Puzzles Books

Overall, this was an excellent book. It does not differ much from the english version, and it is, as is the english, wonderfully illustrated. It is not perfect, however. I thought that it was well translated into spanish, however, the words are not as easily read and understood as the english version. Also, it was very disappointing to me that the character's names are the traditional, english names, and were not translated into their spanish cognates. That detracts from any feelings of non-ethnicity and partiality that good literature nees.

Our whole family enjoys reading this book. With its repetition of the "horrible, terrible..." day, we now can all read those parts together. And when the kids have a bad day, we can refer to the book (and talk about going to Australia). It helps to make light of a bad day.

A friend in a college language class (not Spanish I'm afraid) advised me that books familiar to us in English are one of the best ways to increase our vocabulary in our target language. I took her up on it then, and when both I and my niece enrolled in Spanish classes (I at the local community college, with tuition paid for by my employer; she in junior high), I purchased this book for her and some other books for myself.

My family has always loved this Judith Viorst book in English. As well as having borrowing rights to Jerica's version, I own a copy of the original English, and find it downright cathartic to read when I've had a no good, terrible, horrible, very bad day. I have been known to purchase copies for friends after they've had no good,terrible, horrible,very bad days.

The key to Alexander's survival in this story, in which he continuously stews about whether he should move to Australia to avoid such horror, is the knowledge that we all have such days sometimes...and it's OK. The perfect book for a kid (or adult) who's struggling with school, friends, siblings, learning a new language, or just about anything.

Highly recommended, in any language.

This is a great book for those of us who want to raise our children bilingually and equally wonderful for Spanish-speakers. The Spanish is fun--I also love the repetition of "el día terrible, horrible..." The fact that the names are not translated is fine--not all English names have a Spanish translation and vice-versa. I believe it keeps the integrity of the original version and the Alexander character.

Qué dice un niño al que TODO le sale mal ? "Me voy a Australia !". Los dibujos - en blanco y negro - están espléndidamente ilustrados, la cara de Alexander es indescriptible por su picardía. Un libro para leer y ver con los hijos a la hora de dormir. Un libro alentador, especial para aquellos niños "difíciles"

What a great heavy keepsake book / toy. The text and pictures that correspond with each puzzle page is fabulous. Each page comes with its own clear plastic sleeve to keep the pieces securely in when not in use. The individual pieces are color coded in case of a mix up. My daughter is 4, so we do this together, as it is a bit advanced for her age. A great deal- 7 puzzles, a story , hardback, for $12.00. wow

I can never be bothered with Jigsaws and if I buy one its either for the picture on the box or in this case because its a great piece of Aliciana.
You can actually get your own photos done now as Jigsaws and I have one from a picture I took of the Alice Display cabinets at Walton Hall which I then framed.
Charity shops are usually full of Jigsaws but never this one as its the kind of thing you'd need extra copies of.
Probably easier to do than some of these with 2000 pieces

A perennial favorite from generation to generation returns in a delightful set of 7 jigsaw puzzles housed in attractive and practical book form. Youngsters and adults will derive additional hours of pleasure from Lewis Carroll's enchanting stories as they piece together episodes from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

Each puzzle is paired with corresponding texts from these beloved tales. Thus, we rediscover Alice looking longingly down the rabbit hole, participating in the Dodo's race, chatting with the Cheshire-Cat, listening to the Mock Turtle's tale of woe, watching the trial of the Knave of Hearts, even meeting the hilarious White Knight.

Forty-eight piece puzzles seems an appropriate choice as they challenge younger solvers and entertain older children. Perhaps best of all is the discovery that we can put Humpty Dumpty together again!

I gave this book to my niece for Christmas and it was a hugehit, both with her and with my sister. This was no surprise to me asI had to really guilt myself into giving it away instead of keeping ithere in our house.... good thing it's readily available, at least forthe time being. Next purchase I make... I'm throwing this inmy basket too. :)

The selections of prose complement the puzzlescenes beautifully and give kids a nice overview of both the Alice andThrough the Looking Glass books. The puzzles themselves did notsuccumb to either "Eat Me" or "Drink Me"(i.e. they're not too big, and not too small, but just right). Eachpiece is color-coded on the back so you don't mix up the differentscenes - a very nice touch. Also included are mylar protector sleevesso the puzzles will presumably stay put after being worked andreworked - another nice touch. Overall, the book is extremely wellmade and something that deserves to be handed down throughgenerations.

