Puzzles Books

Challenging fun. Just enough of a challenge but not so much that you can't do it. Fun. Thus saith husband, doer of sudoku

First let me say I have too much Sudoku. I love this particular logic puzzle, and have collected a dozen or so different books of them. A couple I purchased when I was in the hospital and didn't have access to my original book. A few more I purchased because of some interesting variations in the puzzles. The point is, I have no reason to buy more Sudoku books for a long time unless something special about it compells me to.

The I saw this book. Kind of a cheesy way to cash in on a popular book and movie currently out, and the puzzles at hand really relate in no way to The Da Vinci Code. But they did throw in a twist that caught my attention. Basically, working your way through the book, another puzzle is slowly decoded and revealed. I think it's a nice approach that keeps this from being just another Sudoku book. Definitely a nice book to have for any Sudoku enthusiast.

As a Sudoku enthusiast I have a hard time finding interesting Sudoku books. The square grids have become a bit boring so I went on to the variations (circles, snakes, mazes, etc). So when I saw the grids in this book I fully intended it to be one of "those" books that you pick up here and there to work on a puzzle. But no, I too was consumed. It was like reading a book where you couldn't put it down. The codes build and I wanted to know what the next phrase was going to be. I worked on it every morning to wake up my mind and only intended to solve one puzzle...... an hour later and I'm still going! It does get hard so I too would say it's for a more expert solver but it is not impossible. I managed to solve it and sent for my button hoping they would say how many have solved it. Oh well - ENJOY!!

I bought this book for Christmas-2006. I wasn't much into Sudokus but the cover and cultural climate of the time caught my eye and thus I caught on very quickly.

Well, I just received my 'Solved The Code' pin today, along with a letter from Francis Heaney (co-author) who included a personal inscription in the note (Thank You!). I feel - well - accomplished, fulfilled. Whole.

Seriously, the last 6 months have been a blast. I now consider myself a Sudokruiser - one who can solve a grid in minutes. I recommend this book to obssesive/compulsives, like myself. But be prepared to say 'so-long' to your obligations and family as sudokus can be very addictive.

If you can't finish the book and need the final answer, here it is:
The final answer is...

***uh - what the???? **** ahhhhhhhhh!

[Sorry, the author of this message was just eaten by a great white shark - Amazon Editor-In-Chief Whitley Seymore.]

I've done Sudoku puzzles of all kinds and as much as I love them, they have become very easy for me. I can do them in pen. Once I purchased this book there's a challenge at every page, and with no answers in the back of the book the only way you know if it's right is to complete all 200 puzzles. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Based on the same-titled movie released in 2001, Mel Odom's novelization of the Angelina Jolie flick is top-notch, enveloping every quality that made the archaeologist one of the most popular icons of the video game franchise.
Lara Croft observes the first third of a complete planet alignment - an event that happens once every five thousand years - through the high-tech telescope at her home, Croft Manor. Little did she know, only hours later, she would become an integral part in protecting the alignment's omnipotent power from ill-intended hands.

Through her deceased father's gift of a planetary clock, she travels from one exotic location to another to locate the pieces of the power's medium, a triangle emblazoned with the All-Seeing Eye, the Masonic symbol of omniscience. But an internal desire to see her father again brings her motives to locate the triangle halves into question. If she finds the pieces, will she use the power it contains for herself? Or will she snatch the godly control away from her foes and bury its abilities for another five thousand years?

Odom's literary portrayal is accurate and engrossing, detailing the emotional impact of each event and discovery, someting that may be lacked in the film version. Rather than drooling over Angelina Jolie, Raider fans can envision the described settings and locales in the book with relative ease, with every exotic touch in place. There are only very slight changes in the book, such as Croft enemy (or perhaps not) Alex West's naked romp from the shower to the bedroom in response to mysteriously lurking shadows (provided by Croft, of course); that differs from the movie's ending locale of the dining room and its strategically placed dining table.

But the story proceeds with the same heart-pounding action and romantic passion that's found in the box-office seller. Though short, it makes the reader feel as though they are in Croft's military-booted shoes, even as much as the video games do.

- T.C. Robson

This book is great. It is just like the movie, only with a little more dialouge. There are even parts before Lara's dad died telling how he tried to stop the evil. The deleted scenes only able to watch on the DVD are in this book, and I thought that was great! The action level seems a little less than the movie. The book seems to just speed by the action and to the point. I didn't really like that factor. If you liked the movie, read the novel, it is GREAT!

