Board Games Books

The Usborne Internet-Linked Complete Book Of Chess is a straightforward introduction to the classic game of chess written by Elizabeth Dalby, and highly recommended for young players. From a fundamental tutorial about basic moves, to deadly and complex traps for enemy pieces, to solid attack and defense strategies, to 80 brain-twisting chess puzzles, and so much more, The Usborne Internet-Linked Complete Book Of Chess is a superbly organized and "kid friendly" guide featuring full color illustrations, diagrams, and offering a wealth of useful internet links.

Superbly illustrated including lots more chess board diagrams than other childrens guide. It has much more "beyond the basics" content than any of the other usually classic illustrated children's guides from Dorling Kindersley, Kingfisher, and even the others from Usborne itself.

Most of the other childrens guides merely show what the pieces look like (a pawn is a pawn is a pawn)and how they move with a teensy bit of strategy very reluctantly put in so as not to frighten the horses. This seems to be the one illustrated childrens book which not only simply explains but also graphically SHOWS the strategy in much much much more detail with copious illustrations. If a picure is worth a thousand words then this book is worth millions and is a quantum leap above the others. If you want science fantasy 3D abstract illustrations which are beautiful for adults to look at (but either confusing as hell or simply irrelevant in learning chess) then the Kingfisher guide is superb. But if you want your kid ( and maybe yourself) to really understand what the pieces are actually doing and the finer points of strategy involved, then the many many more colour (usually) 2D pictures in this book can't be beat.

It packs more content which is easy to understand in a 108 page beginners guide than some of the 3oo plus pages pot boilers written for adults by some grandmaster players who can't teach for nuts. This Usborne guide has quite comprehensive sections on the opening, middle game and end game with lots of examples and board shots. It also has quick internet chess links on the Usborne site which are aimed at helping kids and beginners understand. I must admit I have learnt quite a bit from the book myself and it is a very suitable guide also for adults from beginner to imtermediate and perhaps even to the threshold of advanced.

In case you were wondering I like this book. Much more importantly my kids ( 5 years) love it too and beg me to get the set out and try the early things in this book. If you can only buy one book to help your kids ( or even yourself) with chess you won't be disappointed with this. My only caveat is that if your kids are really young then the amount of illustrated info on each page may be a bit daunting and for pre- readers one of the more basic guides from Usborne, DK or kingfisher may be an easier (but more limited) starting point.

"Cosmic Go" is a great blend of theory and practice as applied to the four-stone handicap game. All the analysis assumes White starts with a one-space low approach move against one of the Black handicap stones, which Black pincers at a side star point -- a very clean and easy to understand approach. The book then goes into detail on all the major White double approach moves against the Black handicap stone. "Cosmic Go" is easy to read, has a great sense of humor, and shows a good understanding of the mentality of the weaker player who will be taking four stones. One hopes Dr. Chatterjee will soon follow up with additional books bringing his keen insight and teaching ability to other handicap levels.

This is a joint review by Daphne and Michael Ryan.

This book provides something usually missing from Go books providing information on josekis and lines of play: follow through into the fighting that results from choosing the line. Not only are good lines followed up, but the consequences of slightly off the mark play is shown as well.

The sections are just the right length for study in the harried lives most of us live.

Even though the book is devoted to handling the four stone handicap, the ideas are based on good Go, and they are applicable to san-ren-sei even games. Examples of the ideas as used in even games (between professionals) are given, so their use in handicap games is amplified by these contrasts.

Proof that the ideas are well developed comes from a game that one of us played with the Mr. Chatterjee. Four stones had never been enough for us against Sangit. After reading the book, one of us played Mr. Chatterjee on four stones. Early in the game he played a variation not in his book, but which he had discussed at the San Francisco Go Congress with professionals and other strong players. Because of the clarity of the ideas in this book, the person playing Mr. Chatterjee was able to come up with the right move and won the game quite handily.

