# PINBALL WIZARDS BOOK

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2017-11-09  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2017/11/09/pinball-wizards-book

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## Analysis

Adam Ruben's 'Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains and the Cult of the Silver Ball' is a 247-page personal memoir and historical examination of pinball culture, tracing his three-decade journey from casual player to competitive participant at PAPA World Championships. The book explores pinball's development from bagatelle, its legal battles (especially the NYC ban era and Roger Sharpe role in overturning it), and modern manufacturers like Stern, Jersey Jack, and Spooky, while maintaining a light tone that emphasizes pinball's enduring cultural appeal despite rapid industry changes.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Adam Ruben's childhood enjoyment of pinball began at an amusement park in Delaware. — _Direct statement in the article describing Ruben's personal origin story._
- [HIGH] Adam Ruben has played at two PAPA World Championships. — _Explicit statement: 'playing at two PAPA World Championships'._
- [HIGH] Montague Redgrave 1871 patent number 115,357 for 'Improvements in Bagatelles' included four advances, including the addition of a spring to the plunger. — _Article states Ruben 'dissects his 1871 patent number 115,357 to show the three other advances included in his Improvements in Bagatelles submission,' implying four total advances with the spring being one._
- [HIGH] Roger Sharpe played a key role in helping to overturn the New York pinball ban. — _Article explicitly states: 'Roger Sharpe role in helping to overturn that ban is also described in detail.'_
- [HIGH] The book is weighted towards modern times, meticulously describing Stern Pinball fortunes, the founding of Jersey Jack Pinball and Spooky Pinball. — _Direct statement about the book's focus and coverage._

### Notable Quotes

> "Pinball's place in American society – the balance between being a game of chance and a game of skill."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**
> _Identifies a core philosophical theme explored in the book about pinball's cultural definition._

> "By its very nature, the book is outdated even before it reaches the presses."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**
> _Captures the challenge of documenting a fast-moving industry in static print form._

> "The key parts of pinball's appeal, emotional attraction and the way it remains so ingrained in our culture has changed little through the past few decades."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**
> _Summarizes why the book remains relevant despite rapid industry changes._

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Adam Ruben | person | Professional writer, comedian, and TV host; author of 'Pinball Wizards' book; competitive pinball player who played at PAPA World Championships twice. |
| Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains and the Cult of the Silver Ball | product | 247-page book by Adam Ruben, published by Chicago Review Press, distributed by IPG, cover price $16.99 US. |
| Chicago Review Press | company | Publisher of Pinball Wizards book. |
| IPG | company | Distributor of Pinball Wizards book. |
| Montague Redgrave | person | Historical figure credited with adding a spring to the plunger in bagatelle; patented improvements (patent 115,357) in 1871. |
| Fiorello La Guardia | person | New York mayor famous for driving to rid the city of pinball machines, smashing them and tipping them into the river. |
| Roger Sharpe | person | Played a key role in helping to overturn New York's pinball ban. |
| Stern Pinball | company | Modern pinball manufacturer; fortunes meticulously described in the book. |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Modern pinball manufacturer; founding described in detail in the book. |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Modern pinball manufacturer; founding described in detail in the book. |
| Heighway Pinball | company | Modern non-US pinball manufacturer; receives coverage in latter stages of the book. |
| Dutch Pinball | company | Modern non-US pinball manufacturer; receives coverage in latter stages of the book. |
| PAPA | organization | Professional and Amateur Pinball Association; hosts World Championships where Adam Ruben competed twice. |

### Signals

- **[content_signal]** Major pinball-focused book published by established press (Chicago Review Press), signaling mainstream media interest in pinball culture. (confidence: high) — Pinball Wizards published by Chicago Review Press with $16.99 cover price; 247 pages of comprehensive pinball history and culture.
- **[historical_signal]** Book provides detailed examination of pinball's legal battles, especially NYC ban era and Roger Sharpe's role in overturning it. (confidence: high) — Article emphasizes 'Pinball's dubious reputation and its role in flat-out illegal practices across America' and 'New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia's famous drive'.
- **[industry_signal]** Book acknowledges industry moves too quickly for print media to keep current; modern manufacturers (Stern, JJP, Spooky) highlighted but details become outdated quickly. (confidence: high) — 'By its very nature, the book is outdated even before it reaches the presses... Future game releases hinted at in the text have been announced and gone into production.'
- **[community_signal]** Book documents the growth of competitive pinball culture through personal lens of author playing in local leagues and at PAPA World Championships. (confidence: high) — Ruben 'chronicles the growth of his interest in competitive pinball, from joining a local league to playing at two PAPA World Championships.'
- **[business_signal]** Book covers fortunes of modern manufacturers: Stern Pinball's established position, Jersey Jack Pinball's founding, and Spooky Pinball's founding. (confidence: high) — 'meticulously describing the fortunes of Stern Pinball, the founding of Jersey Jack Pinball and Spooky Pinball.'
- **[design_philosophy]** Book identifies recurring theme of pinball's cultural position as balance between game of chance and game of skill. (confidence: high) — 'a recurring theme of the book and of pinball's place in American society – the balance between being a game of chance and a game of skill.'