This is the only book of its kind I've found, besides...Bravo to the publishers! Please make more!

I gave this book to my niece for Christmas and it was a huge hit, both with her and with my sister. This was no surprise to me as I had to really guilt myself into giving it away instead of keeping it here in our house.... good thing it's readily available, at least for the time being. Next purchase I make from Amazon I'm throwing this in my basket too. :)

The selections of prose complement the puzzle scenes beautifully and give kids a nice overview of both the Alice and Through the Looking Glass books. The puzzles themselves did not succumb to either "Eat Me" or "Drink Me" (i.e. they're not too big, and not too small, but just right). Each piece is color-coded on the back so you don't mix up the different scenes - a very nice touch. Also included are mylar protector sleeves so the puzzles will presumably stay put after being worked and reworked - another nice touch. Overall, the book is extremely well made and something that deserves to be handed down through generations.

This is the only book of its kind I've found, besides the Escher puzzle book which I haven't yet seen except on Amazon. Bravo to the publishers! Please make more!

Amazeing Art combines graphic art portraits of about 30 architectural marvels of the ancient world with vivid, detailed accounts of their histories. And each masterful drawing is, unbelievably, a maze. There is a lot of text in the book, written with an infectious passion for the mysteries of the buildings and sculptures drawn beside them. It's hard not to get hooked and develop a sense of awe at the achievements of these old civilizations.

The book is properly titled "Amazeing Art," not "Artistic Mazes." The ingenuity of the drawings rivals pen-and-ink artists like M.C. Escher, so the book is not just for maze-doers. It's for parents who enjoy some intelligent, diversionary reading--and for their children old enough to tackle challenging mazes. (In many families, it's the kids who will read and the adults who will play.) It's educational for both, with pictures and histories of the Sphinx, a Phoenician ship, the Tower of Babylon, the Parthenon, the Colossus of Rhodes, and many other masterpieces from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Greece, and Rome, including the treasures of the Hittites, the Trojans, the Ephesians, and other peoples. There's a lot to learn here, and the learning is great fun--if you can take your eyes of the drawings.

I love it!
The combination of fun mazes and interesting text is unique, exciting, fun, entertaining.
My 6 year old daughter immediately tried out the mazes. (And I did too!)
Excellent for children and grown-ups!

This book is both unusual and perfectly suited for maze enthusiasts. There's nothing quite like it! It would make a perfect present for the right person.

This book is incredibly original and inspirational. The author's enthusiasm for beautiful mazes is highly contagious. Anyone who likes cool ideas and puzzles (or just want to know the difference between a labyrinth and a maze) should take a look at this book.

This book is fun and different! The mazes were beautiful and tricky, and hard to do (I couldn't solve them all). The stories that went with them were filled with all kinds of fascinating tales and little known secrets about ancient civilizations. Especially the story of the Egyptian Labyrinth, which was a long-lost architectural wonder that ancient historians said was more impressive than the Pyramids. Super interesting!

These days Amos Burn is remembered as a somewhat dour and obscure player who was famous for losing a couple of brevities to more famous players like Frank Marshall. Burn had a defensive/positional approach to chess and was by all reports quite reserved and taciturn. So what incentive would there be to catalogue his chess career in such great detail. The secret with this book is that it brings Burn to life within the context of his times and historical setting (1870s to 1920s). The players, the tournaments, the controversies are analysed in at times great detail, and are overall very interesting and holds the reader's attention throughout. The various elements (games, notes, pictures, tournament tables, and background details) are superbly presented to enable the reader to drop in and out (you will not be able to digest the material in one sitting) without getting lost in the enormous detail. This is a desert island book par excellence and will provide interesting reading for years. The closest comparison is the excellent book on Alekhine by Skinner and Verhoeven (same publishers). If you think that it is the biggest chess book on the planet, the Burn book is in fact bigger. It is not just the size, but that it takes chess biography/game collections to a higher level. I thought that this would be impossible as the Alekhine book is a masterpiece (it's only weakness is the absence of photos - has only one - the Burn book has hundreds). The games are a comprehensive collection, as unlike Alekhine, Burn did not tend to play a lot of simultaneous and blindfold games, with the inevitable variablity in quality. The games therefore are uniformly good, but not quite reaching Alekhine's genius (both highs and lows). The annotations are outstanding, both compemtorary and brought up to date by Forster (who is a strong player himself). Any serious student of chess will be richly rewarded. Although quite expensive, the book contains enormous value and will definately become a classic. It has the expected excellent McFarland touch (quality paper, library quality binding, high quality layout and general presentation, etc) and despite its size (over 950 pages)is unlikely to fall apart. I believe that this book sets a new challenge for chess authors and is quite likely to be the best book of its type ever written. Even Edward Winter, one of the supreme chess authors, has in a recent review admitted that this is the book that he would have liked to have written. I cannot wait for Forster to turn his mind to Lasker or indeed any of the other world champions who richly deserve this treatment. Buy this book, you will not regret it.
Walter Hart, Burra Creek, Australia

