Games Books

I gave this book to my friend's daughter and she absolutely adores the book. It's so imaginative, beautiful and well-written that any "princess" you know is bound to love it.

The illustrations are gorgeous, and the writing is enjoyable for an adult to read as well, because there's a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor sprinkled with some fairy dust throughout that had me purchasing my own copy after I gave it as a gift!

An absolute charmer from start to finish, Princess Crafts is a magical mixture of craft projects and handbook for princesses both
young and old. Full of fun, fashion, and oodles of glitter, the
craft projects are creative without being complicated. From
Rapunzel Ribbon Wigs to Fancy-Prancy Dancing Slippers, this crafty
book will surely bring out your inner princess!

Both of my goddaughter's LOVED this book! Each had their favorite craft---Your Carriage Awaits allowed Nicole to have the most glamorous bicycle on the block---she was certainly the princess on her custom designed chariot! Nicole was also inspired to have a princess party with her friends! Alexa loved making the Rapunzel hair and couldn't wait to show her dad how fun it was to have cool super-long ribbon hair! This book was so well written--easy to follow instructions and entertaining factoids. Little girls love to play dress up and it's great that there are ideas for all kinds of beautiful princesses---sparkly, glittery fuzzy & more!

This book is chock full of fantastic craft ideas for kids of any age, economic status and creativity. The author is able to take items we already have around the house and make fun and diverse craft projects. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a princess in THEIR family.

Princess Crafts celebrates the "modern princess," as it combines classic princess ideas from literature and film with a modern twist for the soon to be independent woman. The creative and fun craft projects (which mostly require simple and easy to obtain supplies) will entertain little girls endlessly (and some adults too). The text, charmingly written by Hauser, is clever and humourous yet consistently provides clear instructions on the projects. Parett's dynamic illustrations and high quality photographs also provide a solid road map for the crafts. Finally, one of the best aspects of this book is that the projects and activities are sure to inspire these young princesses to be creative and crafty beyond the scope of this fantastic and original book for kids.

You must have this book. My kids can't read yet, but they love this book. I love it too since the art work is so great and it is fun to find the mice, puppy, cat, butterfly, and spider on each page. The artwork and "cutouts" for the dog and cat are well layed out. Lisa McCue works in her initials too on various items like a window sash and book binding as well as a copy of the book in the attic scene. I never get tired of looking at this book as a parent.

I first purchased this book for my son when he was a toddler... He is now 17 Years Old! He loved this book and we enjoyed comparing the pages to see what items were on EVERY page. Now that we have been blessed with a daughter (she is now 11 months old), it is one of her two favorite books (she also loves Baby Minnie's Busy Day, a Disney board book). Even at 7 months old, she could point out the white kitty when I asked her "Where's the Kitty Cat?" I highly recommend this book and would like to find the other books in the series to purchase for my daugher.

My thirteen-year old, severely autistic daughter had this book first when she was about three or four years old. It was her favorite book because each page had the same four characters to look for although the background art changed. She expected the puppy, the kitty, the mouse and spider all to be there, and to her delight, they always were. She wore this book out, and then it went out of print. We bought a used copy last week from bibliohound through amazon.com, to give her for her thirteenth birthday. It arrived in nearly new condition, and my daughter will be thrilled! This is the third or fourth used book I've purchased through amazon.com, and I've been happy with every purchase. If you can find a used copy of this book, it is WELL WORTH THE MONEY SPENT! The artwork is so delightful that I even enjoyed the hundreds of times I spent looking at it with my daughter.

My 9 month old daughter loves this book. She always manages to pull this one out of her stack of books and never grows tired of it. I just wish I could find more like it. I highly recommend it to all parents.

My son got this book when he was 16 months and loved it then and STILL loves it now (he is 22 months). He loves to point out the puppy, cat, mouse, flowers, ball, bat, chair, etc... His favorite thing is to turn the pages with the holes in this board book. It is wonderful! I highly recommend it!