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## Transcript

Everyone has a tale to tell about how they became involved in the hobby or business of pinball. Some stories are quite brief and can be summed up in just a few works. Adam Ruben’s stretches to 247 pages. ![Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains and the Cult of the Silver Ball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinball-wizards-book/06-pinball-wizards-bok.jpg) Pinball Ball Pinball Ball is Adam Ruben’s personal reflection of how his childhood enjoyment of the game began at an amusement park in Delaware, turned into a young adulthood obsession and matured into a lifelong interest, becoming his “thing”. Ruben is a professional writer, comedian and TV host who chronicles the growth of his interest in competitive pinball, from joining a local league to playing at two PAPA World Championships. ![Adam Ruben](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2017/157-pinball-expo-2017.jpg) Adam Ruben But, although it charts his very personal feelings about the game and the culture surrounding it, the book is far more than just one individual’s attempt to define what pinball means and has meant to him over three decades. It is also a highly-entertaining and informative examination of pinball’s history, identifying and exploring the key moments in its development, bringing in respected pinball authors and historians to explain their significance and context. For instance, Montague Redgrave is generally credited with the idea of adding a spring to the plunger in bagatelle, but Ruben dissects his 1871 patent number 115,357 to show the three other advances included in his Improvements in Bagatelles submission. That addition of a mechanical ball shooter sets up a recurring theme of the book and of pinball’s place in American society – the balance between being a game of chance and a game of skill. ![The table of contents](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinball-wizards-book/03-pinball-wizards-bok.jpg) The table of contents Pinball’s dubious reputation and its role in flat-out illegal practices across America are considered in depth, as is New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia’s famous drive to rid his city of the scourge of organised gambling by smashing pinballs and tipping them into the river. Roger Sharpe’s role in helping to overturn that ban is also described in detail. With Ruben being American, there is little mention of pinball’s wildly-fluctuating popularity, legal status or long history of manufacturing outside the 50 states. Modern day pinball makers Heighway Pinball and Dutch Pinball do get a fair crack of the whip in the latter stages, but don’t expect any mention of Zaccaria, Petaco, Recel, MarsaPlay, Taito, Hankin, Sega or any of the myriad of non-US companies building games in Europe, Australia, South America and Japan. ![Adam said the book's title was the choice of the publisher](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinball-wizards-book/02-pinball-wizards-bok.jpg) Adam said the book’s title was the choice of the publisher Despite the comprehensive look at the US authorities’ negative attitude to pinball from the ’50s to the ’70s, the book is weighted towards more modern times, meticulously describing the fortunes of Stern Pinball, the founding of Jersey Jack Pinball and Spooky Pinball, and Ruben’s own adventures playing at PAPA (twice). Although such detail could easily bog down the narrative into the minutia of bill-of-materials, tournament formats, competitive etiquette and ball-control skills, the tone remains light throughout with the ever-present suggestion that at the end of the day it’s all just a game, albeit one which makes the world a happier and more-balanced place. The problem with any printed matter attempting to define pinball’s current status is how quickly the business moves, and Ruben acknowledges this in a section called Updates. ![Bringing the story up-to-date](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/learn/pinball-wizards-book/04-pinball-wizards-bok.jpg) Bringing the story up-to-date By its very nature, the book is outdated even before it reaches the presses. Future game releases hinted at in the text have been announced and gone into production, companies have moved to solve manufacturing problems, and pinball personalities have come and gone. For all that though, Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains and the Cult of the Silver Ball doesn’t feel stale or outdated. The key parts of pinball’s appeal, emotional attraction and the way it remains so ingrained in our culture has changed little through the past few decades, and Ruben’s book is a hugely enjoyable way to experience and understand the enduring appeal of a small silver ball rolling around a sheet of wood. is published by Chicago Review Press and distributed by IPG. The cover price in the US is $16.99.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: b8a16bfc-4abe-4f96-b724-871e1f7dcc97*