Truly a magnificent undertaking by Richard Forster who not only provides a detailed study of Amos Burn's chess career but also a truly enlightening history of chess as it was played at that time and the chess players who played it. If you want to learn more about chess and the chess players of the second half of the 19th century, here is the book for you. This book also provides a standard by which all other chess biographies and games collections should model themselves after. I would give this book 50 stars if I could.

This book is easy to recommend for those interested in Burn's career, or even people interested late 19th century/ early 20th century chess, especially the players based in England at that time. It's well worth the high price tag if you fit in that group.

I put myself in that group -- I'm not a particular fan of Burn (I don't mean that as a slight -- I'd just not read much about him, or played over many of his games until I read this book), but I love the dark recesses of chess history, and the period covered in this book especially fascinates me.

Forster does a decent job of setting the background in which Burn lived by documenting some of the club politics and events of the times. This can sometimes be rather dry reading, but that's one problem chess biographers face -- oftentimes the great players lived rather mundane lives outside of chess.

That said, I admire the scholarship of the book. There is a lengthy appendix, bibliography, and index, as well as an index of openings, and credits for annotations which Forster did not write himself. This book will function as a reliable reference for those interested in Burn or the players of his time.

There are a *lot* of games, all, or virtually all, annotated by Burn, other players of the age (especially appreciated are the notes by Steinitz, since his writings aren't easy to come by these days), or Forster, who is an International Master himself.

There is a massive amount of material here --972 pages, including index, etc, and plenty of tournament tables, pictures, and other diagrams. The most surprising revelation to me is that Burn was a very fine tactical player. There are quite a number of brilliant attacking games in his praxis.

So, how to recommend? If you have no real interest in Burn or his games, it probably won't be worth the money to you. However, if you do have an interest, you can hardly go wrong. The book is beautifully bound, as is common with the McFarland chess books. It is rare to find such quality in any field. Forster's work is easily one of the greatest chess biographies ever written.

This is the best chess book I have ever seen. It's what I think the perfect chess book biography should be. It has annotated games, chronology of the player, crosstables, history, best indexes I have ever seen, pictures and photographs, trivia, and absolutely thorough (972 pages!). Richard Forster wrote the best chess book possible on a less-famous chess master. I wish every great chess master from the past had a book like this. The publisher, McFarland and Company, put together this book, which I think is there finest work. - Bill Wall

Why? Let me count the ways...

The heart of the book is Burn's games. It is hard to see how Forster's treatment of them could be improved. First, he unearthed over 900 of Burn's games; only about 500 of those appear in databases or other books. Second, his annotations are marvelous. All annotations by the players, or by a contemporary chess columnist, are given. These include comments by many of the leading lights of the time (in particular Steinitz). In addition--and what is crucial--Forster, an IM, analyzed the games himself (with the help of a computer) and often adds excellent annotations of his own, or corrects errors in the contemporary annotations.Hundreds of the games are annotated, many of them in great depth. Third, the indexes: There are indexes of all the games based on the openings and opponents' names, as is customary, but in addition games are arranged in a seperate index according to the chess themes they exemplify. It includes entries such as "stubborn defense"; "instructive games"; "rook endings"; "positional sacrifices"; "Bishops of opposite color"; etc., etc. For those looking to improve by seeing how Burn handles certain types of positions--the #1 reason people buy collections of master games in the first place--this is invaluable.

Apart form the games, this book's biographical section is excellent. Just about every fact known about Burn--birth, death, family, work, travel, chess tournaments participation, club memberships, relations with other players, etc.--is given. Here, too, Forster "goes the extra mile": for example, for every tournament Burn participated in, he gives us not only his results and opponents, but the complete crosstable (when available); he not only tells us when Burn played in the Liverpool chess club, but what exact positions he held, the text of some of his speeches (or speeches in his honor) given at the club, and so on.