I like the variety of puzzles in this book...as opposed to all crossword,etc. One has to figure out the rule before solving the puzzle.

this book is amazing! i teach middle school (6-7-8) english, and i use these puzzles with my students. they can't get enough! for any fans of the npr sunday morning puzzle, this book is a must.

As a fan of Will Shortz's other puzzle books I was eager to try the puzzles in this volume. There is a good variety ranging from fairly easy to extremely challenging puzzles. The topics are varied with both puzzles and answers presented in an easy to use format. Many puzzle books do not provide adequate space to properly fill in your answers but this book does.

Will Shortz has delighted puzzle lovers world-wide for years. This collection is another excellent offering from the man who has dedicated his life to the pleasure of solving puzzles.If you have neither listened to Will's radio show nor purchased this book,you're missing out on a great opportunity to have a good deal of challenging fun. I still get a kick ( and feel honored) when Will features one of my puzzles on his show because of the way he makes it come to life with his enthusiasm. If you don't know by now, Will Shortz is the master of wordplay. Do yourself, friends, and family a favor. Get this book for hours of good,clean-cut fun and then tune in his show on NPR for more.

If you listen to Will Shortz on Sunday's Weekend Edition, you know what kind of puzzles are in this volume. Half the puzzles are of the type that he conducts with a call-in listener. This usually involves a series of word puzzles with short answers you can come up with on the spot. The other half of the puzzles in The Puzzlemaster Presents are of the sort that he leaves us with to solve during the week. They are harder and have one correct answer.

The first type of puzzle is fun, but the second type is my favorite because you usually have to do these in your head. I like to keep one or two in mind for occasions like being stuck in traffic or standing in line. They really make the time fly and you don't need pencil and paper. I find they are also great if you have trouble getting to sleep. Concentrating on a tricky word puzzle or arithmetic calculation sure keeps your mind from wandering all over the place.

And don't look for clever tricks with these puzzles. One thing about Will Shortz is that even though he loves puzzles, he is scrupulously fair. He gives you all the information you will need to solve each problem.

This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST for a rag rug weaver. It is the best book I've found yet that describes not only the art of weaving rag rugs but also tries to give an historical account of looms that were made. I used this book as a reference when I bought an used loom. Since the labeling was missing on the loom, the previous owner could not identify what kind of loom she was selling. I was able to not only identify the loom, but I knew from this book that the type of loom I bought was appropriate for rag rug weaving. If you want to learn rag rug weaving, this is the book to get!

Paula and Janet did well with this book. I am a novice rug weaver and found the directions to be easy to follow and the results pleasing. Definitely buy this book if you're looking for something on weaving rag rugs!

A great source of information. Thank you for the speedy service.

I love this book because it's hard to remember all the steps to weaving when it takes so long to accomplish any project, and this book has all the stuff I need. It's a resource for my "library" for frequent reference.

This book was great for us as beginner weavers. A loom was given to us - all in pieces. By remembering his grandmother's loom and with the pictures in this book, my husband assembled the loom and is now weaving his second rug. This book has lots of information and pictures and is an excellent guide for us "beginner weavers".

I found this book to be a great reference not only for the basic crochet stitches, but also for some more interesting and advanced stitches. It even has a little library of stitches with instructions and photos. Additionally, each section "lesson" has a project that uses that stitch or skill, for example a hat to learn both crocheting in rounds and the bobble stitch. The spiral wire binding and fold-up stand are also neat features. The photos are very good and help understanding the instruction. I highly recommend this book for both beginners and more advanced crocheters.

I usually get the books from the library and have a look at them before I decide if they are any good. I got this one from the library and decided I had to have this book. It is great for new crocheters and experienced ones also.
I am an experienced crocheter and I really loved this book so much so I have brought it off amazon. I am interested in crocheting cables and I havent been able to find a book with plain and understandable instructions on how to do this. This one has all this, great pictures and interesting techniques as well.
I think I may be able to make that cable jumper now with crochet instead of knitting it like I usually would.
Great book highly recommend it.

