Games Books

I found this to be the best book to improve bridge for an intermediate player. I've read it four times and learned from each chapter each time. Since one plays defense on half the hands, it provides the best time investment to improve one's bridge play. It is also an entertianing read. I have recommended it to the bridge players I mentor.

Kantar is exceptionally readable, with a sense of humor which makes a difficult subject enjoyable. He goes through much material, but quite thoroughly and clearly. It's a book that needs to be studied - not merely read - but a good student will gain enormously from Kantar's work.

Kantar today is more noted as a bridge instructor than a bridge player. But one must remember that he is both and his latest book demonstrated both the instructional and practical sides. It is (as usual) clear, concise and ro the point. I like Kantar's prose, his ease of explanation and the way he sets just the right tone. Of course, he discusses the bid, the opponent and, most important, keeping track of the play while counting the cards (the one thing that separates the professional from the amateur). Good book with tons of examples.

This is a great book on defense, because Kantar covers almost every intermediate situation comprehensively and give you black and white rules for every situation. He doesn't in this book consider varied leading/signalling conventions but just gives one way to play, but that's fine as he explains his method clearly and shows why he recommends everything he does. I'd recommend it to every player.

The book focuses on leads, signals (Attitude, Count, Suit Preference), and how to card (what card to play in 2nd or 3rd spot), rather than general defensive principles.

The content is excellent, well presented (humorous!!), and best of all, has lots of quizzes. None of this skimming a section and figuring you know it, the quiz will let you find out for certain.

2 warnings:

1) make sure your partner is using the same techniques, otherwise you may get worse results. Its not that the ideas in the book are radical, they are mainstream. But if pard doesn't understand your signal, they may do something weird and you will be worse off.

2) The book is a bit technical (5 situations where this is a suit preference signal. If Dummy wins with a Q then signal count, otherwise ... If you can see the X in dummy then pard will know to do this, else that, etc.
You will need to reread it several times, and probably make notes.

VALUABLE STUFF, but ONLY as part of a partnership that understands each other.

Harvey Coleman's words in this book are good for a life time! I've heard him speak and read the book multiple times! Great insites!

In my last position I made this mandatory reading for everyone on my management team. In my view, this book is one of the most enjoyable and enlightening pieces of business literature on the market. The information is laid out in a very clear and concise fashion that anybody should be able to follow. Amazing how the formal educational system always misses out on this level of information.....

My 17 year old son's teacher gave this book to him to read. My son shouted about how he wanted to be a level 6 and his life goals have changed. I was so surprised to see my son act this way because he is very shy laid back person with no sense of direction. Within a few weeks my son order two items off an auction website and created his own business. It was like he was a new person on a mission. I asked him about the book and researched it, then ordered it myself.

What do you know! I too was changed for the better. I am very interested it striving for the top more than ever. I do see things differently now on all levels. This book has really changed my life and I enjoyed every page. I have loaned it out many times and was informed by others they can't believe no one have told them about this book.

If you want to really know about life levels, and understand the HUMAN race more, this book is for you. When you first read it you think it is all about business, however you will learn it is really about life. If you want to play this game of life or not you are stuck in it and you may as well understand how to win.

Refreshingly candid, Harvey J. Coleman's, 'Empowering Yourself...' has the courage to outline the true course of upward mobility.

I have used this book in the past and is a valuable HR resource for me.

Besides the Stannard,this is the book to have on Matchbox.
Great for starters and long time collecors.

Excellent book. I was looking for this for a long time. Now I can check out my mini cars and find the best cars and prices I can get.

Its a big book and plenty of clear colour photos of so many examples throughout.covers every era of Matchbox toys.This type of book is superior over the wide but short books printed by this publisher.There is so much information here no matter whether you are devoted collector or just love looking at the old toys you had.This book will please most people.Its good value and high quality.

