Now with current prices, this book shows the big, flashy machines that have entertained and delighted us in taverns, arcades, and at home for half a century. Devoted fans are all around the world, and nearly everyone has a special memory of their favorite machine and a story to tell of the greatest game they ever played.

Naturally, these machines have become highly prized collectibles. Renowned for the conspicuous design of their playing surfaces and scoreboards, these “games of skill” have captivated collectors with their eye-catching art. Pop Art, Cubism, Comic art, and Photo Realism are among the styles found on the glass canvas of the machines and in these pages. This is a collector’s book as well as a pinball gallery of art.

Moreover, it’s a chronology, from the simple early mechanical pinball machines up to their modern, fully electronic equivalents. It provides an alphabetical overview of all the variety, the artistry, and the manufacturing ingenuity that have gone into pinball machines over the years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing; 3rd Rev edition (July 1999)
• Language: English

This book has alot of pictures and drawings of pinball machines, categorized by subject. There is also an excellent index in the back that lists pinball machines in alphabetical order by the name of the machine. Quite enjoyable.

Another moderate review:
I was really let down by this one — the title of the book is quite a misnomer.

If you’re expecting detailed pictures of backglasses, playfields, cabinets, and rulesheets, you’re out of luck. This book contains only pictures of backglasses and partial backglasses. An occasional playfield shot is thrown in now and then, but there aren’t enough to be useful… Read some more reviews before you decide to buy this book

The pinball book you have been waiting for is finally here! From those fabulous ’50s & ’60s, Jeffrey Lawton, Bingo Pinball Historian, presents 290+ photos, including original promotional brochures and advertisements, that showcase a fantastic collection of Bally*r Bingo pinball machines, along with a history of the evolution and excitement that surrounds this compelling hobby.

All who grew up with street cars, slot machines, pinball machines, pool halls, and diners will enjoy this book tremendously! If you buy only one pinball book, this is the one to have.

About the Author
Jeffrey Lawton, Bingo Pinball Historian, has been interested in pinball machines of all sorts since the late 1950s. He writes articles for Game Room Magazine as the Bingo Doctor and is the Bingo Editor for PinGame Journal.


Product Details

• Hardcover: 159 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (August 1999)
• Language: English

This is a wonderful book with beautiful photography that explains a lost colorful segment of Americana. The author has done a loving and thorough job of research.

The only difficulty, and it doesn’t detract much, is that the writing style assumes a bit of familiarity with these machines so if you’re new at it, as I was, it takes a bit of time to understand some of the detail available, and the author goes into ALOT of detail about the various machines. So, it’s an enjoyable read like a delicious super-rich dessert — you’ll enjoy it, but you have to read it slowly.

On the other hand, you can just skim the beautiful photos whenever you want to be taken back to a bygone era. Read some other reviews of this book here

The Pinball Price Guide, Eighth Edition by Pinballeric(tm) is the ideal reference for anyone-collector, buyer, or seller-trying to determine the current value and fair price of a pinball machine. The Guide, which covers the price values of over 2000 collectible games produced for the U.S. market from 1931-2010, is unique in that it breaks down pricing into Classes 1-3 (Best, Good, OK), determined by the condition of a game’s backglass, playfield, and cabinet.

In addition to pricing figures, the book lists the 25 most collectible games for each type of machine. Besides tips for caring for and maintaining games and a list of resources of interest to pinball enthusiasts, the book provides a useful worksheet to help get organized and understand the actual costs of buying or selling a game beyond the game itself.

The Eighth Edition by Pinballeric(tm) continues the tradition started by Larry Bieza, who published the first seven editions. Whether you are an established or beginning collector, selling a game found in the basement, or looking for an addition to your home game room, The Pinball Price Guide by Pinballeric(tm) is an essential resource that points you in the right direction when buying or selling a pinball machine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: PINBALLERIC, LLC (August 20, 2010)
• Language: English

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Timeless in their appeal, pinball games have entertained and tested the skills of players worldwide for many generations. Pinballs combine the unpredictability of a rolling, bouncing silver ball with some of the most amazing commercial artwork and the most up-to-date technological advancements. Here is a book that celebrates what is known to many enthusiasts as “the lure of the silverball.” Fifty diverse pinballs, both vintage and contemporary, are showcased.

