [[International Brotherhood of Magicians]], and had published tricks in ''Genie'' magazine. He was once a Class A tournament [[chess]] player, with a [[United States Chess Federation]] rating over 1800.

== Works ==

⚫
=== 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}})
* ''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 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}})
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* ''Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots: 350 Moves Every Player Should Know'', 2003, Harcourt/Harvest Books ({{ISBN|978-0-15-602721-2}})
* ''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 ===
===Instructional videos===
[[File:BobByrne cue.jpg|thumb]]
[[File:BobByrne cue.jpg|thumb]]
* ''Byrne's Standard Video of Pool, Volume I'', 1987, Premiere Home Video
* ''Byrne's Standard Video of Pool, Volume I'', 1987, Premiere Home Video
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* ''Byrne's Power Pool Workout, Volume V'', 1996, 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 Rack 'Em Up!'', 1996, Premiere Home Video
* ''Byrne's Gamebreakers,'' 2002, [http://www.accu-stats.com/ Accu-Stats Video Productions]
* ''Byrne's Gamebreakers,'' 2002, Accu-Stats Video Productions


=== Billiard tournament commentary videos ===
===Billiard tournament commentary videos===
* ''The Best of Three Cushion Billiards, Volume I'', 1995, Accu-Stats Video Productions
* ''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
* ''The Best of Three Cushion Billiards, Volume II'', 1997, Accu-Stats Video Productions


=== Novels ===
===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.
* ''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}})
* ''Once a Catholic'', 1981m New American Library (paperback, {{ISBN|978-0-523-41165-1}})
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* ''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.
* ''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 ===
===Other books===
* ''Writing Rackets'', 1969, Lyle Stuart ({{ISBN|978-0-8184-0095-7}})
* ''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}})
* ''Cat Scan: All the Best from the Literature of Cats'', 1983, Scribner ({{ISBN|978-0-689-11390-1}})
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* ''Behold My Shorts'', 2009, Telegraph Herald ({{ISBN|978-0-9819806-2-1}})
* ''Behold My Shorts'', 2009, Telegraph Herald ({{ISBN|978-0-9819806-2-1}})


=== As editor ===
===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}})
* 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}})
* Kruse, Len. ''My Old Dubuque: Collected Writings on Dubuque Area History'', 2000, Loras College Center for Dubuque History ({{ISBN|978-0-936875-07-1}})


== Notes ==
==Notes==
{{Reflist|35em}}
{{Reflist|35em}}


== References ==
==References==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |title=Online interview published April, 2010 |url=http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2010/04/poolsynergy-one-on-one-with-robert.html |work=Untold Stories: Billiards History|date=2010-04-15 }}
* {{cite web |title=Online interview published April, 2010 |url=http://untoldstoriesbilliardshistory.blogspot.com/2010/04/poolsynergy-one-on-one-with-robert.html |work=Untold Stories: Billiards History|date=2010-04-15 }}
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== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Robert Byrne (author)}}
{{Commons category|Robert Byrne (author)}}
* ''[http://www.byrne.org/ Robert Byrne's official website], ''Byrne's Books & Billiards''
* [http://www.byrne.org/ Robert Byrne's official website], ''Byrne's Books & Billiards''
* ''[http://www.billiardsdigest.com ''Billiards Digest'' magazine website], with Byrne columns
* [http://www.billiardsdigest.com ''Billiards Digest'' magazine website], with Byrne columns


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Robert}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrne, Robert}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
⚫
[[Category:2016 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:American book editors]]
[[Category:American book editors]]
[[Category:American carom billiards players]]
[[Category:American carom billiards players]]
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[[Category:American pool players]]
[[Category:American pool players]]
<!--for non-fiction work - doesn't have own category yet.-->
<!--for non-fiction work - doesn't have own category yet.-->

[[Category:Cue sports writers and broadcasters]]<!--For general cue sports history writing.-->
[[Category:Pool writers and broadcasters]]<!--For pool-specific tutorial books and videos.-->
[[Category:Cue sports writers]]
<!--For general cue sports history writing.--><!--For pool-specific tutorial books and videos.-->
[[Category:Writers from Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:Writers from Dubuque, Iowa]]
[[Category:Writers from California]]
[[Category:Writers from California]]
⚫
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni]]
[[Category:University of Colorado Boulder alumni]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[Category:Novelists from Iowa]]
[[Category:Novelists from Iowa]]

Latest revision as of 23:47, 16 June 2024

Robert Byrne
Robert Byrne
Robert Byrne
Born(1930-05-22)May 22, 1930
Dubuque, Iowa, United States
DiedDecember 6, 2016(2016-12-06) (aged 86)
OccupationAuthor
LanguageEnglish
EducationBachelor of Science
Alma materUniversity of Colorado
Period1969–2016
GenreThriller, Collections of quotations, Billiards instruction
Notable worksMemories of a Non-Jewish Childhood, 1970

