Games Books

I've played pool for more than forty years and was born in bank pool territory--Cincinnati, Ohio. As a former Cincinnati Amateur Champ, I thought my knowledge of bank pool ran deep. Not so. Freddy Bentivegna's book taught me lots of things I didn't know, especially since I stopped playing pool for 26 years during my Air Force career. Freddy's tips brought me back up to speed in bank pool play. He's also a terrific commentator on Accu-Stat tapes and DVD, supplying background information that's interesting and informative. I hope one day to get to Chicago and play him a few games. I'll need a spot, of course.

An excellent tool box of well-kept tricks and practical secrets for a more-than-average player who wants to get to the next level. No waste, easy to read and understand and worth every penny.

A great read for any level of pool player. By far one of the best books on pool i have ever read. The book will pay for itself in no time.

This book doesn't go over the many techniques used in banking systems, rather it takes that you know this and then tells you how you can more accurately antipate 'collision-induced-throw' and manipulate banks that wouldn't otherwise work (by using different cuts and english).

The books take on an aiming system is well thought out, it takes some getting used to though, and requires an aiming system as a guide. I've used the aiming system, on canned shots, and can see the techniques and it works for me. I will still require many hours to master this book though.

How many times have you read in some book, some method or another that claims to improve your banking? Then you get to the table and it doesnt work reliably enough that you use the method long term? The "mirror" system is a classic example of useless banking info imo.

I am happy to report that Banking with the Beard actually has info that will improve your banking. You will learn how to gauge english when it transfers to the object ball, you will learn how cutting across the face of the ball on a bank imparts english and how to compensate. You will learn what Freddie calls "Automatics", banks that are dead from certain positions.

One shot that I will in particular bring up is Freddie's "Side Step Bank", a bank shot where you hit the ball with inside english and it shortens up the angle of the bank. The beauty of this shot is that you hit the shot with some firm speed and as such its alot easier to make under pressure. Once you practice this shot, the make percentage goes up towards 7-8/10 or higher :-) I can tell you personally that this shot has saved me the cheese on more than one occasion and easily paid for the book many times over.

Banking with the Beard also has alot of great gambling stories from the legendary pool room Bensingers in Chicago, Illinois. If you enjoy reading about big dollar action and the interesting shots that came out of those matchups, then this book is also for you.

The book was sent in a very timely fashion and was in very good condition. I am sure my husband will love it as it also has a cd tucked inside

This one is hit right out of the ballpark.
Take a simple song, and dissect it fully and with love!
Not only is this a great and complete book, but the quality of the publication is so nice you can smell the Cracker Jack!
Great unseen photos and memorabilia that will astound any baseball fan.
The CD is cool, too!

Is this the nation's number one song behind Happy Birthday?

and a great deal about baseball as well.

In 1908 Jack Norworth wrote "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on some scrap paper on a train ride into Manhattan, New York. He gave the lyrics to Albert Von Tilzer who composed the music. The York Music Company published the song later that year and a baseball classic was born.

(Incidentally, some of the other wonders of 1908 are brilliantly described in Crazy '08: How a Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created the Greatest Year in Baseball History by Cait N. Murphy.)

This book is the story of the song, which is sung during the seventh inning stretch at nearly every ball park in the country. Norworth actually wrote two versions of the lyrics -- the major difference is that Katie Casey becomes Nelly Kelly in the 1927 version. Norworth wrote over 2,500 songs, including "Shine On, Harvest Moon", and several other baseball songs, but didn't attend a major league game until 1940.

Harry Caray gets credit for singing it first at a ball game in 1971, "because I think it's the only song I knew the words to!" In 1976 Bill Veeck installed a secret microphone in the broadcast booth so everyone could hear him and sing along. Veeck explained: "Harry, anybody in the ballpark hearing you sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' knows that he can sing as well as you can. Probably better than you can. So he or she sings along. Heck, if you had a good singing voice you'd intimidate them, and nobody would join in!"

This book is a wonderful history of the song and many of the ballparks where it has become an institution. Despite critics one might add; Pitcher Larry Anderson: "In the seventh inning fans all get up and sing 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game,' and they're already there. It's really a stupid thing to say and I don't know who made 'em sing it. Why would somebody that's there get up and sing take me out to the ball game? The first person to do it must have been a moron." [Anderson was a journeyman pitcher and part of one of the worst baseball trades ever -- Anderson for Jeff Bagwell -- but witty -- "Why do you drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?", for example.] [Win-Loss 2-3, 23 Strikeouts, ERA 5.66, 3 seasons.]