This is a great reference book, full of details and history about evolution of Matchbox toys. If you love Matchbox, this is a must. Charlie Mack is a true expert on the subject, and this is for sure the most complete and updated information about the subject. The only complains are: cover picture is not representative at all. Pictures are excelent but could be larger for the "reg. wheels" and "miniatures", and several rare cars and boxes are ommited (no space probably). However, "Tomart's Price Guide for Hot Wheels" have a much better and contemporary graphic design and many more pictures in a smaller book, and also with more description of individual models.

As the owner of both the 1997 1st edition and this newer 2004 3rd edition, I am disapointed. In order to fit 7 years of new photos into the same size book, the photos were digitally shrunk and subsequently distorted and blurred. But worse, the 1st edition had 198 pages of photos, the 3rd edition has just 159 pages of photos. Bottom line, this makes the photos tiny, blurred and distorted. Also, the paper stock (thickness) was significantly reduced so although the newer edition has just seven more total pages, the first edition is significantly thicker and heavier. So if you do not collect Mattel Matchbox, purchase the 1st edition (also it does not appear the prices between the 1997 and the 2004 price guide have changed). By the way, the 1st edition is a great book!

The author picks a variety of sunjects related to evolution (HIV, cancer, language....), and mathematically shows, why it has to be that way!
The mathematics involved is simple (I am an engineer, and I had absolutely no problems understanding the math), yet rigorous enough.

In my opinion, mathematics is not necessary to understand the principles of Darwin's Great Theory (unlike Quantum Theory and Relativity Theory, where without math, you are lost), it greatly helps to make it unassailable.

I recommend this book to anybody interested in the Theory of Evolution, who is not totally afraid of mathematics.

I don't do math, so I must disclose right away that the math was lost on me, except in the context of this equisitely presented book, I am compelled to recognize that mathematics as well as computation science is going to be a major player is the EarthGame, in modeling alternative outcomes for social and cultural complexity, and in cross-fertilizing disciplines by creating a common language.

I tend to be hard on publishers, so in this instance I want to say right away that the Belknap Press of Harvard University has done an absolutely phenomenal job with this book. The paper, the use of color and white space, every aspect of this book is exquisitly presented, and at an affordable price. I therefore recommend this book for content as well as for its artistic context, for both those who love mathematics, and those who do not, but want to understand the promise of mathematics for the future of life.

The text across the book is elegant, clear, easy to understand, and coherent. The summaries at the end of each chapter are in English, and for me at least, obviate the fact that I am mathematically-challenged.

I have a number of notes that merit sharing as encouragement to buy and read this book, one of just two that I found in the right context and price range as I venture into the intersection of modeling social complexity and doing real-time science in the context of an EarthGame where everyone plays themselves. The other book I bought and will read shortly is Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life (Princeton Studies in Complexity). Too many otherwise worthwhile books are grotesquely over-priced, and the authors should release free PDFs online in protest and to have effect on this exciting emergent inter-disciplinary endeavor.

The author stresses early on that Information is what evolves--errors are mutations, mutation plus selection in a noisy (i.e. natural) environment is evolution. I like that idea, and point the reader to Hans Swegen's "The Global Mind: The Ultimate Information Process" (Minerva UK, 1995)which first made the connection for be from DNA to World Brain.

The author inspires with his view that the field of evolutionary dynamics is "on brink of unprecedented theoretical expansion." I must say, as one who is focused on connecting all people to all information in all languages all the time, I have been slow to understand that while that is a wonderful baseline, only models can project alternative scenarios into the future, and hence, the modeling of the past is but a prelude to the shaping of the future by displaying compelling alternative paths.

The author sees mathematics as a common language that can help disciplines interact, and when they do so, progress occurs. He speaks specifically of disciplinary "cultures" that must understand each other.

Early on he delimits the book, and in the process notes that mathematical biology includes:

+ Theoretical ecology
+ Poulation genetics
+ Epidemiology
+ Theoretical immunology
+ Protein folding
+ Generic regulatory networks
+ Neural networks
+ Genomic analysis
+ Pattern formulation

The main ingredients of evolutionary dynamics are

+ Reproduction
+ Mutation
+ Selection
+ Random Drift
+ Spatial Movement

Terms of interest (all explained in English not just mathematics):

+ Sequential space
+ Fitness landscape
+ Error threshold
+ Neutral versus random drift

Thoughts that grabbed me across the book (all from the author):

+ Evolutionary game theory is the most comprehensive way to look at the world.

