Games Books

This book blew me away! I've been collecting dolls all my life practically and I knew of several clone style outfits but this book has so many items that I hadn't seen before. And it gave me so much needed information on Tuesday Taylor, Tiffany Taylor, Dawn Doll Clone Outfits and a ton more. I love a book that covers the obscure and this books does a great job with a wealth of information. It shows doll lines that no one else has covered at all! I refer to this book all the time because of my line of work. So it's a definate keeper in my collection! And the one thing that really stands out in my opinion, is the quality of the pictures. They are bright and clear. You're not left guessing what the colors or hues are really like in person. So I'm very impressed! (And I'm a picky person) And it's a fun read too! I would really love to see a volume 2 on this book!! I'd be the first in line to buy it! THIS IS A MUST HAVE!!

I just love this book! The pictures are wonderful, clear and colorful, but it's the descriptions that make it oh so fun. The descriptions are very straightforward and concise, and many are funny enough to make me chuckle to myself. You just know exactly what Carmen means. I remember the 70's.

This book is a great addition to any fashion doll collectors reference as it covers many of the other dolls that were around during the Mod/Best Buy era of Barbie. Lot's of new and interesting information.

I have enjoyed this book over and over again. It is an excellent resource, clear pictures and a wide range of information on Doll Fashions. Well worth purchsaing. The author is knowledgeable and goes beyond the typical barbie fashions to sharing about a wide range of doll fashions from the 1970's. Can't wait for Volume 2!

I just purchased this wonderful book. I really cannot put it down. The pictures are crisp and clear. The descriptions are perfect and the commentary is priceless. This is one book every doll collector needs to own. This took a lot of work to do, and it is well worth the money. Great job Carmen Varricchio!!

Being a rabid collector of vintage 1960's Barbie & friends dolls & clothing, I have a pretty good reference library on vintage fashion doll clothing. When I saw this book, I dared venture out of my favorite era, the 1960's, which saw Mattel produce fashion ensembles of uncontested superior quality, to check out what was going on in Dolly Fashion Land in the 1970's. The author has a vast collection of mint in package fashion doll clothing at his disposal, a wry sense of humor and a wonderful photographer. I am really enjoying paging through this book and checking out the photos of these fashions in full color. The authors' text is refreshing in his brutally honest, yet at the same time, loving, assessment of the el cheapo fashion doll clothing produced by the minor and/or forgettable fashion doll clothing manufacturers of this period. He is truly the Mr. Blackwell of the 1970's Fashion Doll Clothing World. I laughed myself silly and had to agree with his assessment on page 6, for example, of some Dawn doll-size clothing ensembles as "wonderfully inferior and even a little distasteful". Dont get me wrong, it's not all crooked hems, outsized ponchos and polyester pants that are being featured here: Mr. Varricchio also includes an extensive chapter (about half the book) on Mattel made fashions for Barbie, Ken and Skipper. These close up photos are refreshing in the details that I find are sometimes missing in doll reference books of this type. I am anxiously waiting for the author to produce a follow-up book. Where does he find this great vintage stuff? I want to see more!

I'm a big fan of the movie, particularly the first restaurant scene with it's triangle of small timer, scheming girlfriend, and semi-retired hustler. But, thought the book was MUCH better. I enjoy his writing style, and although the ones I've read were on short side (Hustler, Queens Gambit, and COM), he always seems to draw me into the story. His writing is always anchored in the drama of recognizing/overcoming the psychology of self doubt and making ones way to redemption and/or self improvement. Highly recommend the book.

If you enjoyed the movie "The Color of Money" try the book from which it is loosely based. Not giving anything away, there is no Tom Cruise character, nor his movie girlfriend. If you are an "early to mid-boomer" you may especially relate to this work even if your eyes glaze over at the mention of "pool". If you read/saw "The Hustler", even better.

Great book -- maybe better than the Hustler. Ignore the movie. This is a handbook for living. It didn't change my life but it would have if i read it when i was 15. Will make an excellent bar mitzvah gift.

I have to admit I'm a fan of Scorcese's film sharing the same title, but these are two completely different stories. I was shocked at how little the two have in common, which is almost nothing.