We bought this for our niece and nephew (ages 7 and 5) for Christmas, and they really liked it. They had always wanted to play the adult version of Cranium at our house, but they needed lots of help (of course) and didn't understand 90% of the questions and activities. With this version, they could start playing right away. They needed a little help from mom and dad, but otherwise, it seemed like the activities and questions were age appropriate and fun.

Reviewed by Eric Zeda (age 9) for Reader Views (12/07)

This book is all about having fun with your family and friends. It has games and activities. It includes all the things you need to play the games- a spinner, game cards, marker, two frogs, and a sand timer. The book has five sections. The five sections are Play the Game, Connect, Perform, Discover, and Create. Besides playing the board game, kids can do different activities from drawing to sculpting. This is a great game to play as a family. I recommend you buy one and start having fun with your family and friends.

My brothers and I loved this book because of its cool activities. My favorite game is wacky weather. After we started playing the games we didn't want to stop. I like beating my brothers. I also enjoyed performing and being creative. My brothers liked playing the games and drawing. They thought it was super cool.

Parent's Note: What a wonderful book! If you are trying to figure out how to get your kids away from the video games and television here is your answer. The kids enjoyed playing the games and doing the activities. I loved hearing them laugh, and watching them acting out the parts they were asked to perform. This book should be in every household with kids. "The Ultimate Book of Fantastic Fun & Games: Share the Fun with Family and Friends" also makes a great gift. It's fun, creative, and easy to carry around. Congratulations to the publisher for publishing a unique product.

This book allowed me to master many new tricks, I thoroughly enjoyed the entire thing. If you want to increase your hand eye coordination, I suggest a diabolo. It lowered my golf handicap by 5 strokes.

If you are new to the diabolo and are looking for some help on what to do, then Todd's book is an excellent choice. This book has very clear explanations of the basics, yet still includes enough advanced ideas to keep you busy for quite some time. It also is the only instructional book I have found with a fairly comprehensive history of the art, including pictures ranging from the Diabolo Craze of the early 1900s to shots of modern performers. If you're interested in learning more about the diabolo than just tricks, this book is definitely worth picking up.

If you're looking for more advanced diabolo tricks than Todd's book has, then you should check out Donald Grant's series of books (published by Circustuff, and unfortunately not available on amazon.com -- check any juggling prop vendor, they carry them.)

My son is 3 and he has loved this book more than any other. We have to read the book and complete the puzzles numerous times each day. I would reccommed the book to anyone!!!

This book is wonderful for little ones that are just being introduced to puzzles. The pieces are sturdy, and the jigs aren't so complicated that they are difficult to put together (it is really just wavy). My son is three, and absolutely LOVES looking at the book and doing the puzzles.

There are 32 pages of great photos of everything from ducks to sheep to farming machines in this very nice book for young children. The font on every page is large and the text will keep young readers interested. There are two to four sentences for each animal and once in a while a question is thrown in for fun, e.g., "How many eggs can you see?" The photos are very detailed and kids should have a good time with the pictures whether they can read themselves or are being read to.

My one year old daughter has loved this book since she was a young baby. She loves looking at the realistic pictures of animals while I make the appropriate animal noises. It's durable, bright colored, and still a favorite.

I'm sure many of you will have noticed that board games are becoming popular again, and also collectable! It is invariably in times of good economy when people seem to enjoy playing and collecting games. The times in history that the best games were invented were the Victorian era, the Roaring 20s, pre-war economic recovery (late 30s), post-war (50s), and off and on until the late 90s current recovery. Because of this, finding game collector's resources such as this one is very useful.

I have several of the board game books which refer to the history, have images of, and list the values of collectable board games throughout their history. "Games: American Boxed Games and Their Makers, 1822-1992: With Values" is, by far, the best written and most useful in starting a collection. I feel that Bruce Whitehill's pricing is very accurate and that the exhaustively researched history of each game and every game company has lead to some important insights about my collecting.