Finally, there is production value. The book is HUGE--over 900 folio pages on high-grade paper--in excellent, hard-cover blue velvet covering, with a gold-embossed title, and includes numerous rare photographs. "They don't make 'em like that anymore", as a cursory glance at the endless stream of thin soft-cover books on your local bookstore's "chess" section will show.

At $75, it's a bargain.

Found this book to be very interesting which involved many different types of math game/puzzles.

Thirty five years ago my high school (Thomas Jefferson, in Federal Way, Washington) held annual competitions in mathematics. They did it in the form of a test that came bound in a small white booklet, just was a few pages long. There weren't many questions, perhaps a dozen or two (usually in the form of story problems), but they required deep thought and concentration (at least for me). I still remember the feeling of excitement and trepidation as I took the "white book" and opened it to the first problem. Several hours later I'd consider myself accomplished if I'd managed to completely answer more than half the questions.

Ian Stewart's book reminds me of those tests. Here's a sampling of what's inside:

1)Mrs. Anne-Lida Worm decides she wants a new couch, and tells Mr. Worm to get it for her, while she goes shopping for a new tight for baby Wermintrude. But Anne-Lina doesn't want just any couch. She wants the biggest possible couch that can be carried down the hall in their house, and around the 90-degree hall at the end. What shape does the couch have, and how big is it? This is a truly riveting story. Will Mr. Worm solve the couch problem in time?

2)Alberto wants to conduct tests on grapes, evaluating the influence of different soils. He wants to conduct experiments to see how different soils and exposure to the sun affects the quality of wine. His land is on a hillside, though, which is narrow, so he can plant only three varieties of grape on each plot of land. How can he arrange things so that he tests all seven varieties of grapes when they are arranged so that each plot contains exactly three different species, where any two plots have exactly one variety in common, and any two varieties lie in exactly one common plot?

Sixteen chapters make up this book. Though their titles are whimsical, the mathematical problems aren't. Some are still unsolved. Even though these problems fit in what would probably be called recreational mathematics, they are fiendishly cleaver with solutions, and developed insight along the way, that are at once challenging and rewarding. Here's a sample of some of other topics discussed in Stewart's book:

How might one transport a lion, llama, and head of lettuce in a boat, across a lake, without leaving any two species where one might eat the other in the absence of a caretaker? How can you calculate the temperature and entropy of a curve? How can one even talk sensibly about a curve having temperature and entropy in the first place? Suppose that you need to tile a room, and the tiles come in odd shapes. Is there anyway to know if the tiling problem has a solution? Can mathematics tell us things about evolution, such as whether or not evolution comes gradually or in spurts (or both)?

This is a fun, lighthearted book, but the mathematical problems and puzzles it discusses will really make you think. I enjoy reading as I exercise on my elliptical machine. I get double the sense of accomplishment when I can read and workout at the same time. Ordinarily, I can estimate how long I've been on the machine by how many pages I've read - 20 pages in 40 minutes is about average. But with Stewart's book I had to be careful. Several times I found that I'd worked out for an hour and only managed to cover half-a-dozen pages or so.

If you love mathematics, particularly mathematical puzzles, then this is a book you'll really enjoy. It has many problems for the reader, with answers at the back of each chapter. If you do the problems and understand everything in the book, in detail, it will occupy many hours of your time. All in deep thought and utter enjoyment.

The author is the comedic equal of the team associated with the title. Puns fly fast and furious, and the slow of wit will not catch them all. A master of the verbal slapstick, his wit makes you simultaneously grin and groan. The worthy successor to Martin Gardner in writing a regular mathematics column for `Scientific American', he is the clown prince of mathematics.
Some of the catchy titles and subjects are:

1. Tile and error, tiling a rectangular surface.
2. Knights of the flat torus, about knight tours of a chessboard.
3. Another vine math you've got me into, a combinatorial problem of planting several varieties of grapes in plots so that all pairs are together in one and only one plot, etc.
4. Sofa, so good, on moving a sofa through tight places.

All subjects are presented with clarity and thoroughly resolved by the end of the chapter.
This work is the rarest of mathematical books. It presents solid, sophisticated mathematics in a manner that people could read just for the jokes. A vine piece of work.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

This is one of the best recreational math books I have ever read. It presents scenarios from real life that lead to real math. Humor abounds in the stories but deep mathematical concepts abond in the solutions. I use this book as a required text for a mathematics course for future teachers. Hopefully, they too can make mathematics as much fun as Mr. Stewart.