Tevis's book paints a very different picture of Fast Eddie in the 80's. Tevis shows us a dejected man who let years of his life just pass by idly while he ran a small pool hall, as opposed to Scorcese's Fast Eddie who had become a successful liquor salesman (ironically, Tevis's Felson failed as a salesman). Not only that, the Vince character (and his t-shirt) does not really exist in Tevis's book - Felson does not take on a prodigy at all. Even Fats is back in the book.

All this drivel I've written here is to encourage you to read the book. A completely different story than what the movie offers, but one more plausibly in line with The Hustler (the book). As usual, Tevis is deft at writing the intricacies of pool and the psyche that surrounds it.

The color of money is, as a novel, far superior to the filmed version starring Cruise and Newman. The film is underrated, and has many fine points but when compared to the book it is very, very disappointing. The novel starts slowly, retracing the last 25 years of hustler Eddie Felson and him building a new future for himself. By the last chapter the book is absolutely galloping along. The final tournament scenes show off probably some of the best writing on pool that has ever been accomplished, really taking you into each game and feeling what Eddie feels, from his jealousy at the young stars to his own self-realization at and through the green felt. Not only a book for pool enthusiasts, rather for anyone who enjoys good pacey writing and literature as art.

The second edition includes hundreds of photographs and stories of Boone and Crockett trophies taken in Colorado. In addition, the historical photographs of Colorado's hunting heritage are extremely interesting. This book is a must for the Colorado hunter, as it tells exactly where many of Colorado's trophies were taken, by whom, and how.

I love this book because of all the photos and detailed hunting stories. The book is easy to read because the type is big.

This book is amazing! I'd recommend it. Some folks might be happy simply looking at the tons of photos of big deer and elk, but I am amazed at the historical information and statistics. Very impressive. And it's a good read for anyone who is interested in Colorado's biggest bucks and bulls.

Great photos, but especially liked the personal accounts.

Loaded with up-to-date records and statistics, this second edition of the bucks and bulls record book is a great tool and an interesting read. It doesn't matter if you live in the eastern U.S., South or Midwest, you don't have to have mule deer and elk in your state in order to appreciate this book. If you love to hunt big game, buy this book.

First the downside: Its a bit of work going through this book. This is not some light read, with lots of jokes. Expect to spend a lot of time thinking aabout whats going on given a bidding sequence, and your hand. You want to improve? You have to work at it!

The upside: This will really help you to understand not just overcalls, but hand evaluation, bidding, opening leads, defense, and what in general is going on. Who holds what, etc.


Its a study of whats going on in all 4 players hands, given the information of a single bid, or one round of bidding. Why, with the exact same hand, you can overcall with one sequence, and pass with the other. I spent a few weeks reading this, going over the hundreds of sequences and hands. I'm now more aware of certain lurking dangers, and what to look out for.

The classic book on overcalls. Excellent advice on non-vulnerable overcalls at the one level and on which overcalls to avoid. Newer players might want to start with Edgar Kaplan's Competitive Bidding in Modern Bridge

Everything you need to know about overcalls. That's all.
(4card overcalls are simply outstanding).

Mike Lawrence must be a direct descendant of Sherlock Holmes! He uses every scrap of information available on any particular hand/auction, and uses these to arrive at the best bid to make. And it is because of this attention to detail that this (and his other books) are intended for those players in the intermediate or advanced category.

Interesting to place this book's approach alongside more modern bridge textbooks. Take the likes of Cohen's 'Law of Total Tricks'. It expounds the 'Law' and then illustrates how a player should use it via a modest selection of example hands. By contrast, Mike Lawrence bombards the reader with every conceivable hand and explains (albeit in logical order) how you should be thinking about these along the way.

This hardly SEEMS a sound teaching approach: the type is small, there is loads of repetition (Lawrence admits it), and the 'quizzes' at the end of each section are not organised in a 'reader-friendly' way.

But where this book succeeds and some modern books fail, is curiously in its insistence upon looking at each hand in a strictly individual way, as opposed to selling out to easy mnemonics or rules.

While more modern books (take one of Eddie Kantar's books on defence, which I also think are excellent) are nicely presented, contain witty 'after-dinner' asides, and have an interactive feel, their neatness sometimes makes me feel that bridge is all clearcut rules and decisions, hard for the beginner, easy for the expert.

But Mike Lawrence seems to be experiencing real pain on many of his example deals! You will frequently see him write, 'I don't know what to do with this hand', not because he's not a good player, but because he understands the difference, for a bridge player, between 'knowing the path' and 'walking the path'.