I have found that I use this book most often in conjunction with another good book, "Board Games with Price Guide," by Desi Scarpone (also available on Amazon). The main benefit of the Scarpone book is that there are full-color photographs of every game he lists. He tends to list more pop-culture games, while Whitehill highlights nearly all of the Victorian and traditional games like the Parker Brothers classics, etc. The Scarpone book also doesn't price as accurately; with prices generally being stated as a range, and being more wholesale oriented (half retail).

This book has only eight pages of color plates and only 1/3 or fewer of the games listed has a black & white picture, but there are far more games listed, priced, and described (with contents and histories) than any other book. I refer to it three times as often as the others. It also has great, detailed sections on game history, collecting games, and how to price them, and a GREAT games resources section!

Above all, I think this the best single ! book about board games that I have discovered. I would like to see the publisher/author do a version that has color images throughout, but I love the book for what it is even without the color.

If anyone reading this review would like to contact me with questions or comments, I welcome them.

Bruce Whitehill has written a terrific reference work that belongs in the library of any serious game collector.

Although written primarily for children, this is the ideal book for anyone who wants the basics of common card and board games: simple directions, clear illustrations, and just enough historical information. For non-kids: great for brushing up and getting some good tips. Highlyrecommended.

Don't be fooled by the slim nature of this book! It actually provides marvelously clear and simple instructions and strategies for a number of basic board and card games. It is a wonderful introduction for children and a quick, concise refresher for adults.

The new Yutopian "Go For Kids" book has just arrived here.

I was surprised to see that it is a general purpose introduction book,that has a broad and complete scope. It is no mere "comic book" short introduction at all.

The book contains comic strips with explanations of ideas, and features conversations between young students and the sensei. While the text covers the basics that all Go players need to get started in a clear and well written way - lots of diagrams, many examples.

In fact, it looks like a no nonsense primer for the beginning or want to

become Go player. It's just about what I'd give as a gift to someone that
expressed interest in learning how to play the game, since it is a good reference book for a new player. In many ways it is simpler than the "In The Beginning" book, since that starts with the idea that you already know how to make life, and all of the various basic concepts - so it is a perfect lead in to it.

As far as being for "kids", I'd say that this book will be suitable for"kids" that already have pretty decent reading, writing and thinking skills -
but that's probably true for the game itself. If you have young children, this book could serve as a teaching guide, so that you don't miss anything.But the thing that is best, is that it is perfect for showing off thegame to teens and adults alike.

To a great extent, all books on Go tend to read the same, ie. "D5 is better here because of black's H4..." but the book goes into some detail on how and why things work a certain way, and goes into good explanations of the mechanisms and sequences of standard plays and situations (ko,seki, eyes, etc.).

I'll be keeping one in my Go bag to bring to club meetings.

So, two thumbs up from this reviewer! :- )

_-_-bear...

I am an amatuer go player (maybe 10K in strength) and am raising a young family. Of course, when the time is right, I would love to be able to sit across a go board from my little daughter (and the little someone due in December) and enjoy a game. However, there aren't that many resources out there besides my own enthusiasm to help my children not only learn about it but also want to read about it and get excited thinking about it. This book helps facilitate all of these things.

The book's format is great and one of a kind. It is an even amount of written instruction (written in a fun but easy to understand tone) in normal book text but also contains many, many wonderful, playful "comic strips" or panels showing a teacher and his students and they all learn together about go. I think this could really help a kid get excited about go, reading, spending time with a parent...the list goes on.

This book is highly recommended to any parent hoping to share their enthusiasm for go with a child.

As the environment for corproate governance continues to evolve, this book offers a quick, insightful read for what is expected in today's climate.

The author makes bold, logical and necessary recommendations for the enhancement of corporate governance in a reader friendly format. This is a valuable contribution to the subject and should be carefully considered by all boardroom constituencies - directors, emloyees, investors and other key stakeholders.

by Susan Shultz, author, The Board Book(AMACOM)