This is one of the best recreational math books I have ever read. The humorous real life scenarios lead to deep mathematical concepts. I use this book in a class for future mathematics teachers. Hopefully, it will inspire them to make math fun for their students.

This collection of art from the Rath Cycle is a must have for any MTG enthusiast. Excellent art work adorns every page and serves to reveal the complexity and beauty of the world of Rath. The various characters, races, places, and machines behind the story of the Rath cycle are detailed through writing and colorful artwork. Without reading the MTG novels surrounding the Rath Cycle, this is the best way to get familiar with the story and setting of the MTG expansion packs: Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus. You can tell by the price of this book on Amazon that it is a valued item in people's collections. I'd say its worth the seemingly high price.

Highly reccommended.

This book is amazing. It includes backround drawings and doodlings of such great Magic artists as Mark Tedin and Pete Ventres. One of the most interesting parts of the book was the inards of the Weatherlight and the Predator, showing engine rooms and cabins. Also, main characters and races have backround stories explained in detail.

I double highly recommend this book, it's fantastic, even if your not an artist or a Magic fan.

I got this book not too long ago and I've gotta say, this is one for the records. It centers all around the great and wonderful art of Magic: The Gathering: The Rath Cycle. I got this book because the Rath Cycle is my #1 favorite add-on for Magic, and I love the art. It tells you behind the scenes stuff about all the different characters and places in the Rath Cycle. Now, don't get this book thinking that you're gonna get every picture in the set. They have alot of the art, but not all of it. I thought that, but I was still amazed when I got it. I use the book to help me sketch out the stuff I couldn't on the cards, they were too small. But they blow them up for the book. It's a great book, a must-have for everyone who appreciates the art and magic of Magic: The Gathering.

Although I don't know the Rath Cycle or MTG really well, I was drawn to this book for its artwork. Really nice suff! Lots of versions of images, artist studies (b/w and color), and schematic plans (of the ships), so you can see what diffrent artists were thinking. There is a good bit of text (back story for the game I assume) if you are into that. Basicly, a great fantasy art refrance book!

The Art of Magic represents the visual glories of the Rath Cycle: a set of three expansions named Tempest, Stronghold, and Exodus that depict the adventures of Gerrard Capashen and the crew of the Weatherlight as they seek to liberate the kidnapped Sisay and unravel the evil mystery that lies behind the universe of Rath.

The book is filled with the lavish illustrations that have made Magic: the Gathering among the most aesthetically pleasing card games in history. Famous artists such as Pete Venters, Quentin Hoover, Donato Giancola, John Avon, and Terese Nielsen create a stormy world wracked with strife and death. We see the legendary paintings, sketches, and drawings that breathe life into such places as the Stronghold, the Skyshroud Forest, and the Dream Halls. And vivid characters are represented with handfuls of card arts, style guides, and behind the scenes sketches. This book lays out the story, environment, and aura of the Rath Cycle experience in a conscientious, experienced form which shows meticulous preparation and a beautiful final product. Who can forget the legendary Vanguard painting of the Dark Angel Selenia, poised to strike at the onlooker? Or Donato Giancola's Havoc, showing Orim attracting the fury of the Furnace of Rath around her? Or even the paintings of the mischievous Squee, a goblin with a heart and intelligence far beyond his peers. And for a look to the dark side, the City of Traitors, huddled around the gigantic Furnace of Rath.

The Weatherlight, its crew, and every inch of the worlds of the Rath Cycle are detailed beautifully. One will want to look through the glistening pages many times-everything holds a meaning just waiting to be unlocked. Even the title page for each chapter invokes curiosities: we see a depiction of the Null Moon, Dominaria's artificial moon (and possibly something of ill meaning from the Phyrexians?) and an added oval with each chapter's progression.

The Art of Magic: the Gathering is without a doubt among the best books to come out of Wizards of the Coast and TSR for a long time. A must buy worth every cent.

This book is a great read for action officers and DoD staffers! I found it very helpful upon my recent assignment to the Pentagon. Must read for military and civilians working at operational and strategic levels of national defense! Many thanks to the author for their insights!