Very good in fact. It adds alot to the movie. More fleshed out characters and such. It's only 6 bucks, so what do you have to ose? Another plus is the 8 pages of pictures featuring the amazingly beautiful Angelina Jolie.

This book was just.. WOW!! It was way better then the movie, b/c the movie can only put a certain amount of scenes, but the book you get it all! i loved all the stuff between lara and alex, if you are a lara/alex fan this book is definatly for you!!

Long ago a meteor fell onto Earth with a magical, metallic form within it. Witnessing its power, it was forged into the (thought of) holy form of a triangle and a temple was formed to protect it. A city grew around the temple, The People of the Light were there. During an invasion, the nine planets aligned and the power of the Triangle was shown. Realizing no mortal should possess such power, the High Priest ordered it cut into two smaller triangles. One stayed at the temple. The other was hidden at the end of the Earth. However, the Craftsman who cut the Triangle in half secretly made a highly advanced device. It could serve as a guide to find the hidden piece, and preserve the Triangle's powers for future generations. It was a magic clock.

Lady Lara Croft was much like her father had been. Beginning with a clock he had hidden for her to find someday and tales he had told her as a child, she must set out to save the world. The Illuminati, a secret group of powerful people, were out to find the two triangle pieces before the planets aligned (which happened only once every 5,000 years). At her side was Mr. Hillary, her butler, and Bryce, her technician. Two tombs must be entered and survived or the world would belong to Manfred Powell.

***** I made that brief as possible, but left out much to do it. Even though the movie, as of now, has not been released, I can already tell that the book gives much more insight to Lara and the adventure in which she finds herself. However, many scenes have the potential to be much more vivid and exciting on the big screens! I found it to be a wonderful book! I plan to be in the theater, with a huge group of friends, on its first night out! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is an interesting book I'd found at the library, and ordered it on Amazon as soon as I could. It tells four different stories per page, and you have to figure out which story goes where, and when each one starts and ends, and how they're all connected somehow. I really like this one more than the children do. It's too illogical for most of them.

I find that I can follow the connection between the stories better with each reading. It is one of my 10 favorite children's books of all time.

Black and White is a children's picture book, but I have shared it not only with little ones but also with groups of high school juniors and a group of adults who also enjoyed the fun in this book. The "warning" on the title page tells you thatthis could be one story or four stories. Each page offers four quadrants with a story in each, and it is up to the readers to put the pieces together. It is a great book to read with others and have a ball as you play with the author through a lot of fun!

Simply geniusly told, it's amazing how someone can come up with such a story-riddle. Is it four stories or is it one story? Certain to spark discussions as one hint after the other reveals a little more. A book unlike any other. Smart and fun entertainment. Beautifully illustrated. David Macaulay at his best.

I bought this book because of the author's reputation and was not disappointed. Several story lines appear to occur simultaneously and enjoyably. I plan to use this book with small groups of students and ask each student to narrate a different story line. This is a fairly complex picture book that I'm sure all will enjoy.

David Macaulay is known for his architectural books: Pyramid, Castle, and City: a Story of Roman Planning and Construction and their accompanying videos. However, this Caldecott winner is a demonstration of that soaring Macaulay imagination!

Macaulay posts this warning right on the title page: "This book appears to contain a number of stories that do not necessarily occur at the same time. Then again, it may contain only one story. In any event, careful inspection of both words and pictures is recommended."

I'll say this at the beginning: As a children's librarian, I would never read or show this to a class. There is no way to explain this complicated, interconnected book of four stories that run into and out of each other.

Here is how they look. There are four stories on the two adjoining pages with two stories per page. Each story has predominant colors of blue, green, brown, and black and white. Colors and patterns spill and slip from one story to the next, but the thrust of the story is done in black and white. It must be noted that Macaulay is NOT saying that everything is black and white. Oh no! If anything he is saying that everything is NOT black and white, but he uses black and white, both words and pictures, to say it.

What I just wrote in that last sentence gives a sense of the story. It is brilliantly creative! I had a special story time with some gifted students last year, second graders. They had so much fun with this book. I had to get them started on "reading" the pictures (this is a picture book with narrative on each story block), but once they caught on, they rip-roared with the story!!

Remember the admonition to stay in the lines and not think outside the box. David Macaulay failed that class because he both colors outside the lines--literally--and his characters get outside their cartoon boxes and into each other's boxes. The story is one big paean to imagination, creativity, whimsy, flight of fancy, freedom to explore, and freedom to see the Big Picture.

Wow, this is one great book. Every child should own it! I certainly do!

Do you really want to learn the very core of chess endgames? Then just buy this book (and read it)!

