About
This is the story of Skee-Ball—a unique game, patented in 1908 by a long forgotten inventor living in Vineland, New Jersey: Joseph Fourestier Simpson. The book explores the era in which the young inventor grew up, as the industrial revolution created the new middle class, and the explosion of amusement parks that allowed them to flee their crowded industrial neighborhoods for a few hours of pleasure.
It was also the age of innovation, as inventions from the telegraph and telephone, to electricity and machinery transformed the pace of life in the late 19th century. It captures the excitement that drove the young inventor to persevere through failure after failure, and finally his inspiration for this unique game with its fast play excitement. It follows his trials and tribulations in trying to launch the game with partner John W. Harper and it introduces the varied and fascinating cast of characters who owned, promoted and more than once rescued the game, through opportunities like the Roaring 20s and the rise of Coney Island, and challenges like the Great Depression and World War II.
This is an invitation to Skee-Ball fans, and their friends, and even the simply curious, to go for the roller coaster ride of their lives, discovering the real story of the beautiful game of Skee-Ball. And the balls roll on...
What People Are Saying
"Who Knew Skee-Ball Had Such A Fascinating History?
This book is a companion piece to a documentary of the same name and it does the job it was designed to do: it makes me want to see that film. Written in a breezy style, it takes the complex history of Skee-Ball and tells it in an easy to follow, engrossing story. This book totally changes my view of the game. It was just something I saw in arcades and was never very good at playing. But fortunes and careers rose and fell on its development, and who knew so many different men and companies were involved to keep it going up to its enshrined state today? I'll never look at Skee-Ball the same way again."
Rick Lear
"I absolutely loved this! ...such a beautiful, sad in places, inspiring story. I learned so much about Simpson, Skee-Ball and the other major players who were involved with the game. I can see this as HBO’s next Boardwalk Empire."
Patricia A. Martinelli
Meet The Authors
Thaddeus O. Cooper was born in New Jersey. Growing up, he summered at the Jersey shore playing Skee-Ball and spent his spare time in the library the rest of the year. Educated in Fine Arts and Theatre at Penn State, he worked in technical theatre for a number of years. After shifting his career to computer science, he blended his arts background with his skills in digital technology for software development and film projects. Relocating to L.A. as a sound recordist and then to the Bay Area of California, he rediscovered Skee-Ball on his iPhone and set out to produce a short video about its history and how it entered the digital age. The rest, as they say, is (Skee-Ball) history.
Thaddeus lives with his wife and two cats, Mao Mao and Dorian, in the San Francisco Bay area.
Kevin B Kreitman brings a diverse background to her writing. She worked her way through college as a health researcher and writer. After leaving school she worked as a motorcycle mechanic, big rig owner-operator and had her own rock and roll band, Madonna Rose. She returned to school to earn Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees, becoming a technology strategist, business consultant, author and educator. She partnered with Thaddeus Cooper to run a boutique film production firm creating high-end video training. Since then she has become fascinated with the history of Skee-Ball. She and her husband live in California with their two cats.