This is an excellent learning tool for those who want to
learn crochet. I'm an avid knitter but want to learn
crochet especially in-the-round as I want to make my own
hats and caps, but I just couldn't find a book to get me
started.

This book has wonderful photos and close-ups of every technique.
The projects are slanted towards younger adults but can be
adapted for any age. A very well-thought-out book and easily
portable as it closes with its own velcro clasp. I highly recommend.

this is an awsome book my mom had to
help me with a few basics but it realy
deserves 5 stars!!! if i can do it
am adult can do it!!!trust me it is an
awsome book.

This book is excellent. I am a relatively new crocheter and I have been looking for resources to help me expand my abilities. This book has excellent photos of a variety of different stitches. Their explanations are easy to understand and the projects are modern and cool. Great!

I have all RenderMan books on the market.
This one is impressed me!
The authors explain step by step and that make readers understand RenderMan more.

Same as other reviews, lacking of CD is the shame.
However, overall still be very good to me.
And if you consider the price is very worth for money.
That's why I think this book should be given 5 stars.
Hopefully, There will be more good RenderMan books available soon.

Tee

The RenderMan Shading Language Guide is an excellent resource. It contains numerous examples of shader code, to help get you started with writing your own shaders. I was happy to see the robust section on illumination models, with some sl code provided for most of them. I found the section that had common functions (like gamma() and remap()) very helpful, and appreciated the disscussion on more sophisticated components of the shading language (like subsurface scattering and global illumination). In addition, for the user who is new to the process of writing and compiling shaders, a number of pages are devoted to explaining how to achieve these goals. All in all, I would highly recommend this book to any user who wants to learn how to write his/her own RenderMan shaders.

I caught wind that this book was coming out well before it actually came out and could hardly contain my excitement. I had it ordered before it was even off the press.

Let's face it, trying to learn Renderman online is like trying to ride a bike with a flat tire. You can go, but not very fast or very far. I own several other renderman books but found them to be a bit out of date and lacking in areas. Since leaving school and entering into the industry I had actually been considering writing a Renderman book myself. I am glad to say that now I don't have to!

I have been enjoying my copy of the book since december of last year. I admit that I was thrown off by all the refrences to the accompanying cd, as well as a few typos throughout. I was overjoyed however to find the website today! This is the book that I have needed for a long time. It is well worth what you pay for it.

I have read many technical manuals relating to the 3D Animation and Visual Effects industries, and I can honestly say that this is easily one of the best available.

Given the limited library of Renderman books, I'd call this an absolute must have for any Lighting/Rendering/Shader TD, or any artist or technical director involved in the look development and shot finaling pipelines.

Even if you haven't yet worked within a Renderman pipeline, this is the perfect publication to introduce you to, and bring you up to speed in, the Renderman Shading Language (RSL).

I've found that the majority of technical manuals suffer from a number of common flaws:

1. The information is presented chaotically, and with minimal use of examples or descriptions, resulting in a publication that would readable only by those that already know everything it has to teach.

2. The information is presented so laboriously that what should take a paragraph instead takes up three chapters.

The Renderman Shading Language Guide is perfectly paced for beginners and intermediate users alike, and indeed when I showed the book to a couple of highly experienced Renderman TDs, they were surprised by the sheer volume of information and ordered copies for themselves.

Everything is presented in short blocks with an easily readable description, examples, shortcuts and conclusions. There is no unecessarily complicated geek speek, and neither is the reader treated like a 4 year old.

Even though I barely remember my high school math, and in the most flattering estimation I'd be considered a competent beginner when it comes to the math involved in RSL, I found the examples relatively easy to follow for the most part. And in those parts where the math went well over my head, I found the simple descriptions and concise, well explained instructions to be all I needed to quickly understand the topic.