If you love baseball, you'll certainly enjoy this well written history. I learned a great deal and will sing the song with increased gusto Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. The excellent CD included with the book may even help me stay in tune!

Robert C. Ross 2008

If you are a baseball fan, this book is a must read! It is very easy to read and has a lot of great info. I especially enjoyed learning the traditons at each of the MLB ballparks!

This book includes just about everything you would want to know about baseball's anthem. Backgrounds on the song's authors Jack Norworth (lyrics) and Albert Von Tilzer (melody) are included, along with numerous historical photos, and what baseball was like in 1908. Take Me Out to the Ball Game is the third most listened to song after Happy Birthday and The Star Spangled Banner. Songs about baseball rank only below songs about love in our nation's history. A listing of all commercially printed music about baseball in the Library of Congress' collection is also provided. I didn't see the song entitled The Umpire recorded in 1950 on the flip side of Take Me Out to the Ball Game sung by Tommy Henrich, Ralph Branca, Phil Rizzuto, and Roy Campanella along with the Carl Yastrzemski song listed. The rendition by Henrich, Branca, Rizzuto, and Campanella is in my collection from my childhood and is an excellent version. My favorite rendition of the song, however, is the version by Carly Simon from Ken Burns' Baseball special included on Ken Burns' CD. It includes the entire song and is first rate. The three authors list their top ten baseball songs. In addition to the game's anthem by Carly Simon I like It's A Beautiful Day For A Ball Game, Gee, It's A Wonderful Game, The First Baseball Game, Van Lingle Mungo, There Used To Be A Ball Park by Frank Sinatra, and Talkin' Baseball by Terry Cashman. The CD that accompanies this book has sixteen tracks, but none of them add anything of significance to the book. However, if you are a baseball fan I would strongly suggest you add this book to your collection.

I have several chip carving books; however, this one is my favorite, because it tells me everything I need to know as a beginner. She could improve the accuracy on her illustrations; however, I still like the book and recommend it to all beginning chip carvers.

I am a newbie to chip carving - and have purchased 2 Wayne Barton books to get started. They had great pictures as inspiration - but do nothing for the beginner who has no technique to make these sophisticated cuts.

This book reminds me of learning to play the piano. You start with basics like chop sticks and gradually learn to add parts til you're playing beautiful music. It starts with basic exercises and real projects with basics and expands gradually with each chapter - expanding on the basic cut toward more difficult cuts. i.e. cutting simple triangle - to more complex straight patterns / to curves - and projects to tie them all together. It also covers basics like creating and laying out a pattern onto a piece of wood - which isn't mentioned in my Barton books.

I'd highly recommend this for the beginner or anyone who finds themselves questioning basics of technique for various cuts.

Jake

I cannot give this book enough stars, and it is worth 5 times the price they are asking for.

This is a large book, A4 sized, it is packed with useful photos and diagrams, approx. half the photos are glorious colour, essential for carving (to get a good idea of the depth and form).

Chip carving has always been a bit of a mystery to me, within 2 minutes of opening this book it was completely clear what the diagrams meant (I did not realise they were indicating depth of cut) ... the book is a series of projects, each of which builds upon your skill and grows more complex, covering all aspects of chip carving.

I cannot imagine a book on chip carving being better than this. If you are looking for one, get this one, and good luck.

I have several of Wayne Barton's books on chip carving. Although nicely done they pale in comparison to Pam Greshams works. Although she does not claim to be a trained teacher this lady does it better than anyone else out there. She will have you carving the basic chip in about 30 minutes. And best yet, she explains each movement and how to do it clearly and with great aids.
I can't say enough good things about this book. I only wish there was a companion video to go with it. If you are interested in chip carving don't be afraid to buy this book. It's worth every penny.

