Games Books

I know of no book that conveys the most popular bridge-playing conventions as painlessly as Barbara Seagram and Marc Smith's remarkable TWENTY-FIVE BRIDGE CONVENTIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW. They are all there, patiently explained, with examples drawn from appropriate circumstances and topical quizzes following immediately.

Generally, the book starts with the basic conventions like Takeout Doubles and Blackwood and progresses to the more esoteric ones like Reverse Drury and Roman Key Card. We might argue about the exact order these conventions appear; Ms. Seagram is BIG on the Jacoby Transfer and its big brother, the Texas Transfer. Should people really learn those before they learn about Cue-bid Raises and Balancing? But that is a small wrinkle in such an excellent presentation; if you and your partner prefer to skip a lesson or two and come back later, this book will serve well anyway. Deserves a place on every good bridge-player's shelf.

Easy reading, with good explanations of why you should use that convention. Great examples at the end of each chapter. As a beginner I highly recommend this book.

This is a book that describes twenty five modern Bridge conventions that every current Bridge player should know and use.

Each convention is described and explained clearly. One of the best features of the book is that at the end of each description of the convention is a sheet of example bridge hands that illustrate the convention. The reader can make his own answer to the questions, then check to see if he really understood the explanation. It is a good way to learn.

I think this is a very good book for every bridge player to learn and use the modern conventions.

This instruction book on Bridge Conventions is written simply enough for everyone to learn. It is divided into three sections, so, as you progress in your learning, you advance from one section to the next. Fun learning with this book.

If you are looking for a bridge book that covers the most common conventions out there in the "bridge world"...this is the book for you. This book covers all the essentials to learn and understand the most popular bridge conventions. It does it in an easy to understand and precise manner. You will feel confident after reading and studying. The one feature missing.....doesn't give you the opportunity to practice much on each convention. You will have to play to learn that. But this book is worth the price to increase your playing power.

If you are serious about magic, then this book is just as important as Tarbell. Buy it.

I've had a copy of this book since 1975 and passed it on to my youngest son. This book as been part of our family since I was a teenager and will continue to be as long as it's avaible.

This one book will open the doors of magic for you. The first two chapters are essential for the reader to understand how to create magic in the minds of the spectators. Mr. Hay is an excellent teacher and motivator. Although his passion was coin magic (T. Nelson Downs was his boyhood hero), he teaches classic sleights for cards, coins, thimbles, balls, silks, etc. He gives wise counsel on buying apparatus, how to stage a magic show, performing for children, how to practice, and more. Although the AMH was originally written in 1950, the books listed in his bibliography are still recommended reading today. I had the rare opportunity to meet Mr. Hay in Germany and he was cordial and still proficient in his hobby. Do you want to learn magic? Buy this book.

Henry Hay (pen name for June Barrows Mussey, who was a journalist and translator as well as magician) was probably the best magical writer that ever lived. Several professional magicians have learned from his clear prose, including Johnny Ace Palmer, Gary Oulette (producer of the WORLD'S GREATEST MAGIC specials), and David Copperfield. If it was good enough for those guys, it's good enough for anybody. It was certainly good enough for me. I still refer back to it at times, and I've been into magic since I was twelve. I'm twenty-one now. Buy this book and learn all that it has to teach. Count yourself very lucky if you can find a good copy.

If you are interested at all in magic then this is the book to get. It lets you in on the secrets of a whole realm of different magic tricks (coins, cards, stage, close, etc....). Whats great about this book is that if you are new to the "hobby" then you can sample a little of alot and find what really interests you, then you can delve into another more specific book with deeper content.

In the short-run, it's like Shadowrun only without anything in the way of mysticism or magic. It's all metal or nothing in this game.

Plenty here have praised the games mechanics, so I won't dive into that... ditto the excellent storyline (I haven't actually GMed a CP game in almost 10 years, and haven't played in five, yet I'll still flip through the rulebook every so often just to read about the local color and stories provided)

If the game has a downfall it is only in that the story lineage is a little dated by modern standards (although strangely prophetic). As 2020 is fast approaching us (being 12 years away as of this writing) much of what was theorized as being "part of the future" has actually come to pass: The internet (ok, not QUITE as they have invisioned it, but can it be far off?), cellphones, corperations wielding vast political power, even modern stem-cell research is a harbinger to the body limb-regrowth capabilities tauted in the game, ditto with cyberlimbs/prosthetics.