From cover to cover this book is crammed full of useful information. There is no wastage of space in these pages. It seems that every conceivable question is answered - every possible topic covered from introduction to an advanced level of understanding and a practical and immmediately useful conclusion.

And at the price? This book is a steal.

One very minor complaint I would make is in regards to the occasional typographical error. An equation or two is printed with "?" in place of "*" or another symbol, and there are a few spelling and grammatical errors. But as I said, it is a minor complaint.

Also, I would have liked to have seen more complete shader examples demonstrated in a step-by-step process, as while this book is overflowing with informative mini-tutorials, it all seems a little incongruous. It would have been good to see a few more examples where the information was brought together in real-world ways to create some amazing completed shaders. Perhaps in a sequel? ;)

All in all, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, from an industry Lead Lighting TD.

9.5/10

I'm quite pleased with the depth of this book. So many of the CGI titles I've bought that claim to be intermediate or advanced aren't. While the RenderMan Shading Language Guide assumes that you have no starting knowledge of RSL, it immediately dives into technical details without overwhelming the novice. For someone wishing to learn RSL (or even just shader theory), this book is wonderfully paced, containing a great depth of information, very well explained.

At the same time, this isn't a book for dabblers. To get much out of the RenderMan Shading Language Guide, you need to be willing to put some effort and practice into it. This is a textbook and needs to be treated as a subject of study, rather than a casual enhancement for playing with CGI. If RenderMan intrigues you, but you don't want to get too deep into the technical (and programing/scripting) aspects, you'd be better off getting Pixar's RenderMan for Maya and a Digital Tutors or similar training DVD. You'll learn more of the simple, day-to-day things and get started making renderings faster.

As another poster mentioned, the text mentions an included disk which isn't. The website doesn't have downloads either. That omission would knock the book down to 4.5 stars, but since I can't rate with half-stars, 5 stars more accurately reflects the value of the book than 4.

What an absolutely awesome book! Mr. Kohler did a wonderful job. I love this book and recommend it to everyone interested in retro gaming. It is packed full of useful and insiteful information. To top it all off, the book is in a fun, easy-to-read and enjoyable format. I can't recommend it enough.

I hope Mr. Kohler does a revised and updated edition of this book. The information in it is too good to be allowed to just fade away. I'll definately buy an updated copy.

Just one comment to the author Chris Kohler should he read this review: How about a hack about the Scot Adam's text adventure series for the section of your book on Text Adventure games? Scot Adam's was big in the early 80s.

Thanks!

A great reference for those who like to tinker with the hardware side of retro games. I found this book to be a very good reference, well thought out and very applicable to the hobby of retro gaming and will appeal to the enthusiast at all levels.

Chris Kohler's RETRO GAMING HACKS: TIPS & TOOLS FOR PLAYING THE CLASSICS tells how to emulate classic games on cell phones to computers, how to locate vintage game hardware, how to convert gaming tools, and how to write your own retro-style games in various programs. From playing old games on original hardware or making conversions, RETRO GAMING HACKS is for avid gamers who want to tweak the experience.

Some of these 'hacks' I knew about, many i did not. But every 'hack' in here offered some level of detail that made my retro gaming experience just that much better.

The bulk of the hacks are focused on emulators - how to get them, how to use them, etc. Which means that you will be Retro-gaming on your PC. Before I nabbed this book, I thought that would be a slightly less than awesome experience. Mainly because the controls leave a lot to be desired (who wants to use a keyboard to play Satan's Hollow.) But thanks to one of the hacks, I now know where to go to get retro game controllers that fit right into your PC.

While retro-gaming on the PC is the the focus of the book, it by no means describes all the content. There is tunds of cruncy goodness in here on obtaining old platforms and cartridges, to hacking your old cartidges / games into your modern platform.

All in all a joy to read, and even more fun to implement. Pick it up! Its a good 'un.

Are you an avid game player, programmer or video game journalist? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Chris Kohler, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you everything you need to know to get your retro game on.