I'd give Pams book 6 stars but the selection box wouldn't let me. Pam's book is an excellent step by step, add on, and expand upon set of exercises. She goes into detail on explaining how to with everything, from layout, how to draw all of the designs in her book; how to hold your knife in the basic positions and each lesson builds upon the last. Every progression is done step by step. She is outstanding in holding your hand and guiding you through all of the steps of the exercises. Wayne Barton's books are excellent. Unfortunately, you have to have some basic knowledge on design and technique and carving expertise. For experienced chip carvers his books are really great source books. His video is excellent for seeing chip carving technique at it's very best. Worth the purchase. Most important of all is using razor sharp knives else you'll be very frustrated and disappointed in the results. Get Wayne Barton's ceramic stones and a good leather strop with some rouge to rub on. Your blade will have a mirror finish.I glued some old pieces of leather to both sides of a 10 inch by 2 inch wide by 1/4 inch thick piece of wood. One side for rouging, the other to polish. When I've layed off for quite a while, I always pick up Pam's book to get my hands and fingers in shape and go through the basics. At 75, my fingers tend to stiffen up a bit. She got me my first blue ribbon at a craft show for my chip carving designed tool box back in 1993. Pam is not very good with computers but she is in a class by herself when she designed this truly outstanding do it yourself chip carving text.
Grampa Joe

We love this book! It is great for an older sibling to read aloud and not feel guilty about laughing along! Don't limit yourself by age! This is too fun to miss! For all ages!

My daughter is 2 years old and we've had this book two days. She listens very intently as I read it. The story has just the right amount of repetition to reel her in and allow her to "catch on". I'm sure this will be a book which she requests often.
So, why only four stars? It really is monotonous for a parent who reads books to their children often. Parents who find themselves drained by the end of repetitive books should simply not introduce this one until the child can read on his/her own.
To sum it up...this book is captivating, humorous, and easy to read if you are 2 - 5 years old. Above that, you may find yourself feeling guilty about hiding it.

This is a wonderful book! Children and adults alike enjoy the silliness and the repetition. Similar to The Mitten, but lots more fun!

We borrowed this book from the library for my 3 1/2 year old daughter. My daughter has now memorized most of the book, and she loves to "read" it to the rest of the family. She laughes the whole way through it, and she actually looks forward to bedtime when the whole family sits down and reads it together. We will definately be adding it to our home library.

WE BORROWED THIS BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY. THE FIRST OF WABERS BOOKS. I READ IT TO MY 8, 5, AND 4 YEAR OLD. WE ALL LAUGHED AND LAUGHED. FUN TO READ!! I IMMEDIATLY ORDERED TWO, ONE FOR US AND ONE FOR MY NEICES! IT WAS REFRESHING TO READ A CHILDS BOOK THAT EVERYONE ENJOYS. SO MANY BOOKS AND SO FEW GREAT ONES. IT WILL BECOME A FAVORITE IN OUR PERSONAL LIBRARY.

I have not had so much fun in my life since the Kennedy-Nixon debates. Rock on, J. Baxter!

Did I remeber to say that J. Baxter Newgate is very clever?

I solved most of these puzzles, but some were so clever I had to cheat. Great stuff, very clever. I loved the book.

J. Baxter Newgate's Puzzles are some of the most creative and challenging puzzles I have ever seen. Keep them coming!

J. Baxter Newgate is right up there with Merl Reagle, Will Shortz, and the late Eugene Maleska for creative and funny puzzles. When is his next book coming out?

Patrick Leigh Fermor not only fills the 'unforgiving minute' but describes that experience in a way that transports us to that minute. One line from "Between the Woods and the Water" stays in my mind. "The heat and weight of the summer bore down and not a leaf stirred". Or, how about, "the newly distilled spirit had taken out the peasants like sniper". For a feeling of 'being there' he can't be beaten, certainly not by Ernest Hemingway who tried and failed by appearing too contrived. The writers who achieve this power to transport, as musicians or painters do can let us ignore their presence and I think that is their artistic intention, to merely present (with all their craftsmanship but so it doesn't show). Paul Bowles is such a writer as is Elmore Leonard. But that's another story.

The author, a rebellious teen in England, undertakes to walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople -- in 1937. This is the second half of his journey, through the Balkans and Danube lands. He has an ear for peoples' opinions, the oddities of Hapsburg imperial goulashes of different ethnicities & religions--most of which would be erased by the coming war. One has the sense of a "last glimpse" of the highly cultivated, varied human landscape of Europe before the war and Cold War divided its peoples.

I loved this book and other writing by the Author. Reading this book is like travelling with a friend. The author tells a beautiful tale of Europe just before the war. His style and tempo are close and personal, and when you reach the end of the trip, you know that you have encountered the Europe of a bygone era. Here in Canada many of my friends parents' were born in Germany, Hungary, and Romania. I tell them that this book is required reading.

