McManus Poker Book Makes NYT\’s List of 2009 Notables

Check it out … the New York Times Book Review, as part of a holiday gift guide, have put out their \”100 Notable Books of 2009\” … and making the list is Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker by Jim McManus.

Of those 100, 55 are non-fiction. Cowboys Full sits between \’A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent\’ by Robert Merry, and \’Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression\’ by Morris Dickstein. Granted, the list is alphabetical, but still …

Take a look at the excerpt the NYT ran last month — titled \”Pokertician\”. Considering all the good recent press poker has gotten from the likes of the Times, the Wall Street Journal, the National Journal, NPR, et al, you can see how McManus\’ book — and his or his publisher\’s attached promotional efforts, of course — has done more in 2009 to spread contemporary poker ideology to America\’s liberal elitist intellectual set than any press release from PokerStars ever could.

(No offense, Matt, just sayin\’ …)

Of course the NYT\’s review of McManus\’ book is hedlined the (\”The Cheating Game\”) … so maybe that\’s a reminder that despite efforts that may seem to legitimize poker pursuits, the game still will always be thought of as … similar to dieting and matrimony? If so, that might explain why this tome — currently ranked in the Top 500 on Amazon — has apparently struck a chord with at least a few people who aren\’t otherwise thinking \’bout poker.

You really should buy Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker by Jim McManus. No one\’s paying us to say that, but Pokerati will earn at least $0.14 if you do.