The writer of this book won't sit on his pedestal and lecture you with rules, he will walk the path WITH you. If you will take the time to let him lead you, it should prove time well spent.

This book is probably the best book on bridge ever written. There is so much insight in this book that you will have to re-read it time and time again each time adding to your own insight in not only overcalling but the game as a whole. The style is lucid sometimes nonchalant; Lawrence gives insight into his own considerations when making bidding decisions and makes it clear that many decisions are not absolute. But following the logic and type of arguments he presents you will get more and more decisions right. I strongly recommend this book to every bridge player who aspires to improve his or her game.

It was a good book,but I personally think it could've done with the puzzles.Otherwise,this book will keep kids entertained on long car rides or on rainy days.

I have to say digimon rock, because it does teach teamwork, and so does Pokemon(but not as much). I mean, would Tai or any of the others defeat Myotismon or The Dark Lords if they wouldn't of worked together. And that shows kids that if you work together then you can accomplish anything.

OK. You might think we are to old for Digimon (or Pokemon) but actully it helps us learn the value of friendship and teamwork. I would recommend digimon for anyone with friend problems (like Matt and Tai) If you think the same e-mail me at digimonfreak3@hotmail.com

Digi-Know?! digimon rocks who ever thinks digimon is like pokemon is crazy.I'm a girl even I know the difference between pokemon and digimon.The kids in pokemon KNEW what to do.The kids in digimon was force to go to the digiworld.EXCITEMENT is writen all over it.

I THINK THAT LAST GUY HAD A GOOD THOUGHT BECUSE DIGIMON IS A GRAET THING I'M 11 AND I LOVE DIGIMON I'V NEVER MISSED ONE SHOW AND THE BOOK IS GOOD TO AND IT MAKE'S ME HAPPY TO SEE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT DIGIMON AND TO SEE PEOPLE READ DIGIMON IT'S EVEN BETER

What a fun introduction to the world of dinosaurs! And yet with plenty of information to challenge the most avid dinosaur fans--in fact, this is a handy resource for anyone. If nothing else, Barton's crayon-box colors are addicting.

This has been my son's favorite book since he was about 8 months old. I was suprised how well he took to it as such an early age. He is now almost 14 months and still can't get enough of it. It is the one book he will look around for and really insist on having at his high chair during meal times. Agree completely with the other reviewers who mentioned how fun it was to make the dinosaur noises and that the "long sharp claws, long sharp teeth" part is especially fascinating for the child. Even when i don't have the book handy, just by saying the opening lines...a long time ago...there were DINOSAURS -- brings a delighted smile to his face every time.

He also enjoys "My Car" by the same author although that book is not as simple (i.e., talks about car needing oil change, obeying traffic laws, etc.).

Excellent book for the young dinosaur fan. Good drawings, informative writing, and definitely keeps the attention of my most active grandchild (age 3)!

This is my son's favorite, and mine too! Although he's only six months old, I've been reading to him almost every day since he was old enough to pay attention, and he has loved this book from the word go - probably because of the bright colors and simple shapes, but maybe also because when I read it to him it's fun to make "dinosaur noises" and roars, which he finds very entertaining. Although I have read this book so often that I have literally memorized it, I'm not tired of it yet, and that's about as high a recommendation for a baby book as I can make!

This book is a must have for reading time. My one year old boy has loved it since birth (well almost birth)! He really likes the part about "Long sharp claws and long sharp teeth! " It brings the house down. Yet, it still ends with a sleepy touch.

Get it... or regret it!

Los Angeles Times, July 29, 1990
"DOMINO teaches the chants, clap patterns and jump - rope songs of the Virgin Islands, with a cassette recorded on playgrounds of St. Croix by author Karen S. Ellis; the syncopated rhythms are irresistible, and some of the lyrics quite salty."

The Orff Echo, Fall 1990, page 44
"All material is clearly presented with precise and easy-to-understand directions for the games and dances. To maintain authenticity, the words of the songs are written in a mixture of standard English and Cruzian, the dialect of St. Croix. A glossary is provided to assist with unfamiliar words and phrases. Especially interesting is the author's account of her use of an Orff Schulwerk-based approach to teach language skills to the children in a small island town. The accompanying cassette tape, available separately, includes nearly all of the items in the book, most of it performed by the children themselves. No one should miss the priceless rendition of "Ding Dong."

