To the Max - celebrating snooker's 147 break

A maximum break is the mark of snooker perfection. As good as it gets for players and supporters. The leading professionals love to make them and the fans who follow the sport can't get enough of the drama when 36 balls are potted to make the magic number of 147.

Former sports journalist Chris Shaw had never experienced the drama of seeing a 147 break live in an arena, and so, armed with a redundancy pay-out, he spent a season attending matches across the UK, China and Germany in search of a coveted maximum.

Find out how he gets on in pursuit of 'his' own 147 and enjoy the expert views of leading players, journalists and fans as they share their stories of the ones that were made - and those that were messed up. The book traces the history of 147s from Steve Davis who made the first official maximum in 1982 to the modern era when more are being made than ever.

To the Max is the story of a quest and a celebration of excellence that will appeal both to snooker devotees and the casual sports follower.