If you are looking for the definitive one-volume endgame manual, this is the book, make no mistake. FCE is sensational. Somehow the authors have achieved the almost super-human feat of writing a monumental reference work that is at the same time instructive and readable. As well as explaining the techniques and principles of thousands of endgames, the authors have even gone to the trouble of inserting numberous tests and puzzles. It is obvious they really care about the reader assimilating the material.
As the project was meticulously checked by computer program, and the typesetter was John Nunn, it is safe to say the quality of analysis and assessments is as close to perfection as is possible. The book belongs in the library of anyone who takes chess seriously.

This is one-volume encyclopaedia covering all endgame techniques. An advanced chess book for players rated over 2000. I would not recommend this endgame book for players rated below 2000. The problem for those players is that it is not easy to find the endgame elements and techniques a player rated below 2000 should focus on and exclude the rest. I miss a clearer index of the instructive examples (this is almost given as a footnote on the last page). It is not easy to lookup different standard position and techniques in this book. Examples are Triangulation, Vancura position, etc. Even the simple technique - opposition, has no chapter name, so have to go to the chapter "2.1 King + Pawn (s) vs King" to find it. But of course, this is an award winning book, so if you want an advanced "all-in-one" endgame book, this is the book for you.

Many of the other reviews have argued that Karsten and Muller have created a single-volume endgame book that has all the key points of the endgame.

This may be so, but I have tried to sit down and use it for study only to be disappointed. The material is fairly well organized, but it is too dense to work with. This is the sort of endgame book that gives endgame books a bad name. It is full of information but is dry as dust.

I recommend Dvoretsky's "Endgame Manual" instead for almost all players. That book uses two colors of font to highlight important positions. "Fundamental Chess Endings uses almost the same style as "Basic Chess Endings" (written by Reuben Fine 19 1941) and feels as dusty.

If you have the money and desire, get both books. But you will probably use Dvoretsky's book more.

Chess Endings are very important, as Lasker, Capablanca and modern chess teachers say.
At my small local club, we are all at class C and sub-class B. They are very good tactical players, and prefer to play the middle-games where there are still many pieces left. Player A is the best tactician there, has been the number one for three straight years. (My tactics are not as good as most of theirs. Luckily, I learn a few tips from Chernev's writing.)
a) One day (I witnessed), player A obtained a position in Rook Ending, and each side had a Rook. He got four Pawns on the K-side, his opponent (player B) had 2 on the Q-side; the Kings were on the rear of their own Pawns. So far so good. Player B had his K on second rank, while player A had his K on the back-rank! Player A kept giving useless checks and ignored advancing his un-opposed Pawns. Player B cleverly advanced his K and Pawns at every opportunity. To our horror, player B got his Pawn and R to the seventh and his K was right behind them. And we know the rest of the story.
b) Weeks later same player A won a Knight for a Pawn from me in the opening. After that, he just moves aimlessly with the goal to win on the clock, while I used my active Rook to win another Pawn. Only then he tried to trade off our last Rooks, which I quickly calculated and complied. Besides his centralized Knight, he had one Pawn on c-file; I had 3 Ps on h-, c- and b-files (all of mine had reached mid-field). His K was on his own third, while mine was at fourth rank. I saw that I could at least have a draw. Because his K was unable to defend both sides simultaneously, I could force him to trade off his last P. To my surprise, he let my b-Pawn become connected passed pawn. And after my K entered his K-side, the game was over. He had to let go his Knight for my h-pawn.
c) Another time I visited a cross-town chess club. In a tournament, an expert playing white had Bishop and 2 Pawns versus his sub-1700 opponent who had lone R. All white pieces had reached or passed mid-field with his Pawns on g5 and h6. It was about the adjournment time. The tournament director, also a chess master, came by to observe the game during the black piece player considered his sealed move. I waited for the master to study the position for 20-30 seconds, and then I pulled him aside and whispered to him that the game was a draw. He said, "No, white is winning." I then answered that all black had to do was to give check to white K via the back-rank and trade his R for white g-Pawn (white could not block the check by his B!); white was left with the wrong colored B! That was the first and only time I could show-off my "computing prowess" to a master, ;-). The story didn't end here. While the sub-1700 player was working out his sealed move, the expert said, "It doesn't take much longer, let's play a few more moves." I think, the expert felt regrettable for saying that so he immediately corrected, "Let's get together over the weekend and finish our game." Now isn't it something? I just learned a lesson on how a chess player should treat an inferior opponent!