The Midwest Book Review, May 26, 1990

An oversized paperback with spiral binging and a 35 minute audio cassette introduce both adult and child listeners to traditional children's songs and proverbs from the American Virgin Islands, providing a unique opportunity to absorb the culture and sounds of an area which has received relatively little attention.
An oversized paperback and 35 minute cassette provides a unique opportunity to absorb the culture and sounds of an area which has received relatively little attention. More than just another ethnic song collection, the tape alone holds merit, the paperback/tape package is recommended above each singly: the book is an essential enhancement to the tape, offering a political and cultural review of the Virgin Islands, teaching advice to teachers who may be considering the tape and workbook for classroom use, and illustrated musical instructions and score sheets for the tape's songs. The small black and white photos of the children at play are particularly intriguing."

Come-All-Ye, Vol. II No. 2, Summer 1990 A Review Journal for publications in the fields of Folklore, American Studies, Social History and Popular Culture. "It is a thoroughly delightful compilation, of interest to folklorists, teachers and everybody else can enjoy it."

"An oversized paperback and 35 minute cassette provides a unique opportunity to absorb the culture and sounds of an area which has received relatively little attention. More than just another ethnic song collection, the tape alone holds merit, the paperback/tape package is recommended above each singly: the book is an essential enhancement to the tape, offering a political and cultural review of the Virgin Islands, teaching advice to teachers who may be considering the tape and workbook for classroom use, and illustrated musical instructions and score sheets for the tape's songs. The small black and white photos of the children at play are particularly intriguing."

Jim Cox Midwest Book Review

Dr. John Rickford Ph.D (1997, Feb. 28) Dept of Linguistics, Stanford University

I recieved Domino, and was impressed both by the book and the tape. It was enjoyable for my wife Angela and I--the similarities with so many songs we knew growing up in Guyana were so striking, especially for Angela. (As your photos show, these clap patterns and circle songs are more popular with girls than boys.) For instance, for "Brown Girl in the Ring," we sing, "There's a Colored girl in the ring, etc" and end with "She likes sugar, and I like plum!"

WRT the "Congo Saw" proverb on page 22--I'm pretty sure this is the same as the "Conguseh" we have in Guyana, meaning "gossip," so the proverb really means that gossip is worse, more harmful than working obeah. See the entry for _congosa_ in Allsopp's wonderful, just released _Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage_ (Oxford U Press).

Also, the wording for Mother Goose on page 39 seemed to us perhaps to be "Come look a me ya" ("Come look at me here") but it wasn't so clear. This is a wonderful achievement, Karen, and the kids must have LOVED the attention and interest you showed in them and their songs. I bet they missed you when you left.

Dragon Dice is a good game, but the rules are somewhat complex at first. You position and move your dice, most of which represent creatures. During your turn, you can roll for maneuver, magic, melee, or missile. Magic can be used for various spells, which are specific to each race of creatures. Some of the spells, like ones that remove damage, are difficult to keep track of from turn to turn. The goal, although I prefer blood lust, is to maintain 2 locations. This game comes out as a nice blend of chance and skill and often allows someone who is far behind to win. This game is long-lasting; it can be played over and over again. I recommend this game for people who like fairly complex card games, such as Magic and Pokémon.

This is an incredible game. With addictive gameplay and fantastic creatures, this is a great game to bring to a party. This is the kind of game a group of people could play, not only having fun but also taking advantage of the social aspects made available at Dragon Dice matches. This is definitely a game that improves your social interaction with people as well as expands your imagination.

Well, I have been obsessed with dragons for years, so when I saw this game, it's name caught my eye. I had been looking for a battle game without the "kiddiness" of Pokemon cards or the complexity of Magic or Star Wars. Well, I guess you could say Dragon Dice hit the mark dead on! The perfect balance of strategy and luck make this origional game extremely addictive, and impossible to let go of!!

I loved this game!! It's a pity WOTC (which bought TSR) doesn't produce it anymore (well, more or less). It's as addictive as Magic, the dice are really wonderful and you get the rules, 21 dice, the army banners and a great bag to store your dice for only eight bucks! If you wanna know what the game is about, it's basically RISK with dice. You attack your enemie's terrain dice with your armies. Each army is composed of dice; there are three varieties (common, uncommon and rare, as in Magic), and you have lots of races to choose from. Every time you want to attack your enemy in melee or missile fire or magic, you roll your army (all your dice) and count the faces that came up as ths simbol you need. An excellent game which died of an ingnoble death and I hope amazon can breath some life into it.