Each has its own chapter outlining the game’s special features, historical background, game trivia, game rules, graphic images, collectibility, and current value. Over 500 amazing full color photographs give the reader a complete visual of each game. Whole machine shots, close-ups of backglasses and playfields, and ball’s-eye-view images all put enthusiasts right into the action. This outstanding book will be thoroughly enjoyed by pinball collectors, historians, graphic artists, and devotees of coin operated amusement games.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (December 4, 2004)
• Language: English

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Pinball games combine excitement, challenge, technology, and fantastic artwork. They are sought after collector items, snapped up by enthusiasts who keep them running and “alive” both mechanically and cosmetically. Silverball lovers of all ages and tastes will be enthralled by the fifty pinball games — both vintage and contemporary — showcased in this book. Each has its own chapter outlining the game’s special features, historical background, game rules, graphic images, collectibility and current value.

Over 400 extraordinary full color photographs give a complete visual survey of each game. Enjoy whole machine shots, close-ups of backglasses and playfields, and ball’s-eye-view images that reveal wonderful details of the playfield action. Along with its companion volume, Pinball Snapshots, this outstanding book will be thoroughly enjoyed by pinball collectors, historians, and graphic artists, as well as devotees of coin-operated amusement games.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing; illustrated edition edition (April 2007)
• Language: English

I bought this book to help me understand pinball playfield design. While it has been a great resource to learn about machines, it is not as in depth as I was hoping. Each chapter has 1 full photograph of the whole machine (like on the cover) and several smaller close up shots showing important features. For my purposes, as I read about the machines features and rules I had to keep skipping back to the beginning of the chapter to see the full photo to get a better understanding.

I would have liked to see more pictures and perhaps some diagramming of ball movement on the playfield.

A definite plus is when you get a chapter with comments from the artists or designers involved and they share with you a bit of what was going on in their industry at the time. Also the snapshots of people playing pinball in various locations as well as Marco Rossignoll’s snippets of personal life add charm to this book. Read more reader reviews here

Pinball games have long been regarded as the twentieth century’s ultimate coin operated amusement, touching the lives of generations of players in numerous cultures. This visual chronicle, with examples from the game’s beginnings to the present day, focuses in particular on the years from 1958 to 1998. It showcases fifty fascinating pinball games, each with its own chapter outlining the special features.

Covered in detail are cultural influences, design and artistic trends, historical connections, collectibility, values, and unique game rules. Over 800 full color photographs display whole machine shots, close-ups of backglasses and playfields, and ball’s-eye-view images. They put the pinball enthusiast right into the action! This beautiful book is an essential reference for the libraries of pinball collectors and aficionados everywhere.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (August 30, 2002)
• Language: English

This book on pinball machines has examples from the games beginnings to the present day, focuses in particular on the years from 1958 to 1998. It showcases fifty pinball games, each with its own chapter outlining the special features. Covered in detail are cultural influences, design and artistic trends, historical connections, collectibility, values, and unique game rules.

Over 800 full color photographs display whole machine shots, close-ups of backglasses and playfields, and ball’s-eye-view images. This beautiful book is an essential reference for the libraries of pinball collectors. Read more reader reviews here

Pinball! From its inception in the 1930s, this unique form of entertainment has challenged and inspired millions of enthusiastic players and become the passion of countless collectors around the world. Illustrated with over 600 color photos, this exciting book chronicles the development of pinball machines from the 1930s through the late 1960s, featuring exclusive rare interviews with some of the greatest designers in the industry.

Hundreds of pinball machines from Gottlieb, Bally, Genco, Williams, United, and other manufacturers are showcased — including many never before published. The extensive text provides descriptions of the games, their special features, historical significance, release dates, and names of designers and artists. Current values are listed for each machine shown in the book. Pinball enthusiasts will also love the many stories featuring the thrill of the “Silver Ball.” This is a wonderful reference tool and a tribute to all those who were part of the pinball machine’s fascinating history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (August 30, 2002)
• Language: English

Well, I finally went ahead and took the plunge and got all 3 of the Pinball Compendium book. Sure, they’re not exactly cheap, but I found the best price on them anywhere on Amazon. I have to tell you, these books are ESSENTIAL reading and must haves for anyone who collects pinball machines, or just interested in their history, and a pretty complete synopsis of all the major games put out by each of the major manufacturers, from the 30′s all the way to just a few years ago.