The game itself is still very much worth playing. Only now instead of a "dark future", the game has instead become more of a "grim alternate reality"... or alternately, you could just move the game's story ahead 20-30 years and adjust accordingly :)

I highly reccomend it. If I could find another regular crew to play with locally, I'd be all over it!

Out of the whole cyberpunk movement and craze, it would seem that a role playing game was a natural. This had an interesting setting and information, and was appropriately brutal. This would lead to characters having the life expectancy of at least a little more than a paranoia clone, so you had to do something about that if you wanted to feature violence in your games.

I was stationed in Vilseck Germany with the 2nd of the 63rd Armor when I friend told me about Cyber Punk. It was almost a year before we found someone with the books, and immediatly set up a game. It was a game that I have never forgoten. It sits in my mind like the begining of Secret of Mana, forever a defining factor in my oppinions.

This game does tend to drag with its role to hit/role to dodge rules, but it is more believable then any other game I have seen or played. The setting for Cyber Punk is OURT world, with OUR history. It is science fiction. We can look at our own lives, make few changes to the timeline, and see that it IS possible. In reality, these things would never happen, but in the game, it is easier for us to adapt to this new world because it is so close to our own. Realy, what has changed? The world has met a sort of anarchy, like in Mad Max. The government is now run by Corporations. Bionics are common enough that you see people with mettle limbs on a regular basis. This world is more real then any other I have seen, and this makes more believable. Since it is more believable it becomes easier to enter your charactor and enjoy the game.

If I had to rate all the games I have played, I would put this on tope, even with its long combat and ineffectiveness with machine guns.

CP 2020 is by far the best pencil and paper RPG, this is all you need to get started. Playing CyberPunk will open your eyes to the world and the direction it is heading in and also opens your creativity and imagination. Everything from the weapons, the armor and the stat system whips AD&D. Anyone who doesn't like the whole fantasy ideals and/or combat system of AD&D needs to give CP a serious look-see.

If you like CP:2020 check out the CyberSphere MOO, well coded and reasonably closely based on CP.

Telnet on over to:

cs.vv.com:6969
or
cs.vv.com:7777

I've ben GMing for something like fifteen years and this is the system I always return to. If I want to run someting of my own, this is the system I base it on.

Slim-line, fast, flexible, simple, expansive, effective. All words that describe Talsorian's game mechanics - it simply does not get any better.

As for the universe - this is a REAL world of darkness. No bright dawn, no happy ever after. Only your wits and tech, style and edge. No right or wrong, only power and death, a world of grey areas that seems only just around the corner.

If you are a gamer and you don't have this - get it now.

If you aren't a gamer but love the Dark Future setting, it's worth it.

Magnificent.

I absolutely LOVE this story. I remember my grandma reading it to me when I was little and I bought it for my son and he loves it too. There are lots of morals in the story, many of them mentioned by previous reviewers: 1. it's okay to be who you are, 2. don't allow others to bait you into aggressive behavior, 3. perceptions of situations are colored by one's own unique perspective, and of course 4. take time to smell the flowers and just enjoy being in the moment. Everyone I know who has read this story is just as much in love with it as I am. The illustrations are great too.

I knew the story as Ferdinand the Bull as a kid and it is the same as The Story of Ferdinand. Same author, same story but there is an added author in the new title giving credit to the illustrator as well. My Mom was an elementary school librarian and of all the books available to us this was one of my top five I'm sure. It does appear that there may be both a color illustrated and (original?) pen and ink version available in the new title. Not really sure...

Munro Leaf was my grandparents' next door neighbor in CT and I remember fondly my early years with he and his wife (I called him Uncle Mun). Unfortunately, Mun died when I was still fairly young but not before he left a deep impresssion on me. I of course had many of his books growing up, with personal notes that demonstrated his interest in my growth and well-being. He also illustrated each of his notes. I cherish those books to this day. My favorite was Ferdinand the Bull; a close second, Wee Gillis. What a guy!!!