+ Natural selection favors the defectors over the cooperators BUT if there are repeated interactions, cooperation is not assured, but is made possible.

+ Models show alternative scenarios--inclulding coexistence of all.

+ Evolutionary graph theory yields a remarkably simple rule for the evolution of cooperation.

+ Under natural selection the average fitness of the population continuously declines [we're there!]

+ Direct reciprocity is a mechanism for the evolution of cooperation (the collective intelligence world has been calling for reciprocal altruism and a shift to a gift economy with open money and an end to scarcity--I see all this converging).

+ War and peace strategies CAN be modeled (as my own books suggest, the problem is the information asymmetry that Charles Perrow speaks of. Elites make decisions that have consequences for all of us, but they lie to us (935 lies leading to the war on Iraq) and they also externalize costs into the future.)

+ A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL can move an entire population from war to peace.

+ 10 cooperators in a string comprise a sustainable "walker," and is two such cooperative walkers meet, they can induce a "big bang" in which cooperatives sweep the game away from defectors.

+ Cooperators and defectors can co-exist for near-eternity.

+ Evolutionary graph theory can plot relationships (I think to myself, not only of people to people, but costs to things, time, and space).

+ Language makes infinite use of finite media--bulk of progress in last six hundred million years has been cultural, using language, not genetic.

+ The author credits Noam Chomsky with the Chomsky hierarchy relating language to mathematics. I read most of what Chomsky publishes, and had no idea he had done original work in mathematics back in the day.

+ Learning differs from memorization in that the learner is enabled to acquire generalizations that can then be applied in novel circumstances. I strongly believe that we must radically redirect education toward team learning, project learning, learning to learn, and learning in vivo, one reason I want to map every person, every dollar, every thing, every language, every idea, in Fairfax County.

+ Mathematical analysis of language must combine three fields (at least):
- Formal language theory
- Learning theory
- Evolutionary theory

The author concludes that mathematics is a way to think clearly. I cannot disagree, but as I put the book down, VERY PLEASED with the complete package of such very high quality, I was not convinced that mathematics can do intangible value and cultural nuance is multi-cultural context under stress and with time limitations.

The author provides both a bibliographic essay and a superb extensive bibliography, but if I could change one thing and one thing only in this book, it is that I would integrate the two. I have neither the time nor the inclination to look up each cryptic (Bloom, 1997) in the longer list. I would have preferred to see the actual bibliography organized by chapter, with all books on, for example, "Evolution of Virulence" listed there after the explicatory section. This is a nit.

I learned enough from this book to budget for and demand the full inclusion of evolutionary dynamics in all that the Earth Intelligence Network will strive to accomplish in the next twenty years.

Kudos again to the publisher. Nothing gives me more pleasure, apart from intelligent content, than very high-quality materials, thoughtful editing and lay-out, and honorable pricing. This book is a gem in all respects. BRAVO.

I did not appreciate Stephen Wolfam's A New Kind of Science but treasure the book (another enormous gift to mankind at an affordable price) and urge the mathematically-gifted to take a close look at that work.

Other books that have caught my attention as I circle this area of interest:
Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems
Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World
The Philosophy of Sustainable Design
Green Chemistry and the Ten Commandments of Sustainability, 2nd ed
The Future of Life
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition
High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them

I would also point the reader toward Pierre Levy's Information Economy Meta Language (IEML) as one approach to creating a universal dictionary of concepts, easily found on the Internet, and also Doug Englebart's Open Hypertextdocument System (OHS), easily found at the Bootstrap Institute.

This book is an accessible introduction to the mathematics of evolution and results in the field of evolutionary dynamics with a heavy emphasis on applications including the immune system, virulence, AIDS, and even the evolution of language. Many of the ideas are from fairly recent papers and results in mathematical biology, particularly the sections regarding the evolution of universal grammar and in the emerging field of evolutionary graph theory, which adds population structure to the mathematical analysis. (This is a now necessary generalization of evolutionary game theory, which assumes uniform population structure.) As noted above, this is the first book to present many of these ideas outside of scientific and mathematical journals.