A great book, highly recommended for anyone working in the Pentagon! I'm in my first Pentagon tour, and found this book immensely useful. My initial impression of Pentagon life was professional bewilderment: totally new vocabulary, totally new set of concerns, different rules for doing business. Much more so than with most of my 'new' jobs along the way, this one totally threw me off with with respect to the norms and expectations.

There are many courses for navigating these strange waters (most of which I've attended), but there's so much to learn that these courses are primarily focused on the "What Is It, and How Does It Work?" level. The "What's normal?" level is usually left off the end (due to time constraints), for the student to work out on his/her own. I've been blessed with very patient bosses, and have been allowed to work out 'normal' for myself, but I frequently had so many questions that I'd hesistate asking them all at once. And then came Assignment Pentagon - a life saver.

I stumbled across Assignment Pentagon about three months into the job - 2-1/2 months too late! Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down - it spoke to my nagging questions and left me a MUCH better informed Action/Requirements Officer. The turn-around in professional understanding was so profound for me that I've been recommending it to anyone else that checks in here, and think it's absolutely critical to understand the place you work in the depth that Assignment Pentagon delivers it.

Many thanks to the authors for putting this much-needed work together, and for keeping it updated. I only hope that they're still updating it when I've got my next set of orders to the Pentagon.

This book was first published in the 1980s, and has been apparently revised as recently as March 2007. The edition I read comes from 2002. The book is interesting. It fulfills its billing as a straight guide to what is important inside the big five-sided building along the Potomac River.

Maj Gen Smith's most interesting piece of insight comes about half way through in his discussion of the media and the Pentagon leadership. In discussing the role of the daily "Early Bird" news roundup, Gen Smith asserts that senior Pentagon leaders read the volume diligently, seeing the press not as an antagonist, but rather as a source of new and interesting takes on what they may or may not already know.

Unfortunately, Gen Smith has a bad habit of occasionally interjecting his personal opinion into his otherwise objective analysis. Also, even though the book says it was revised for 2002, it appears that many sections of the book have not been updated since its original publication 15 years earlier.

All in all, this is a solid, brief overview, of some of what goes through Pentagon employees heads on a daily basis. It is worth the read for that reason if for no other.

I am the author of this book. When the new administration took office, it was time to update this book about how the Pentagon works, how to work with the Pentagon and how to work within the Pentagon. There is an enormous amount of misinformation about the Pentagon and what I have tried to do is stick to the realities and to destroy some of the myths. I have received many comments about this book. The most surprising ones have come from people who work in corporations who have told me that this book has given them lots of ideas about how improve their performance in their present jobs.

I am the author of this book. When the new administration took office, it was time to update this book about how the Pentagon works, how to work with the Pentagon and how to work within the Pentagon. There is an enormous amount of misinformation about the Pentagon and what I have tried to do is stick to the realities and to destroy some of the myths. I have received many comments about this book. The most surprising ones have come from people who work in corporations who have told me that this book has given them lots of ideas about how improve their performance in their present jobs.

A&D is the Elementary Go Series' book about the mid-game, and is useful for mid-kyu players up (20k or stronger). The book is also approachable for new players who have some basic knowledge of the funadmentals, the basic moves (the diagonal, one-point jump, etc.) and tesuji (clever plays/tactics), but I would recommend reading the Learn To Play Go series by Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun first.

What the book covers:

The book starts off by introducing two fundamental concepts of the balances of territory and power in a game, which lays the foundation for the rest of the book, then continues by talking about attack and defense itself, covering different attacking strategies, and the fundamental tactics to implement them with (i.e. rules of thumb to help guide you in choosing the correct move), along with finding the correct direction to attack from. The book continues into forcing and inducing moves, (moves to force your opponent to submit or cooperate), invasions, and ko fights.

Some optional excerpts from pro games are added in at the end of some of the chapters if you want to see what you just learned in actual play

Pros:

Lots of diagrams and problems.
New players can still benefit, even if a lot of it is too difficult at first.

Cons:

None.

Conclusion:

A book that is a great mid-game resource, and will be useful for any player. Also, like all Go books, I highly recommend re-reading it a couple of times to fully benefit from it.

This book focuses on attacking techniques used in the middle game, with a chapter dedicated to defense.

It teaches the reader to appreciate the effect that stones situated in one region of the board have on other regions of the board. This information is then used to decide on the correct direction to attack from, with the help of specific tactics such as leaning attacks, forcing moves, etc.

