Interesting : my autobiography / Steve Davis

Lucky cellar doors -- The beer mat and the bible -- Sliding doors -- The power of prestatyn -- Leaning on a lamp post -- Dawning of a new era -- Victory in the UK -- CHampion of the world -- The perfect frame -- The master -- The curse of the crucible -- Snooker is better than sex -- Number 10 and all that -- The black ball and the missed green -- The matchroom mob -- Public image -- Bulletproof -- Honoured -- End of an era -- A time of ponder -- Hot streak! -- Holding back the years -- An unlikely adventure -- Unfinished business -- Wild card -- Acknowledgements.

Steve Davis was just a rookie from Plumstead, south London, learning how to play from an old book his snooker-obsessed father had given him, when an encounter with Barry Hearn changed his life forever. With his backing, Steve began touring the country in a clapped-out car as an amateur. Challenging established professionals and winning titles, supported by his loyal following the Romford Roar, it wasn't long before he progressed to the world's stage. By the eighties, Steve had helped transform a previously shady sport into a national obsession. He and a cast of legends such as Ray Reardon, Dennis Taylor and Alex Higgins, with other young guns like Jimmy White, were doing silent battle in front of huge audiences. Tens of millions of viewers would witness the nail-biting conclusions of his world championship finals; this was snooker's golden era. The man behind the 'boring' tag has always been the sport's smartest and sharpest man. With his cool, obsessive approach, Steve rewrote the rule book and became untouchably the best player in the world and the best paid sportsman in the country. Interesting lays it all bare: what it was like to win in those pressure-cooker situations; how to cope at the top, when everyone wants you to lose; and how you deal with the moment when a man comes along who is finally better than you. This is a memoir that closely evokes the smoke-filled atmosphere of those arenas, the intrigue behind the scenes and the personal psychology and sacrifice that is required to stay at the top of such an exacting sport.