Like most literary masterpieces this marvelous book has a outer vehicle that develops an inner theme. The vehicle is a journey on foot, horseback and barge across Europe in the 1930's when the author was 19. The inner theme is a resolution of polarities and opposites of all kinds. First there is the overriding polarity of solitude and company. He enjoys spending time with friends and friends of friends at their country homes in Hungary and Roumania and passing hours in their sometimes fabulous libraries but he finds refreshment and spiritual renewal in long solitary walks in wooded mountains and along the banks of the Danube where he meets an occasional deer or golden eagle. He relishes staying with his wealthy, worldly and sophisticated hosts but also enjoys the company of peasants, gypsies and lumberjacks. He likes passing comfortable nights in reasonably soft beds with clean linens but doesn't shrink from sleeping in hayricks or under sheltering oaks. The interplay of past and present are another polarity he weaves into the narrative. His knowledge of history and use of it in this work is both magnificent and enviable. Leigh Fermor is in fact one of the most cultured contemporary writers I have had the good fortune to read. He is a good linguist, a masterful historian and , surprisingly, a knowledgeable theologian. But that is only half the story. He is also a super-macho man of action completely aware of his body and its interaction with the environment. This we know from his activities, almost heroic feats, during WWII, especially in Crete. In the present book he coordinates his mental and physical endowments to produce a gorgeously textured masterpiece of English prose. Sex is not absent from the narrative but it is never described in terms that could be considered even remotely graphic. Acts are kept in the wings while he concentrates on the social, intellectual, and aesthetic dimensions of his relations with women. Unfortunately Amazon.com does not keep an ample stock of Leigh Fermor's works, so I had to purchase my copy from Amazon.co.uk. I may be impatient but my sense of company loyalty is unimpeachable. No?

I am not aware of any other account of Ada Kaleh, the island in the Danube populated by a Turkish enclave that was lost when the river was dammed in the '40s. I found an old postcard of the island in Hungary, and it's one of my favorite possesions.

This is a new, updated edition of one of the greatest bridge books of all time. Teaches you how to think like a bridge player. Much of the material is aimed toward advanced beginners and intermediates, but even new players will benefit from her clear approach and practical advice.

Dorothy Hayden Truscott's BID BETTER, PLAY BETTER has been in print for over twenty years, and no surprise. This is a generous and well-explained guide to correct evaluation of the hand, with an emphasis on "reading" what your partner and opponents are holding; Ms. Truscott excels in making us read the context of the bidding process. And this book offers sound strategies for the playing of the hand as well.

This is not my very favorite book for rank beginners (in my opinion BRIDGE FOR DUMMIES by Eddie Kantar is actually quite good and more comprehensive), but it is really meant for developing players -- advanced beginners and intermediates. Those who would forego Ms. Truscott's no-nonsense prose style might instead consider S.J. Simon's WHY YOU LOSE AT BRIDGE. Like BID BETTER, PLAY BETTER, it deals with how not to form bad bridge habits or how to chuck them a-borning, but its take on bridge-playing is more social and Simon's prose style is appropriately quite droll.

I was looking for a book without a lot of blather. This is it. It's straight forward and simple. I can sit down and read a particular section and get the idea quickly. No cute stories or long-range examples covering 50 years. I'm happy.

This book explains bridge in a simple manner and the information that my partner and I (she lives in Dallas and we play on Bridge Base Online) have utilized from this book has improved our game, and our understanding of it. It is in sync with the bridge lessons I have taken from my genious and excellent educator bridge teacher Bob Hinkle in Tucson Arizona.

Thank goodness Dorothy Hayden wrote this classic BEFORE " for Dummies" became the obvious title for any non-text book one might read to learn ANYTHING. Yet, that is really what this book is about. Reading (and practicing what you learn by reading) will indeed develop "card sense" where once there was very little (or none). After you have the basics of our amazing game in hand, this book can help you take another step toward mastery.

If you're up on modern bidding methods, you'll feel a temptation to skip the "old" material on bidding. Don't do it. Unless you're expert enough to design a complete bidding system from earth, air, fire, and water; the presentation of the fundamentals herein will help you improve both your understanding of Standard American (or 2/1) biddng methods AND your grasp of the foundation of your own bidding methods (even if you bid differently). That foundation will help you intelligently incorporate (or reject) new methods as your personal biddng methods and style mature.

This book is SO much fun, and there are many challenging puzzles to figure out. It's addictive!

I bought this as a Christmas present for my 3 kids, who I homeschool. They have all been enjoying the puzzles, which are very challenging for both kids and adults! The graphics are very colorful and appealing to kids. This is a great book to leave out on the coffee table - I highly recommend it!

