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Has anybody ever had the pleasure of reading this book? Seems as rare as the proverbial rocking horse ****. Am very interested to hear from anybody who has about the sorts of things discussed and whether it is worth a look. Very old now of course but perhaps still an interesting read. I’ve seen it referred to in several places as a must read…but this is easier said than done
Cheers
A copy was bought fairly recently at Graham Budd auctions for £190.
A more reasonably priced copy was auctioned recently on Ebay and went for just over £40 on 8 October 2011. It was bought by an Ebay user called nedkelly05. Other recent purchases by this user included several other racing related publications, so I guess he/she is a racing fan. If you have, or know somone else who has, an ebay registration, you can send nedkelly05 a message via the ebay messaging system. He/she might let you have sight of the book or give you the information you seek.
Best of luck.
Sold several racing publications to nedkelly05 including a large heap of Smartsig magazines. He lives in Australia and during our brief correspondence came across as a friendly, approachable chap so he might be willing to help you
Though personally, had I managed to get my hands on that little goldmine I wouldn’t!
With Ginger_Tipster’s endless book of odds. you no longer need Phil Bull.
Or do you?"Phil Bull, The Mathematics of Betting (1945):
Short on pages (only 35) but long on sound advice. The basis of Phil Bull’s seminal treatise still holds good, debunking such as the law of averages and providing a framework for successful punting. His first sentence sums it up: "A man who does not understand odds is like a visitor to a foreign country who does not understand the currency: the latter is in the hands of any salesman with whom he does business; the former is in the hands of any bookmaker with whom he does business."With Ginger_Tipster’s endless book of odds. you no longer need Phil Bull.
Well, to be compared to Phill Bull.
Value Is EverythingPaco,
If you can’t get hold of "The M of B", does the biography of Phill Bull have the information you are seeking? I haven’t read it.
"Betting The Timeform Way" might be another alternative.
Value Is EverythingThanks Chaps. I emailed Timeform and their copy is locked away in safe storage….they advised that you’d only have any chance of getting a copy through specialist book dealers as it’s so rare (Mr Kelly (Ned)) may have stumbled on some ‘value’ of the ebay variety).
I wasn’t expecting any magical hidden truths being 70 years old (the book that is) but have seen it cited by plenty and I enjoy reading about punting regardless, so was intrigued.
The British Library holds a copy and I’m trying to organise a viewing as Im based in London. Apparently there’s just a few small challenges/mazes/fire breathing dragons akin to Indinana Jones and the Last Crusade to pass through on the way to the reading room. Should be fine.
If its anything like the early "Best Horses" the print runs were very small, the quality of paper used was appalling "War Economy" and therefore the number that have survived in any condition is small.
£40 on ebay was an absolute steal.
I will be listing a copy in superb condition for its age on eBay, but won’t get chance before weekend.
Rare opportunity to buy this hard to find book.
PM me if you want any more information.
I have read in Howard Wright’s book on Bull that ‘Betting The Timeform Way’ (1993) contains an updated version of the original.
But – while the info might be in it, it won’t be the same as owning the bible itself!
I always thought that Howard Wright was pretty wide of the mark with his comment in Phil’s biography. Made me wonder if he’d actually read the earlier work.
Shameless bump.
Auction ends Tuesday 14th, currently stands at very reasonable price.
Oooh that looks nice, I might have a little bid.
On another note I did find this:
http://www.bjmath.com/bjmath/thorp/tog.htm
Might be of interest to some people, though I haven’t read it myself, it has some great reviews on Amazon and is worth a bit:
I don’t know if any of you guys are interested but I’ve just put up a copy of ‘The Mathematics of Betting’ by Phil Bull on ebay.
‘Fraid I’ve not been as generous as the last guy but equally it’s not as pricey as the copy that went at auction.
I’ve also put up a collectable book on speed ratings called ‘The Time Test in Racing’. It may be of interest to anyone interested in speed ratings or simply as a collectable.
Regards
Paul Eamonn
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