In TSR's Dragon Dice collectible dice game, players build "armies" from their dice collections of warriors, magic items, monsters, and weird creatures, then roll dice to play out the battle. Play may include summoning dragons to join the armies, and the variety of dice collections possible with the random dice included here and in "Kicker Packs" adds as much diversity to this fast-paced game as do the rolls of the dice.

Play is set in the world of Esfah, which you battle to control. The basic set includes dwarves or Vagha, whose magic combines the powers of Fire and Earth; goblins or Trogs, whose powers use Death and Earth magic; coral elves or Selumari, who command Air and Water; and lava elves or Morehi, magician of Fire and Death magic. The various Expansion sets and Kicker packs available for Dragon Dice (see below) allow the player to add rules for a broader game and expand his collection with artifacts, magic items, and many other races. Dice included are of many possible kinds. Dragon Dice sets of any kind are each a unique collection of dice from a large group of possible dice, so multiple purchases of any given type of set serve to enlarge and diversify your dice army.

Dragon Dice accessories and kicker packs include Battle Ground, Dice Commander's Manual, Dragon Shield, Kicker Pack 1: Monsters and Amazons, Kicker Pack 2: Firewalkers, Kicker Pack 3: Undead, and Kicker Pack 5: Swamp Stalkers.

i havent read it yet but i have a feeling that this will be an excellent novel

I have almost 80 DL novrls and Ive never heard of thes

I've already read the original chronicles and I noticed some differences, but this book is still great! The illustrations are wonderfully drawn and it really gets the point across. I highly recommend this book to all!

I started reading DL in the mid-90's, but I started by being given one of these as a gift. They're hard to find, but well worth it if you can find them. They're based on the books, but even if you've already read the chronicles trilogy, it's well worth it. Recommend these with the highest regards.

This book is an adeptation of the last half of Dragons of Winter Night. It is a very thick comic book that was written in 1985 after the original chronicles came out. I have only books 1,2,3, and 4 and all of them are pretty acurate in there interpretation of the original.

Dragonriders of Pern presents the struggle among the Leaders of the six different Weyrs to be recognized as leader of Pern. Each player vies with the others for the support of the Lord Holders while simultaneously keeping Pern free of Thread. If the northern continent of Pern has been so Threaded that it cannot support life, then all the players lose, along with Pern.

I played Dragonriders of Pern for the First time at dragoncon 2003. The person teaching how to play the game was Todd McCaffery. The game was fantastic. I had a lot of fun playing. The game requires that the players must to some extent work together to survive. But there is still a element of backstabing and good amount of strategy and resource management. To bad it's out of print. Todd McCaffrey stated that he is going to be talking to Mayfair Games about getting it back in print now that they have a little room legally with product licensing.

Will someone please write a CD-ROM version of this??????????????? It would compliment the series perfectly.

I have the first printing of this game and am looking to buy it again (I've lost some of the pieces since I got it years ago. :) ) You can play alone as Benden Weyr or with other players and split control of the Weyrs (no Southern though.) The object is to save Pern from Thread with the resources you have. You have a certain number of flights of dragons to cover your area, and the amount of coverage makes it easier or harder for Thread to spread. There are picture cards for all the Weyrleaders, Craftsmasters and major Holders, all beautifully done! You can gain allies and bribe others (like nasty old Meron!) to help in your fight. The only problem I have with this game is there are so many little pieces (paper disks with dragons, hold crests, or crafthalls) that it's hard to keep from losing them! If you love Pern, you MUST find a copy of this game!

I have the first printing of this game and am looking to buy it again (I've lost some of the pieces since I got it years ago. :) ) You can play alone as Benden Weyr or with other players and split control of the Weyrs (no Southern though.) The object is to save Pern from Thread with the resources you have. You have a certain number of flights of dragons to cover your area, and the amount of coverage makes it easier or harder for Thread to spread. There are picture cards for all the Weyrleaders, Craftsmasters and major Holders, all beautifully done! You can gain allies and bribe others (like nasty old Meron!) to help in your fight. The only problem I have with this game is there are so many little pieces (paper disks with dragons, hold crests, or crafthalls) that it's hard to keep from losing them! If you love Pern, you MUST find a copy of this game!