Although the mathematical content is significant, Nowak diligently explains the implications of the mathematics in the text of the book, widening the potential audience of the book dramatically. Simply put, this book is filled with delicious evolutionary content, backed up with mathematical rigor for the interested reader, but you need not have a degree in mathematics in order to understand much of the material.

Highly recommended for those truly interested in evolution.

This is a wonderful book by a master of the field. Prof. Nowak, who teaches at Harvard, has managed a minor miracle: writing a book on mathematical biology that is mathematically rigorous and extremely readable at the same time.

The book is divided into two broad sections. The first nine chapters explore various abstract models of evolution. Simple models of evolution do not demonstrate cooperation between individuals, while examples of it abound in the real world. This fact quite rightly fascinates the author and informs his presentation. The last four chapters of the book use some of the modeling techniques developed in previous chapters to study real-world systems, such as HIV infection and cancer.

This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the mathematical aspects of biology. More broadly, it will be of interest to anyone who's interested in mathematical models of complex systems.

I am neither a biologist nor a mathematician but I found this book very approachable and tremendously interesting. I would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in evolution who has a basic understanding of ordinary differential equations and linear algebra and who would like to see the nuts and bolts of how evolution works.

Uncage Faces of Sigil is my Personal fav of the 3 Sigil Books but for a DM running Sigil this is the must have book. I really like the art work and the way the book is written. Gives the DM every thing you need to run a good Campain in the city of doors.

Its an excelent book for players and DMs, there are complete and interesant descriptions of every faction in sigil, and it makes every player to understand the ideology of his faction, i recomend to read the interviews with the factols they are excelent.

This is one of the golden books of Planescape. The descriptions of the factions, the factols and their activities are great. Much cheaper than the other Planescape books (being 160 pages). It's filled with full-color art by DiTerlizzi and has everything you need for the low-down on the Factions. I don't think I'll keep talking about this book, just get it. You won't be dissappointed.

This book expands upon the factions so much from the box set. Besides DM stuff like stats for the factols and other important factioneers, it gives tips for roleplaying and excellent detail on the philosphies. Because the factions are central to the entire Planescape feel, it is extremely important to know them well. Even if your campaign has already been through Faction War (as mine has) I would definitely suggest buying this. It is perfect for bringing up past events and seeing what the future holds for these philosophers with clubs.

I just started reading this book yesterday and it is the best planescape accessory out there. Ever wondered just who the Factols are and what they act like? Is one of your characters having trouble playing a dustman? Want to visit the shattered temple but don't know whats there? Ever wondered where the Sighners came from anyway? Just how should those bleaker NPCs act? How do I join the anarchists? Or maybe you just want expanded faction abilities or want to know the personal plans of one of the factions. All these things and more are included in the Factols Manifesto. Along with a huge collection of great art that you won't find anywhere else including maps of each faction headquarters and a portrait of each factol! Bottom line this is a must buy. If you're a DM and don't have this book yet shame on you!

This book had a lot of really wonderful ideas, however, most of the crafts are for older children and my party was for 6 year olds and younger. I made the fairy braclets for the girls myself as it was a little time consuming. For kids 8+ this is a wonderful book with some really cute ideas.

for all who love fairies or crafts, this is a perfect book. Great ideas, wonderful processes and beautiful products!

I bought two copies, one for my 9 yr old daughter and one for her friend. They love it and have had the most fun with these creations. I do recommend a little adult help and guidance with the different crafts.