This book is great! Very fun...the only parts we don't enjoy are the parts you are supposed to cut. We don't want to cut up our book so we most likely won't do those activities. Our favorites are the activities that don't require anything but our mind or that we can read to each other. Very fun to do with another person to pass the time.

A superbly designed book of puzzles. You will find all types of "brain games" with different degrees of difficulty clearly marked. An index at the end of the book allows you to choose a "brain game" according to its type and degree of difficulty. Solutions to all brain games are at the end of the book.
Very colourful and inviting for all ages. Just leave it on your coffee table and all the family will stop to browse it and try their hands (or brains rather) at any of these attractively presented puzzles.

This was purchased for two kids, 9 and 13, to take on a trip for use in the car or the expected rainy afternoons. Fun to do and a challenge for their grandparents, too.

I have gotten other so called hard Sudoku books and found them too easy. This one will keep you going for a long time. It has lots of different types of puzzles with the ultimate being the 16x16 grid. I would give 4 1/2 stars because I wish it were on better paper. I make copies of the hardest puzzles on better paper that can take LOTS of erasing!

Wonderful. No fluff in this book. It begins with some tricky ones that actually require several minutes to finish and gets downright hard after that. Some take hours, and often I just quit one puzzle and come back to it another day.

The various shapes/styles are a great break from the 9x9 norm. The 6x6 puzzles are absolutely vicious. Nothing like kids 6x6 sudokus that take an advanced puzzler seconds to complete. And I love the jigsaw shapes. Watch out for the 9x9 jigsaws!

There should be more advanced sudoku books like this. As recommended by others, this should not be your first foray into sudoku. But once you are hooked on the light stuff, this is a nice challenge.

If you like Sudoku but the puzzles seem to be getting dull, try the variants in this book. Different sizes and arrangements make new puzzles out of an old game.

First of all, I would definitely say that if you are just beginning to learn how to solve Sudoku puzzles, I strongly suggest that you do not buy this book. Instead, I would suggest a book which focuses almost entirely on the standard 9x9 Sudoku puzzles, and which starts with easy puzzles before progressing to more difficult ones. The Big Book of SuDoku 3 starts right out with difficult puzzles, and the puzzles only continue to get harder and harder as you continue.

If you are an experienced SuDoku solver who is able to solve all but the hardest 9x9 SuDoku puzzles without too much difficulty, or if you have grown a bit tired with the standard 9x9 SuDoku puzzle, this is a great book. For me, the most appealing feature of this book is that half of the 200 puzzles in this book are different from the familiar 9x9 Sudoku. While the Maxi (12x12) and Super (16x16) puzzles are just larger versions of the 9x9 puzzles, the Jigsaw, Duplex, and Triplex puzzles actually require the solver to use different solving techniques than are used for the regular puzzles.

Overall, I give this book 5 stars as long as you're up for the challenge. While this book may not contain quite the volume of puzzles as some others, the harder puzzles can take well upwards of an hour to complete, so this book will keep you occupied for a long time.

I started doing these puzzles over a year ago and I became hooked. This book is for people who have been doing them a long time, or who know they will become addicted. If you are a true beginner I would suggest the second book in this series (has a bit easier puzzles to start with up to the mega challenging. You can spend hours on some of the hardest ones, but if you are a true puzzler, that is what you want.

This is an ultimate and indispensable guide to 3-cushion players. All four books of this series are full of precious formulas and tips many of which were secret to amateurs. Systematic and pin-pointed explanations and diagrams are incredible. This series should go on.

I bought because of one-pocket interest and find many useful ideas

I have witnessed over 2000 pool and billiard tournaments and it is obvious that many VERY GOOD players cannot control the cue ball, or solve simple carom problems. There has never been anything written like these Billiard Atlas books...these systems and techniques open the door of possibilities for pool, or 3-cushion players, like never before.

As a tournament director, I have witnessed over 2000 pool and billiard tournaments and it is obvious that many VERY GOOD players cannot control the cue ball, or solve simple carom problems. There has never been anything written like these Billiard Atlas books...these systems and techniques open the door of possibilities for pool, or 3-cushion players, like never before.

Words fail me to congratulate Harris for the splendid work he has done. The four books offer a large selection of secrets and techniques for studious billards players to explore. Putting all those systems and techniques into words, must have been pioneering !!! The greatest billiards players will nearly never reveal their secrets, unless one's willing to pay for expensive private lessons. People like Harris are very rare in the world of billiards