Byrne's Standard Book of Pool & Billiards, 1978

Thrill, 1995
Notable awardsBBIA Industry Service Award, 1994
BCA Hall of Fame (Meritorious Service), 2001
SpousesJosefa Heifetz (1958–1976; div.)
Cynthia Nelms (1991–2016; his death)
Website
www.byrne.org

Robert Leo Byrne (/bɜːrn/; May 22, 1930 – December 6, 2016) was an American author and Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame instructor of pool and carom billiards.[1]

Early life and education

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Robert Leo Byrne, son of Tom and Clara (née Loes) Byrne, was born on May 22, 1930, and raised in Dubuque, Iowa.[2] He attended St. Columbkille's elementary, Loras Academy, and Loras College.[2]

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.[2]

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.[2]

Writing career

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In 1955, a year later, he found a way to combine his engineering and writing talents by joining Western Construction magazine as a reporter for the heavy construction industry.[2] In 1961, he was named editor of the magazine, a position he held for over ten years.[2]

Byrne became a full-time writer in 1977, after the publication of his third book. He authored seven novels, five collections of humorous quotations, seven books on billiards, two anthologies, and an exposé 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 create 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, with lines plotting the path of the center of the balls; the lines, therefore, do not touch the cushions of the table.[3][clarification needed] Byrne coined the pool jargon term "squirt" in this book, defining the deflection effect that sends the cue ball toward the right when struck with left sidespin, and vice versa.[4]

Byrne's books, hundreds of instructional magazine articles, and seven instructional videos (shot on sound stages in Burbank and Hollywood, California), established him as the pre-eminent teacher and commentator in the world of pool and billiards.[5] He was a columnist and Contributing Editor for Billiard Digest magazine from its first issue in 1978,[5] and a columnist for Dubuque's Telegraph Herald beginning in 2000.[6] His most recent publication is Behold My Shorts, the collection of a decade of his monthly newspaper columns.[7]

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.[5] In 1998, the readers of Billiards Digest named Byrne "Best Billiards Writer".[6] 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 Champion Raymond Ceulemans of Belgium.[5][6]

As of May 2011, he had nearly finished a new collection of humorous quotations.[8]

Playing career

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Byrne's first success as a pool hustler came at the age of 12 when he beat the gas-meter reader out of 85¢, playing 8-ball on his family's basement pool table.[9]

As a player, he had success at U.S. national-class tournaments in multiple disciplines:[6]

  • 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

Personal life

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On May 12, 1958, Byrne married Josefa Heifetz, concert pianist and daughter of legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz.[10] Byrne and Heifetz were divorced in 1976.[citation needed]

He died on December 6, 2016.[1]

Works

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Pool and billiards books

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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Collections of quotations

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Other books

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As editor

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  • 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)

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Robert Leo Byrne". Legacy. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f The Byrne Family History, self-published, Linda Byrne Brown, 2001[self-published source?]
  3. ^ [Clarification: Geometrical explanations in billiards often simplify bounces off the rails ("banks") as occurring where the ball touches the rail (the "cushion") and use this point as a focus during aiming the shot. More accurately, Byrne made the distinction that aiming lines use the centers of balls rather than their edges. If a bank was to be planned better, it was necessary to visualize that the bounce line ends a half-ball away from the rail when the ball's center recoils to the new direction. (Even then, this isn't perfectly accurate because the rail deforms as a ball bounces against it, and Byrne always noted that other factors -- such as ball speed and spin -- were equally at play in predicting the angle of a bank.)] As described by Byrne in an interview with Shelley Till on the local public-access television program On the Edge with Shelley Till.
  4. ^ Shamos, Mike (June 2000). "Happy Birthday, Bob: A Thank-You to Robert Byrne for His Contributions to Billiard Literature". Billiards Digest. Vol. 22, no. 7. Chicago: Luby Publishing. ISSN 0164-761X.
  5. ^ a b c d Shamos, Mike (May 2010). "The Byrne Legacy: A Review of Robert Byrne's Gifts to Billiards on His 80th Year". Billiards Digest. Vol. 32, no. 6. Chicago: Luby Publishing. ISSN 0164-761X.
  6. ^ a b c d "Byrne, Robert". Encyclopedia Dubuque.
  7. ^ "Behold My Shorts Debuts". Telegraph Herald. Archived from the original on 2012-09-18.
  8. ^ Byrne, Robert (April 11, 2011). "A Personal Question: How Would You Describe Yourself?". Telegraph Herald.
  9. ^ Zentz, Renny (May 8, 1994). "Byrne takes not-so-novel approach to billiard success". Telegraph Herald.
  10. ^ "Milestones, May 12, 1958". Time. May 12, 1958. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.

References

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