I bought this book, along with Sweet Pea's Garden: Special Things to Make and Do ~ A Flower Fairies Friends Book & How to Host a Flower Fairy Tea Party, to help me with my daughter's fairy birthday party. The crafts are exquisite as well as resonably easy to do. Most items can be easily found around the house or your nearest craft store. I love the crafts in both this and Sweet Pea's Garden. Both books are easy to do although I think Sweet Pea works best for our smaller fairies while this book would be perfect for an upscale girls tea party. I loved the little stories and the illustrations that were woven through the book. The only thing that dissapointed me was that there weren't any recipes. If there had been three or four little recipes that would have rounded out the book perfectly. I fell in love with the little cake in the picture of the table setting at the beginning of chapter three. The crafts included invitations, bookmarks, wings, skirts, fairy dolls with a fairy land playground, jewelry, etc. My favorite crafts were the playground and the blooming tableware. Both were made to decorate my daughters table and they were absolutely beautiful. This made for a magical day. Oh, and there are instructions for a Violet Choker by Heidi Boyd at the DIY website.

We used this little book as the basis for a flower fairy birthday party for a six year old, and it was a huge success, and considerably less expensive than renting Little Gym or another insitutional party place.

We made several decorations and the gorgeous flower fairy wands.

All of the projects would probably require adult assistance for a child under 10, but they are really lovely and worth any effort.

Or about living in Africa, or living in the past, or some sort of troubles (modern or historical). It's so nice to just see a family doing what families *do*. (They even recycle!)

My nieces ask me to read this book to them often. It's a very fast book, suitable both for very young children and for slightly older ones. We love looking at various details - like the fact that "five kinds of beans" includes JELLY beans, or the fact that the baby sits on a lap at dinner. It's just a quick, sweet book.

A very sweet and very simple book. Nice to see a family of color in a book for a change.... so my daughter gets a nice variety. My daughter's teacher requested books for the classroom as her Christmas Gift this year... so that should be a selling point! So sweet that the teacher wanted it! :)

My son actually pick this book out by himself in a bookstore when he was 18 months old. He fell in LOVE with it. We had to read it every morning. We loss it transit and I finally remember to get it from Amazon this summer. At 2 1/2 it is still his favorite book. He loves the counting and the actvities reminds him of when "Granny-Gran" comes to visit. Thank you so much for this book.

A sweet 1-10 counting book that has a nice rhyme scheme and builds its story by counting to ten, not once, but twice. The art designs feature a black extended family, however, this is not central to the story. What is emphasized is the feeling of family warmth and cooperation throughout as everyone pitches in to create the feast for ten. Children can also count the items in each picture that correspond to the poem. Well done.

This book has been around for a long time, but it continues to be a favorite in my classroom. It's one of those simple books that sparks so many different curriculum paths! Counting, number groupings, nutrition, cooperation, family activities, word choices, story writing, and more. It has also initiated collage art projects, quilt making, and paper mache vegetables! FEAST FOR 10 is a goldmine. I see that it's coming out in a board book soon, too. We have both the hardcover and several paperbacks in my class.

This book is one of a kind. I've looked at various travel books through the years, and usually have to buy one if I'm going to a part of the country I haven't visited before. Susan Kraus' book is simply amazing, in that it provides information on all the top Big 12 towns that is not available in other guide books, Plus, it highlights locally owned businesses. This is important to me because I like to mingle with local folks when I travel. If you are a sports fan and go to games, or if you're like me and just like to travel to cities in TX and surrounding states, this book will provide you with anything you'll need to know.

Susan Kraus provides all you need to know to have a great time in the college towns of the Big 12: where to eat and where to stay, what to do and what to see. She ignores the over-publicized "chain bracelet" stops in favor of what is locally owned and grown. Kraus has written an energetic, fun, fact-filled travel guide well worth the sticker price. Read and travel!

I live in Topeka, and know many of the Big 12 towns. But I have consulted Kraus' book before trips and found that Susan Kraus has discovered more than I have about where to eat and what to do in these great college towns. Whether you're attending a sporting event, or just traveling through, Game Day Guide is a great resource. Really, the book is an "any day" guide to the best the Big 12 towns have to offer.

This book helps me and my husband make decisions on where we want to eat, drink, explore and budget for when we are at home in Lawrence, KS, or traveling. These are the places full of local flavor and local drinks. Susan Kraus gives some sound advice on shopping, lodging and recreation, and some of her comments are quite witty. Good read. Good practical guide for residents of towns of the Big 12 and athletic fans. Pick it up you'll find something in there for you, including chapters on each of the universities of the Big 12 Conference.