Problems that apply the concepts discussed are challenging enough to be beneficial but simple enough to avoid confusion. The solutions tell the reader not only why a certain move is correct in a particular situation, but also why the other move is wrong.

When I started with this book I was about 10 kyu on KGS; as a (approximately) 7 kyu player several months later I still find myself re-reading parts of the book and appreciating the same concepts in a slightly different way each time.

This book gives heaps of attacking and defending techniques, and also, very importantly, selecting targets for attack. The systematic layout and lucid explanations make this one of the best intermediate level Go books around.

This is a great book for someone who knows the basics. It would be an excellent introduction to the middle game for someone finishing the Learn to Play Go series by Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-Lyn. It takes for granted that you are familiar with some basic openings and begins at that point. It is a focus on balance and power and how to achieve those goals through attacking your opponents stones while defending your own framework. This book helps novice players develop workable and potent strategies. It also teaches you to defend against common attacks. I've been playing go little less than a year. I'm a 15k on NNGS (nngs.cosmic.org) and this book helped me immensely. I have been evenly matched in games with a friend since we began learning together. After reading this book I'm three stones ahead of him. It is packed with loads of information and I'm sure I'll be reviewing this book to pick up some of the lessons I missed the first time through.

This book introduces basic tactics of Go and shows how to use them in strategical concept. In the begining of the book is said that understanding basic terms of Go is requirement for reader. How ever, even as a total beginer (in Go) I feel that I have got a lot of understanding from this book. I can recomend this book as second Go book for any one who don't like books for dummies style books. I'm sure that intended target groups is more experienced players, but due lack of experience in Go, I cannot say much of how this book suits for intended target group of readers. How ever, I don't have this far any reason to feel bad about this book. The book is not light and does not containg unneccessary flavor texts. For me it means that this book is worth of its prize and I'm going to re-enter this book once I reach qualifications of targeted reader group myself.

This book has 8 chapters, totaling 105 pages, that cover attacking fundamentals as demonstrated through complete games from older, "classical" masters to current Grandmasters. The chapters, (Ch.1 Basics of the Kingside Attack, Ch.2 Technical Chess & Fighting Chess, Ch.3 Sacrifices and Combinations, Ch.4 Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry, Ch.5 Piece Mobility: The Centre and the Flank, Ch.6 The Initiative, Ch.7 The Attack Goes Wrong, Ch.8 Quizzes) are clearly written, and the author emphasizes key points, lessons to be learned, and how one could do the same in one's own games. From the back cover: "This book will teach you to... * Exploit your opponent's weaknesses *Force home your advantage *Launch standard attacks *Handle desperate attacks *Know when and how to exchange off into a winning endgame " Personally, I think Attacking Technique may be of more long-lasting value than books on "opening x, y, z," in that at some point, in some position, everyone must attack.

International Master Colin Crouch has a lot of good books to his credit and 'Attacking Technique' continues that admirable trend. Weighing in at a "mere" 105 pages, one is tempted to think there simply can't be that much Chess knowledge to be had within, but this book is a poster child for the oft-repeated maxim of not judging a book by its cover. Crouch approaches the topic like an arrow would a target. He starts with a chapter titled 'Basics of the Kingside Attack: The Three Piece rule" which outlines what I think is a unique but very sensible approach to formulating and coordinating an attack on the enemy king. He surmises, correctly, that "...In general, a successful kingside attack will need at least three pieces participating; one to be sacrificed and two to give checkmate." What a succinct and logical statement that will help a lot of novices understand what is necessary to have on deck before conducting an attack! In addition to such an erudite summary, he goes on to annotate a series of instructive games that serve to buttress his 'rule'.

One excellent chapter follows another. Chapter two details his characterizations of the game as having two "personalities": fighting chess and technical chess. This brings to mind the usual strategy versus tactics argument. Strategical operations seem to be what the author likes to term "fighting chess" (the jockeying for a better position) and once that is achieved, launching tactical operations (his "technical chess"). Crouch does a very good job of explaining the differences and goes on to give examples with well-annotated games. The wonderous thing is the precise brevity with which he explains that which some other authors have wasted reams of paper on. He is to be commended. After these come the following chapters: Sacrifices and Combinations; Piece Mobility: Breaking the Symmetry; Piece Mobility: The Center and the Flank; The Initiative; The Attack Goes Wrong and finally, Quizzes. In all these chapters, Crouch, to show proper attacking technique, uses the games of (then and still) rising superstar Alexander Morozevich as he hacked his way through the 1994 Lloyds Bank Masters tournament, ending with a 9.5/10 score against titled players!