Three examples above show that endgame experience can be really important and fun. Now let us go back to the book FCE. This book is masterwork. The cover is beautifully designed. The book is reasonable size and light. It is larger than The Amateur's Mind both in size and content, but is more comfortable to handle. The content table in front and the table of database on the back provide two quick ways to search for the positions of interest. The analysis is professionally deep. The explanation of each chapter and section is very clear and easy to follow. The font, the diagrams, and layout are very handsome. This book doesn't have as much examples as Fine's BCE, but the critical positions are all here, and the analysis is much deeper and more accurate. Almost all the positions are from actual games so they are very realistic. For correspondent games, I often search this book for the endgames like Q + Ps, R + Ps, Minor Piece endings. Before I have FCE, I used BCE mainly, but BCE doesn't have enough diagrams and is dated. It may take me at least 5 complete years to study this book; and Fine, at least 10 years. This book is classic (I hope the paper and spine will last long for at least 20 years), I don't mind to have an extra copy to write the experimental notes.

Thank you for the hours of fun the kids have had search the 5 books we ordered.

My husband and I have more fun with these books whether it's with our grandson or our friends. We really get into it and found that it helps our eye coordination and our memory. I would highly recommend this to anyone at any age!

I find these books great mind stretchers, even for us older folks. This book especially is a learning tool because there is a page with all the letters of the alphabet surrounded by little objects that start with each letter. Another page groups things by category with overlapping categories. Really well done.

Bought this book for my kids who are ages six and seven. Good mix of hard to find and easier to find items. We also bought I spy books for other kids that we know and they were hooked. Makes a nice gift.

I love this series our daughter is about to enter kindergarten and she really enjoys finding all the items on each page!

Excellent book!!! It helped my kids and myself complete the game! Help alot during complicated levels.

This guide helped me a lot to beat the game. I got stuck at the second dungeon so I bought the guide. The only problem is that the walkthrough for the seventh dungeon, Eagle Tower, I got lost and couldn't really figure out what to do, so I just walked around trying different stuff. But other than that, this guide is perfect and you should get it if you own the game.

IT KICKS BIG BUT I BOUGHT IT FOR MY FREIND AND HE BEAT THE GAME IN ONE DAY! BUY IT NOW! ! !

What can I say? This guide book is very well put together, aiding the young adventurer (i.e. you) thru his quest in beating the Wind Fish and solving the elusive mystery of Koholint Island. It is very well thought out, with complete maps for everything. Of course, it being a guide book, if you really want to beat it you ought try to do it yourself first, and consult the book only when necessary. But they have done a very fine job.

There is one stint I have against it, however. At the beginning of each section, they have suggestions for things you ought to do. This is all well and fine - but one some of these they should direct you to the page number that dealt with that specific item or whatever it is. Example: they say in one of the later sections it is good to go and get your boomerang. You have to go back and find where they talk about the boomerang (which, as I remember, in the early part of the book, not the section it should be). But this is only a minor stint.

Another good thing is they have a map, and on the back of that is where to get all the new pictures from the camera shop. The only problem with that is if you lose the map, you're basically screwed in the picture department.

Visually very nicely laid out. You can very clearly tell where you need to go. The dungeons are taken step by step, and is an excellent example in the writing of guides. I would like to see more of their work: if its anywhere near this good, then they're great overall. They should be regularly featured guide writers (they probably are). The one problem I mentioned is only minor, and does not deserve to detract an entire star.

Therefore, this guide book is 4 & ½ stars. Keep it up you guys! Actually, on second thought, a full 5 stars.

What can I say? This guide book is very well puttogether,aiding the young adventurer (i.e. you) thru his quest inbeating the Wind Fish and solving the elusive mystery of Koholint Island. It is very well thought out, with complete maps for everything. Of course, it being a guide book, if you really want to beat it you ought try to do it yourself first, and consult the book only when necessary. But they have done a very fine job.

There is one stint I have against it, however. At the beginning of each section, they have suggestions for things you ought to do. This is all well and fine - but one some of these they should direct you to the page number that dealt with that specific item or whatever it is. Example: they say in one of the later sections it is good to go and get your boomerang. You have to go back and find where they talk about the boomerang (which, as I remember, in the early part of the book, not the section it should be). But this is only a minor stint.

Another good thing is they have a map, and on the back of that is where to get all the new pictures from the camera shop. The only problem with that is if you lose the map, you're basically [messed up] in the picture department.

Visually very nicely laid out. You can very clearly tell where you need to go. The dungeons are taken step by step, and is an excellent example in the writing of guides. I would like to see more of their work: if its anywhere near this good, then they're great overall. They should be regularly featured guide writers (they probably are). The one problem I mentioned is only minor, and does not deserve to detract an entire star.