This is my childrens' all time favorite book. Ferdinand is the best bull ever, he's gentle and brave at the same time. He sets a wonderful example for a person (or in this case bull) to be comfortable in one's own skin. Please get this book back in print!

Ferdinand the Bull not only has an inspirational message for me, but means a great deal as Ferdinand is my maiden name. My brother and I, as we grew up in Pa., had this read to us and then read it ourselves and loved hearing it over and over. I shared it with my children and I hope that they will reprint it so that our grandchildren may enjoy it, as well. Jane Ferdinand Royer, Southlake, TX.

A masterpiece. We use this book in our consulting practice as a textbook of sorts - as an illustration of why and how to develop a cohesive management team and then manage "by the numbers". Stack had to learn the lesson the hard way when his company underwent an employee buy-out. Long-story-short, he figured out how to bring the management team (and the rest of the employees) into the critical reporting metrics by turning it into a "game" similar to a sporting event everyone could follow.. thus the title. It's all about "organizational readiness" and moving your team down the field together. It's also a quick read - good because you can put the ideas to work right away.

Easy to read, concise, and well written. Main points are well organized and put into a story fashion to keep your attention. It provides good insight into how to run a business openly to fully utilize every employees' talents. It makes a good case for not keeping people in the dark. It has good insights into the motivation of employees. Caution, these principles would be very hard to implement in a large corporation, unless top management "buys in". The book shows the value in making work challenging and fun and more like a "game" with healthy competition. It identifies what "healthy" competition looks like, as opposed to keeping secrets, deception, threats, or games where nobody understands the real rules, which is destructive.

Incisive and inspiring....a look at what makes people work, as well as businesses

Open-book management isn't a silver bullet but it can be very powerful. This is a compelling example of how opening up and making the corporate decision-making more transparent can pay big dividends for everyone. If it can work in a manufacturing environment it can certainly work in service businesses full of knowledge workers.

I was recommended to read this from a
good friend and mentor. I fell in love
with the concepts and even hired them to
implement the things inside this book!

If you are in business and want to take
it to another level. I could not tell you
a better book to read then this!

Matt Bacak
Author of Secrets of the Internet Millionaire Mind
and The Ultimate Lead Generation Plan

If you are a dedicated hands-on woodworker, or simply of the armchair variety, this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book on handplanes should be on your short list. I recenly met the author, Mr. Garrett Hack, at a woodworking conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. He speaks to a live audience in much the same way that he writes; with great organization, clarity, and enough anecdotal sidebars to really make the discussion lively. After reading the book through, cover to cover, I ordered my first handplane... a Lie-Nielsen No. 4 iron bench plane... and am now rereading the book to learn how to tune this beautiful tool, sharpen it, and commence making those paper-thin, elegant shavings..

I inherited a standard Stanley bench plane from my Dad. After I tried to sharpen it, I had know idea why it was chattering and gouging the wood I was trying to plane. From reading this book I got it properly sharpened and tuned. Now it works great. Also, I found out that I had placed the iron on backwards, and that I really did not need to buy a honing guide or expensive stones to sharpen the iron well enough to do the job.

Some years ago a purchased the book this author wrote on Handtools and have read it about ten times. In that book the author made mention of this book he wrote on handplanes but I was not all that interested. Then in the last few years I have purchased a number of handplanes and began using them and realizing what wonderful and almost sensual tools they are. It was then I ordered the author's book of Handplanes and realized why he wrote an enire book on this subject. I can only say if you have an interest in handplanes of any kind, or age, or conditon this is the book to have. It covers everything you would want to know, including how to tune, reconditon, buy, sharpen, use, and identify about any handplane made. The photos are sumptuous. I cannot say how much I appreciete this book. I just keep reading it over and over and putting the information to work in my shop.

I've been using hand planes for basic tasks for years but never got the performance I felt they were capable of. This book has given me the information I needed to really tune all my planes. It is a pleasure to run a plane down a board and get a perfect shaving thin enough to see through!

I'm now using planes for things other than fitting a drawer or easing an edge. And my shop is often a quieter place because of it!