The whole book is dotted with good advice on how to carry out attacks (and importantly, without prejudice to either the kingside or the queenside, a point he stresses and one that is well worth remembering). He highlights each important point with italicized text, a nice addition to an already superlative effort. In all, I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to start playing clean, surgical but imaginative chess. The kind of chess that creates tournament winners. The final "Quizzes" chapter enables the reader to show how well understood the text was (or wasn't!). A fitting companion to the attacking Bible: The Art of Attack by Vukovic.

What a shame this book isn't in print. Although the book is slim, the author gives plenty of good direct advice. The advice is focused on attack. This is not an openings book or a tactics book. There are a series of about 20 quiz positions in the rear of the book. Many of these center around a move that creates a positional weakness that can be attacked later.
An annotated example game (or two) is given as the body of each major theme. Attacking with the three piece method. When the attack goes wrong. Switching attack. Very useful. Very readable.

This is still available as a new book at amazon.co.uk, and it may be worth getting there even for US players, as it's getting rare and pricey on this side of the Atlantic.

It's an excellent book on the basics of conducting an attack. Topics covered include the 3-piece rule(brilliant!), technical vs. fighting chess, sacs and combinations, piece mobility, the initiative, and refuted attacks.

Highly recommended before longer works like Art of Attack by Vukovic. It's perfect for club players, or those of us who find Mark Dvoretsky's serious works on similar topics tough to absorb.

Anything written by Crouch can be bought sight unseen; quality is assured. This book is no exception. A number of topics are presented which other writers have glossed over. One example is the fight for piece activity, which is a goal in itself, regardless of whether the opponent has weaknesses or not. Another example is the use of initiative. Though the book is thin, the density of ideas is high and there is much to ponder and digest. I'm now waiting for his book on defensive techniques.

I played this game as a child with my grandparents all the time. I loved it!! I was one of the only kids in my 2nd grade class that knew what all these authors had written. It was such a fun game!

My parents turned me on to authors when I was a kid and, now 56, I play it with them every time I go home. We're on our 10th set of the game but still have the original set saved at home. I leave to see them on Wednesday and they are beginning to warm up the cards as we speak. Buy the game for your family. A fine, fine, way for the whole family to spend its time. Note: there are also sets of SciFi Authors, modern authors, scientists, etc. But, the original game remains the best.

The "Authors" card game of my youth helped me through many a sticky situation. I have been brilliant at cocktail parties when I could recall that Longfellow wrote the "Song of Hiawatha". I have breezed through crossword puzzles with my arcane knowledge of Nathaniel Hawthorne. I am familiar with more Louisa May Alcott titles than just "Little Women". And now I am introducing my children to the classics. We just flew home to Florida from Boston, and my children (ages 9 and 10) and husband (who was an English major in college and was thrilled to have his memory jogged) played the "Authors" game while I was able to read the latest Elizabeth George. The three of them were engaged in lively (and quiet) play for more than a hour! The sign of a truly groovy game. The flight attendant took note of the game for her 10 year old son. This is a wonderful game which introduces the names and titles of books which everyone should read, and now, maybe another generation will.

Drawbacks: the art is too small to be appreciated; not enough graphic impact. The type for both the authors's names and the book titles is also much too small. I might be a baby boomer who has just started wearing reading glasses, but even my 9 year old had trouble with the unfamiliar names in the bitsy type.

Authors was my favorite card game as a child (and still is)and I was thrilled to find my kids (now 13 and 11, but we've been playing it for years) love it as much as I did. It plays like Go Fish but way more challenging because you don't just ask for William Shakespeare but Hamlet by William Shakespeare and if they have Julius Caesar instead, well watch out for your Romeo and Juliet! My kids coined "GO READ" as the response to a wrong guess.This game familiarized me with the names and works of many great authors and I went on to read most of these titles out of curiosity. A family favorite I'm here to replace my original extremely dog-eared deck today.

Our parents bought this card game for us when we were youngsters. I am now 53 years old and a grandmother. I am so glad that we were "poor" back then and had to stay home and play this game and read books. This game is a great learning tool, it is played basically like "fish", but you start memorizing the classics and their author. Everyone should buy and play this game with their children.