Billiards probably developed from one of the late-14th century or early-15th century lawn games in which players hit balls with sticks. The earliest mention of pool as an indoor table game is in a 1470 inventory list of the accounts of King
Louis XI of France. Although billiards had long been enjoyed by both men and women, a trend towards male suites developed in 19th century Great Britain. These male suites paired billiard rooms with smoking rooms and sometimes libraries. One example of these male suites is Castle Carr near Halifax. Many mid- and late-19th century billiard rooms were designed in an Oriental or
Moorish style. Mark Twain's billiard room in Hartford, CT was decorated with quasi-Moorish stencils. The late 19th and early 20th century represent the billiard room's heyday. (built 1907), with overhead electric lights and skylight. File:Billiard Room - Mark Twain House.tiff|Billiard Room of
Mark Twain House File:Sketch of The Club, Bedford Park, 1880.jpg|Sketch of
The Club,
Bedford Park, 1880 ==References==