Kohler, begins by showing you how to play the real thing, setting up classic game systems, fixing broken hardware, and getting good deals on buying games. Then, the author covers new hardware and software that plays old games, whether on an all-in-one joystick or on the PalyStation 2. He continues by covering MAME from all the angles, learning how to play classic arcade games on the PC and other platforms. Next, the author shows you how to play classic console games. Then, the author brings back those classic computers, showing you how to set them up or emulate them. He also shows you how to play with text adventures. Then, he shows you how to get DOS games to work properly under modern operating systems, or even get DOS up and running again. The author continues by showing you how to play at game design. Finally, the author shows you how to hack around inside games, exploring glitches and bugs to your advantage.

The author of this most excellent book shows you how to emulate classic games on everything from cell phones to computers. More importantly, after reading this book, you will have everything you need to have to rediscover classic games in style.

In my opinion, Return to White Plume Mountain is one of the very best adventure modules out there! It features a very clever central plot, realistic encounters, logical combat situations, and several opportunities to roleplay and interact with the dungeon's inhabitants.

This supplement provides very clear and detailed histories for both Keraptis and White Plume Mountain. The plot is unique, realistic, and intriguing. The effects of roleplaying and of interacting with the non-player characters is outlined. In addition, the dungeon crawl itself is not linear at all, allowing the players to roam at will. And the maps look great!

Although a lot of information is presented, the module can easily be altered or customized. There is no setting specific material, so White Plume Mountain can easily be inserted into any ongoing campaign. However, no addition work is needed to fully enjoy this adventure.

I have run this module with 3 separate groups of players, experiencing 3 very different, yet wonderfully memorable, adventures. Do yourself a favor, purchase Return to White Plume Mountain - it is worth every penny!

On the long, bitter-sweet journey through life, can you ever go back home? Sadly, no. But you can plop down and stay at some really cool motels, replete with cable, mints, and mini-fridges, on your wayward jaunt into the unknown. Such is my mundane, quasi-philosophical revelation after DM'ing this adventure. No, it's not quite as profound as the "Belarius maturity conundrum," but hey, it's enough for a few weekends' worth of glorious casual play. Which is all we really need sometimes! Old-timers (*hack, cough*) on the Greyhawk scene will probably be most enthusiastic about the adventure's detailed "world" trappings, more so than with the actual plot. Remember Erol Otus' cryptic, enchanting pictorial map of the Mountain's environs, in the original S2? Now, we actually get to meet Thingizzard (and find out why her potions are something to be wary of!), hack our way through the Twisted Thickets, and perhaps even fall into the beguiling clutches of Dragotha. But, once the adventurers venture into the shadows of a cave known to hundreds of thousands as the Wizard's Mouth, everything changes. And that's where both the problem and the beauty lie. Anyone looking for a mere re-tread of the original spectacle of Lawrence Shick's magnum opus is bound to be disappointed. It's a new age. Now, monsters need food, logical housing, a reason to live, and a reason to die. (I guess Belarius wasn't the only one psychologically scarred 20 years ago.) Dungeons need architecture. And adventures need a conclusion, answers to questions, and yes, sadly, a plot. If you can detach yourself from the nostalgia of the original, and appreciate this work as an entirely separate entity, you'll be absolutely thrilled with the sheer ingenuity of Bruce Cordell's story. I can virtually guarantee that no veteran AD&D'er will be able to figure out what's going on until they're well in over their heads. Keraptis' ancient experiments, it seems, have left quite a magical legacy; a new, mutated form of meta-magic, nearly sentient, has evolved in the dungeons below White Plume Mountain, with horrifying (and extremely amusing) repercussions. As the adventurers enter, several power-mad warlords are fighting desperately to control Keraptis' dreaded Indoctrination Center, and the notorious weapons of the first White Plume module are being used as the primary symbols of power and destruction. (I'm being intentionally vague here, because if you haven't read it, get this module! You're in for a treat.) A few of the encounters are misplaced, or over-powered - Mossmutter, a corrupted great wyrm, may well wipe out all but the most experienced adventurers in an eyeblink, and Killjoy the efreeti is more of a cardboard cutout than a true, deep-thinking nemesis. But these are merely trivial concerns - the adventure is a joy to run (and experience!), the full-color maps of the dungeons are gorgeous, and veteran players will get a serious overdose of nostalgia as they slog through the original level and witness the cataclysmic changes two decades of chaos and mayhem have wrought. New players may be overwhelmed by the colossal challenges and Byzantine intrigues awaiting them on the Indoctrination Level, but nevertheless, a great time will be had by all - and hey, if you have to lose a character, what could be cooler than having his soul schlorped into Blackrazor? Minor reservations aside (which are fixable anyway with an hour's worth of fine-tuning), Return to White Plume Mountain is easily the 2nd-best adventure of 1999. (Only Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is better.)