This book provided me with very useful and unique information about Norman that I could not find from any other sources. A Game Day Guide To Towns of the Big 12 is incredibly well thought out and provides you with exactly the information you would want to know when visiting a town in which you are not familiar. It caters to all ages and interests as I was looking for restaurants and nightlife and my mother was interested in the description and historical background of OU. I would recommend this book to friends and families and sports fans alike!

Those who want to learn about hockey - and not just what Alan Eagleson did to it - should run, not walk, to buy this book.
Conway's book is superb, and his work on Eagleson made him a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
It's a must-read for any sports writer, too. It's like having an "Investigative Journalism 101" class taught to you, and for a fraction of the money you'd pay at a university.

This is the most interesting book I have ever read. I studied it to do an oral presentation for Grade 9 English class a few years ago and was so intrigured by the Alan Eagleson story that, now in my first year of University, I am pursuing a career very similar to that of Alan Eagleson...one in which I would essentially deal with the business side of the NHL where I would love to make some sort of a positive influence, as Eagleson did. However, Alan Eagleson's corruption, which is described in this book, is an excellent example of how one person can cause a negative influence on many people's lives through illegitimacy and how public opinion of that person can change almost instantly as a result. Russ Conway did an excellent job of investigating Alan Eagleson, and his book is a wonderful summary of his work. I would recommend this book to anybody, whether they are a hockey fan or not.

Russ Conway has written a wonderful investigative piece about a man who is truly a disgraceful figure in the history of Canadian hockey. Russ brings forth, with his own agressive style, the wicked ways of a man who calling a crook is an understatement. First, he never backed down to get his answers and his writing is first-rate. Anyone who follows hockey should read about a man who almost destroyed it.

All hockey fans owe Russ Conway a debt of gratitude for helping rid hockey of the parasite Alan Eagleson. He documents Eagleson's criminal and disgusting behaviour in great detail, helping fans to better understand what hockey players faced in the past, the necessary background information for many of the issues facing pro hockey today. I haven't read such a gripping book since "Net Worth". Eagleson will be back in the courts again before long, no doubt willing to lie about the charges being brought forward by a number of retired hockey players. Read this book and you'll see that the players have justice on their team.

This is one of the most important sports books ever written. Through his exhaustive work, Russ Conway exposes the greed, corruption and financial swindling that plagued the NHL throughout Alan Eagelson's reign of terror and the financial and emotional price that so many players faced. Most importantly, Conway's work served as the catalyst for Mr. Eagleson's downfall and proving many player's assertions of corruption. Put simply, this is an important piece of journalism that every fan of sports should read, whether you are a hockey fan or not.

When is a tennis book not only about tennis? When it's this book! Ed teaches how to improve your game on the court and off. Attitude and beliefs create everything; you will achieve what you believe you will. A must read for everyone.

This book is fantastic and I highly recommend everyone who wants to better themselves to keep this book and read it regularly.

Great job Ed, and can't wait to see part 2 =).

~Alexa.

A thoughtful, compelling, inspirational book that will transform people's lives. I already passed it along and will buy more to share with my friends. Keep up the great work, Ed!

"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." Just read this book.

"Hi my name is Max Rubin, I am currently a 16 and under junior tennis player in New Jersey. I am ranked #6 in the USTA/Middle States section and #170 in the country. Throughout my life and tennis career I have never been able to beat someone ranked higher then me until today...last night Ed told me a quote-'It's better to go all out and lose, than to hold back and win." I played like that today and for the first time ever I beat two top 100 players in the country...THANK YOU, ED!"

This book "Game.Set.Life" is a great easy to read book that embraces true inspirational concepts. Its jam packet with personal stories, quotes, and great advice from the author. This is a book that I can throw into my backpack before school or in my gym bag to help lift me up when I'm down. If you want a little motivation to help boost your daily moral than I would highly suggest this book.