The books are very well laid out, packed with TONS of history of both the games evolution and of the manufacturers, interviews with the designers and artists, and TONS of pictures. Get the books for the pics if nothing else! Do yourself a favor and pick these up, you won’t be disappointed! These are pretty much an Encyclopedia for pinball machines and collectors. Well worth the money, Highly recommended! ~Jeff Scott, Orlando, FL Read more reviews here

After a youth marked by golden days on the Danube, the author and many of his classmates are drafted into “the white armbands”- labor battalions of Christian Jews. They jump for their lives from a train bound for the death camps, and eventually make their way back to Budapest to live through the Siege of Budapest, one of the longest and least written about sieges of World War II. With peace come more golden days on the Danube, but they are illusions: Stalin’s “Communist Agenda” forces more escapes.

The author, his stepmother, and his father, whose business had been among the first private businesses seized in Budapest, successfully navigate land mines and wire fences to reach the West. “There might be difficult days ahead but I knew those years that called forth the greatest effort of my life were over,” writes George F. Eber. “At the time of our escape, the term Iron Curtain was rather newly coined. To me it still meant the great metal fire-curtain in the Budapest theatres of my youth. Now the Iron Curtain had fallen behind us on the theatre of the macabre.”

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (May 17, 2010)
• Language: English

Want a truly stunning account of what World War II, the Holocaust and the descent of Communism was REALLY like in Eastern Europe? Then read this riveting true story of a young man’s survival in what could only be called one of the worst times in history. George Eber, who became a world-renowned architect in Canada, provides an on-the-ground account of this harrowing period with jaw-dropping candor.

Brimming with confidence, charm and considerable connections, Eber comes across as a real-life trickster, a Hungarian version of the beloved American archetype that both Mark Twain and screenwriter William Goldman would have thoroughly enjoyed. What makes Eber’s story so compelling, however, is that his backdrop is not America’s wild west or free-wheeling land of opportunity, but three of the darkest, most disturbing events in modern history – the Second World War, the Holocaust and the Soviet imposition of Communism on its satellite states, specifically Hungary. Americans have often heard about the Iron Curtain — this is an insider’s view of how it was actually welded.

“Pinball Games” begins with the siege of his native Budapest in 1944. Surrounded by the Russians at the depths of the Second World War, it was one of the longest, bloodiest and most under-reported sieges of the War. He recounts how he and his family survived, hiding from Hungarian Nazis (Eber had deserted his brigade) and cheating the random death of bombs, that at one point reduce the apartment just across the street to a pile of rock and dust as they watched out of their living room window. [Review shortened for web publishing] Read the rest of the review here

Exciting and challenging, pinball games have been enthusiastically played since their inception in the 1930s and are treasured by countless collectors worldwide. This lavishly illustrated book chronicles pinball games from 1970 through 1981, one of the industry’s most prolific eras. Hundreds of machines from Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, Chicago Coin, and other manufacturers are showcased — including many never before published.

The extensive text provides descriptions of the games, their special features, historical significance, release dates, and designers. Collectors will love the exclusive interviews with some of pinball’s greatest designers and artists. Current values are listed for each machine shown in the book. Along with its companion volume (covering the 1930s to the 1960s), this is a wonderful reference and a tribute to all who were part of pinball’s fascinating history.

Product Details
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (September 1, 2004)
Language: English

What an incredible book! I use the term 2nd golden age since the 1930′s was the first. 

This is the second of a three book set written by Michael Shalhoub, and is a must-have for any serious pinball collector or enthusiast. The book is an exhaustive study of each manufacturers (The “Big Three”-Bally, Gottlieb and Williams – also Stern + Chicago Coin and others) output of pins between 1970-1981 when pinball ruled the arcades. During this particular time period more quarters were dropped in pinball machines than was spent at the movie theater box office in the United States!

What makes this book so special (as well as Mr Shalhoub’s other titles)is the fact that he interviews so many of the pioneers (artists, designers etc) of pinball, which is no easy task on the authors part since he lives in Australia and almost 90% of all pinball machines were produced in the United States (Chicago)- also some of the individuals interviewed and pictured are well past 80 years old.

The book is a simple read (if you can look away from the great pictures)and each new chapter covers a different year with many highlights (interviews) included, the subject matter/questions the author presents contains specific information related to the particular individual highlighted. The authors enthusiasm is contageous as he explains the features and strategy of each particular game.

Today sadly only 1 manufacturer remains “Stern”, but they are committed to pinball and still produce several thousand machines a year. This book is like a great walk down memory lane for anyone (35 and over…) who played the games before video games dominated. I highly recomend this book. Read more reviews here

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (July 30, 2005)
• Language: English