At first thought, the original WPM would seem to be a poor candidate for a "modernized" sequel. Contemporary players would probably laugh at Lawrence Schick's 1980 classic as an archaic dungeon crawl full of over-complicated traps and large, deadly monsters that sit in tiny rooms with nothing better to do than wait for a group of PCs to come along and (hopefully) provide some much needed feed. Which, of course, is exactly what WPM was, but it was loads of fun nonetheless. Revisiting WPM and injecting a more logical and realistic story framework without destroying the familiar aspects of the original is a daunting task, but the Silver Anniversary edition succeeds beyond any expectation.

RTWPM starts by detailing many of the mysterious NPCs and strange locales that were only hinted at in the original. Thingizzard and her potions, the cursed ruins of Castle Mukos, the Great Swamp and the dracolich Dragotha finally get their due and Keraptis' infamous Indoctrination Center plays a central role in the scenario. While these details are entertaining in their own right, the strength of RTWPM is a central plot device involving "sentient magic" that is not only consistent with the events of the original WPM scenario, but is exceedingly clever in its own right. It wouldn't do to reveal the secrets of the story here, but the execution is a brilliant example of how to create a subtlety challenging and wildly novel situation for the PCs without violating the spirit of the D&D game, using heavy-handed DM tactics or requiring a substantial rework of any existing campaign standards. The NPCs are wonderfully sketched and run the gamut from sturdy locals to deranged gnomes and rebellious efreet. Hardened veterans and green novices alike will be entertained by ample doses of humor, danger and drama that culminate with a surprise ending.

Flaws are few and minor in nature. The map are pleasing to the eye but have been printed on the inside front and back covers which means that the DM cannot refer to the map and text at the same time, but must flip back and forth. One area (the old inverted ziggurat) has a monster that should have been encountered and destroyed by the existing denizens long before the PCs come on the scene and the answer to the feasibility of feeding and keeping happy a large number of creatures in a relatively small number of caves doesn't seem entirely adequate.

While the nostalgic aspects may be lost on the half-dozen or so players who didn't play the original version in their youth, RTWPM will definitely entertain all comers in high fashion. Although WPM was originally set in Greyhawk, there really isn't any setting specific material here and the scenario can easily be dropped into any campaign world. Best of all, RTWPM is a veritable bargain combining a relatively low price with enough high-quality material sufficient to keep the average group of players busy for several sessions. RTWPM deserves the highest recommendation.

This is easily one of the best adventures for D&D that I've ever seen. It's very imaginative, well-written, and has plenty of information for DMs. It's got just enough story backing up the hack-n-slash to keep players interested, and the final encounter is monumental. It's great fun to play for both DM and PCs.

The original S2 was one of the more clever and interesting A&D modules I ever read. Most of the others were just an excuse for hack and slash and grab the booty.

The original adventure encompassed more thinking and even a little negotiation which was uncommon in 1st edition AD&D.