Wow everybody loved this book!!?? I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I want to build my own planes. This book is not useful for that. The only illustrations, which are sparse, are pictures of planes. So if you love tools and want to read about planes this is probably as great as everybody says, but if you actually want to build a plane this book will not be any help. I did find the discussion of Stanley and other old planes very useful though when going to the flea markets to look for old hand tools. Thats why I gave it a 4. If you want to build a plane I would give it a 2.

If you have not had the pleasure of viewing an episode of Inu-Yasha on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network take the time to check it out, you will be hooked! One of the best anime series coming out of Japan I think. The storylines are entertaining and the content is not to questionable. There is some sexual content with some of the storylines, but it is completely within reason and not presented in any vulgar or offensive manner. The series is geared toward the adolescent viewer with funny cracks directed at the awkward stages of puberty. Your younger teens will laugh out loud and come to love every character.

As Inuyasha and company are sailing down a river they encounter a girl named Nazuna as she is escaping from a spider-head demon. It seems the whole area is infested with the spiders who take the heads of humans, except for a temple which is inhabited by Nazuna and a wizened priest. But when the spiders break into the temple, Inuyasha is at a loss because it just happens to be the time in all half-demons lives when they lose their demonic power and become fully human for a short time! Our heroes will have to use their brains instead of brawn this time. After that they will have to deal with a witch that steals Kikyo's bones in an effort to resurrect the priestess that imprisoned Inuyasha for 50 years!

What can I say about any work by Rumiko Takahasi? They are probably the best manga out there! She is a genius! The great thing about this volume is that we learn a bit more about the past conflict between Inuyasha and Kikyo and that their relationship was a bit more "involved" than we were led to believe. It wasn't just a simple battle for the possession of the Shikon Jewel. The twist of making Inuyasha become a human for a night was also a clever twist in the plot. Rumiko seems full of surprises in what is essentially an action manga. Excellent work!

There are 21 volumes of "Inu-Yasha" out as I write this, but volume 5 is still my favorite.

Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Shippou meet a young girl whose village is being attacked by spider head demons. Strangely, Inu-Yasha is reluctant to help. We get to see Inu-Yasha's human form for the first time, and if you like the romance between Inu-Yasha and Kagome, you'll love this volume. I like the series before I read this, but this one made me fall in love with it.

If you haven't read up to this point, you'll probably want to get the other volumes first. Inu-Yasha is a must for any manga collection.

I was little surprised (given the author) that this was such a well-written manga but I was surprised that there was still humor.

Some of the action is not as well drawn as the conversation episodes of the work but still very enjoyable.

For the parents, there is one brief scene of some topless nudity but nothing overt.

I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Inuyasha a human! With black hair no ears or claws and fangs! (Gasps and faints) Buy this great book to find out more.

After the Magnifecent Seven's wonderful performance at the '96 Olympic Games, I decided to read this book to find out more about these talented young women. I thought it was terrific! There are biographies of each of the seven members along with really cool pictures. This book was awesome. These seven are really magnificint and it shows!

The book was pretty good for writing a book. Gave good information but it was a hard book to just sit down and read but I would for sure buy the book!

A must read with lots of good pictures. Gives good info. on all the athletes, with quotes.

This book is what really got me interested in gymnastics.

I had gotten introduced to gymnastics through a book about Mary Lou Retton I had picked up at a thrift store, but I didn't become too interested until I saw a picture of Kim Zmeskal in an Encyclopedia Annual. I looked her up on the Internet, and the rest they say is history.

Through the Internet I discovered the Magnificent Seven, and I found this book at our library. I couldn't have been more satisfied!

The Magnificent Seven was a team of US girls that consisted of Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu and Kerri Strug. These talented gymnasts won the very first Olympic Gold team medal in US. Gymnastic history.

This book has very informative biographies about each girl, complete with full color photos. It is very well written, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Magnificent Seven, or just want to see some great pictures about them.

If you like gymnastics you'll love this book! It tells about the lives of the seven gymnasts on the 1996 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Dominque Dawes, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, and Amy Chow. There are pictures of each girl from their very young life to the 1996 Olympics.