So, that's why I'm happy to see a revision to the old module into a book form. This new edition has some very interesting twists and a big moral dilemma at the end which I thoroughly appreciate. It also has a method in it that potentially will ruin the lives of foolish PCs so DMs may want to be careful in playing this one out if their players aren't the thinking or cautious types.

Overall, there's a lot more room for negotiations in this series. I like that as I'm trying to push more roleplaying in my players. Moreover, the storyline is set up with four warring factions; all evil but I plan to change that to a few neutrals since the PCs in my campaign are all good and would never negotiate alliances with evil groups.

This game is great for an adventuring group from 7-10. I would add that they should be interested in thinking out possible traps and tricks and also be adequate (or better) at negotiations. The weapons may unbalance the game so make them either super evil, which means good PCs must destroy them, or have them destroyed at the climax (will make sense when you read it). Lastly, you may want to give the different warlords more allies as the module gave them a skeleton crew of thugs.

A must have book for the avid pheasant hunter!

If you are reading this review then you are probably a Ringneck pheasant fan like me. I will say up front, this book won't dissapoint you. The large color photos of pheasants, fields, dogs, hunters and guns are wonderful. All are in full color and obviously shot by good photographers. There is also a fair share of narrative with many of the photos so you can spend lots of time reading and enjoying the book.

The item was in perfect condition.It was shipped in a moderate time and in excelent shape,so good I orderd 2 more.

A GREAT book full of some very colorful pictures. If the sight of a flushing Pheasant in full colors in autumn brings you joy - you will enjoy this book. Pictures of bird hunters, western landscapes, birddogs, shotguns and short stories.

Two of my co-workers purchased the book for me for my birthday. They understand my passion and obession that I have for pheasant hunting with my Chocolate Lab, Bailey. Especially in the off season! If I can't hunt the birds, then I need to be reading about them. This book is beautifully illustrated and well written. It discusses and describes the true passion for hunting pheasnts. Its an easy read and the pictures are awesome. All in all and excellent read and even better as a gift. Thanks Toz and Mojo!!!

I have bought many books here but have never submitted a review. For this book I have to say its one of my best buy. 5 stars!!

This book begins with the very basics, how the board is set up, how the pieces move, the basic rules. The book then progresses at a steady pace introducing strategy and tactical tools. The book goes further than just explaining principles, and offers "chessercizes" at the end of each section to ensure the reader fully grasps each concept before moving on. I have read several chess books and browsed many more and this is hands down the best one. If you play chess or want to learn, you must read this book.

This is an excellent book for beginners that does more than just teach the basics. It teaches skills needed for any level of play.

I am a very visual learner. Apparently, so are Russian children. This book is written in the manner that Russian children are taught: a chessboard is laid down, pieces placed, and a question posed, say, checkmate in two. Your job is to figure out how to get there. In the book, the first half is composed of pages of such diagrams, each geared towards either explaining visually how a piece moves, its value in trade, its best positions, etc. It is a great way to learn the game.
The book starts off slowly, explaining how the game works. You then work through various parts of the game: openings, middle moves, and closings. This game really helped me to develop a solid opening.
I have always had trouble with the middle game; this book gives the basics for that. The second volume gives a much more in-depth treatment of the game; openings, closings, and middle game strategy. But this is the book to get for a new player, or for one who always seems to get beaten. I started out losing to the computer on its easiest level, now I still lose, but at least I understand why, heh heh. Seriously, it is written in an understandable manner, and if you're a visual learner, the problem sets are really worthwhile.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This is one excellent Beginner book; it is unique and very informative. The first 102 pages have a lot of basic fundamental information ALL beginners should learn. Pages 103 to 264 of the book are devoted to Tactics & Strategy theory of The Opening, Middlegame and Endgame-this is the meat of the book. Lev mixes games, theory and teaching diagrams artfully. The diagrams are clear; most ask you a question or two with the answers right there, no flipping pages to the back of the book to hunt for answers. Many answers are very detailed. This is a great study book for beginners. Reading it once is not enough. Good Luck.