This book is a bargain for FSX users. Very detailed with over 700 pages of information. I am a private pilot and throughly enjoyed reading through this manual, especially when flying my FSX program. In addition the extra missions, charts & challanges, are certainly worth the book. The extras are free off the internet, and you'll probably have to wait until the web site is "free" as I suspect it is very busy. The book is great for learning a "new" aircraft, and best of all it gets you in the air quickly if you have never flown before. The internet stuff comes up inside the FSX program itself, and it quite complete with charts etc. for each mission. This book is certainly worth the money for what you get.

This book is a fantastic guide to flight sim and flying. It has loads of details without being boring. A great reference item to keep on your desktop cockpit.

This is a good book for real pilots who would like to improve their MS Flight Simulator experience, as well as for non-pilots who would like to become pilots. The book is written in simple terms so the new student will understand, but there is clearly enough there to benefit the accomplished pilot both from a aviation knowledge and simulation point of view. I am an ATP and CFI and have found nuggets of wisdom that I will use in flying and teaching. Mostly I am making my flight simulator experience richer and more fun by getting to know the software and online world better. My simulator is complete with yoke, multi-engine throttle quadrant, rudder pedals, multi-function panel, and three monitors. The only disappointment so far in the book is the recommendation that you open multiple views on one screen, without recommending adding another monitor and opening the view there. I have found that with multiple monitors I can effectively fly VFR by looking out the left window (left monitor), placing the instrument panel and forward looking screen on the middle monitor, and radio equipment on the right monitor. This is also ideal for IFR practice, which I do every day. I also use FS2004 (not FSX) and still find the book germane, even though it is not specific to my older version.

Even though I own two airplanes, I still fly MS Flight Simulator because I can practice to perfection procedures that make my real world flying much better. This book helps me reach that goal. I am looking forward to continually expanding my sim experience, and maybe I'll see you online!

I got this book and was amazed! It is a huge book and has everything in it. I have only started and this book has all the details and covers pretty much everything you need.

I think based on the reviews below - you get the drift. Those reviews speak for themselves (and the book). I don't need to repeat every thing noted by the other reviewers. It's a great book and I learned more than I would have ever thought.

Don't let the 800 pages scare you off. The diagrams and the tutorial flights are just awesome. I have been flying MSFS since way back in the early days. The interest over the years has come and gone and I would skip a version here and there... then FSX hit the market. I since have turned this interest into a full fledged hobby. Everything from a TrackIR, Matrox (3 screens), Rudder pedals, yokes,good PC and a full set of navigational charts and IAPs - I thought I had it all together and knew everything there was to learn. What I found out from this book, I had barely scratched the surface. What I was missing was real world knowledge. This book has tied it all together and has made my hobby seem almost as authentic as the real deal. Now I can go any place at anytime in any aircraft.

Great great book! Do yourself a favor and invest the tiny expense (relative to the rest of this hobby) and enjoy. Remember, it's all about the journey and not the finish line. Soak up the knowledge that these authors have penned for your simming pleasure!

If you would like more information or would like to discuss simming in general feel free to contact me at fly-bman2006@hotmail.com

Bman.

This is such a great read! The tools given were very useful and easy to implement. I definitely recommend this.

Proactive Sales Management shows sales managers how to effectively manage their sales force, motivate the sales team, effectively coach and counsel the sales organization, reduce reports to one sheet of paper and 10 minutes a week and forecast more confidently. A must read for any serious manager who is planning to boost sales and performance.

Many sales managers I know are some of the hardest working people on earth. They don't have time to read theory and work over months or years to apply it.

This book gives a good, practical approach which can be used immediately - invaluable to newly promoted sales managers or veterans. It's the type of book which lets you read a chapter at lunch then use the idea that afternoon!

Miller's approach offers insight and forthright advice on the keys to success in managing sales people.

Has chapters for the entire Sales Manager life cycle, from vision/culture to interviewing/hiring, to corrective action. Very basic and rudimentary rather than theoretical such as you'd find in sales management course texts. Maybe this is all that's necessary to gain the big picture rather than dealing with various minutia.

'ProActive Sales Management' is packed with practical tools for business executives to drive sales organization in a proactive manner. Miller has coherently illustrated how these tools fit together & help sales organizations to achieve the mission of proactively capture business opportunities; more importantly, he also shows managers how to gain better control of their life while achieving business goals.