Therefore, this guide book is 4 & ½ stars. Keep it up you guys!

We bought this for our nephew's 4th birthday. I must say that I spent at least an hour looking through the book before I wrapped it. I thought it was really cool and couldn't get over how the closer you looked, the more you would see. Aidan liked the book but was much more interested in his sea of presents on his birthday. However, my brother tells me that after a few days, Aidan went back to this book and started looking at it with my brother. He loves it and gets excited when he can figure out what the items are.

I bought all of Steiner's books for my three year old for Christmas. This one is by far his favorite. I love reading each page and he finishes every sentence. If I would let him he would sleep with this book every night and it's fun for adults to look at too!!

The creativity oozes from this book. You'll never look at ordinary products in the same way again. The creative author of this book takes ordinary items and creates unique display pictures. You or your child can spend hours looking at each picture to see which unique items are used, and how they are used. Great gift, and great for libraries to have on hand

These books are spectacular, we play "I spy" with them and see something new every time.

What a wonderful book! I bought the book as a gift for my nephew and enjoyed it so much I nearly didn't want to give it away! Needless to say my nephew was delighted and loves the book. It's a great way to spend quality time with the younger generation, you will get as much pleasure as they do, finding all the cleverly arranged objects. A great way to wile away a cold winter's eve.

This is one of my all time favorite picture books for all ages. Peter Spiers beautiful illustrations need no words to tell this story. The possibilities for interacting with a child are endless as you wander through the familiar and find the surprising! My granddaughter is 2 years old and loves animals. What could be a better birthday gift?

The happy and humorous tone of this book will make it appealing to any child, whatever the family's religion.

The only text is at the beginning and it is a charming translation of a poem that summarizes the story of Noah. The poem is delightful in and of itself- Spier did a great job of translating.

The illustrations are then left without text, which is very refreshing, since there are so few picture books nowadays. I enjoy leisurely paging through this book with my young daughter, talking about the pictures in and of themselves, as pieces of art and as pictures that tell a story. I feel that the pressure is off in terms of trying to finish a sentence or a story when there is no text there.

In addition, this book is appropriate for Muslim families as well, since the illustrations (and beginning poem) are sufficiently vague as to accommodate for the small differences in the telling of the story in the Qu'ran and the Bible.

My first Peter Spier book. Not saccharine, wonderful details (including Noah mucking out the ark). Great to have a child read to YOU.

This is an excellent picture book - my three year old really loves it. My only "complaint" is that it takes a long time to go through all the pictures and talk about each one making it less than ideal right before bed unless you want to spend 20 minutes on just one book! Seriously though - the book is just wonderful and allows parents to go into whatever level of detail regarding the Noah story as they feel is appropriate for the age of their child. It is a softcover and the pages and cover are not of the highest quality - it would be lovely to have in hardcover with larger pages.

This book really does not need any words. It is so well illustrated that you can understand every part of the story. His detailing is stunning. Every time we read this book, we find new details. This is the best book of Noah's ark story!

This is definitely the most enjoyable store bought module I've adventured in. Our group has had a lot of fun going through this one.

There are two main features to this module that I enjoy the most:

1. Encounters are challenging.

There appear to be very few of what I call "fluff" encounters. Most of them fully challenge the abilities of our group. In this respect, it gives everyone a chance to contribute to the success of the encounter, not just the fighter type characters. Rouges, wizards, clerics and bards can all play an important role. (Our bard has been especially helpful.)

2. Role playing opportunities.

This adventure is not just a dungeon crawl with only combat. There are a number of encounters that can give the player characters a chance to practice role playing.

I'd rather not say much more, because I don't want to spoil any surprises. I'll just add that there appear to be some plot lines that could extend beyond this adventure. Perhaps WotC is planning a sequel?

Of all the 3rd edition adventures, i must say this is simply the best!
I just got this book and it kept the players wide awake all night long.
The enemy encounters are real challenging and you should be well prepared.
The plots, items, spells, and new templets are great.
This will get you WAY up after you have finished.

This book, its worth EVERY cent!

regards,
A satisfied costumer

I recently finished the original 1985 version of the Temple of Elemental Evil. For a DM who only plays for about 10 days total per year, this took years for us to complete. Near the end, we were like, man, when is this going to be over!? HOWEVER... this was definitely the coolest adventure I've ever been involved with. If you love solving puzzles, exploring rooms, killing weird monsters, and finding excellent treasure, this is without a doubt the greatest adventure you could possibly get. It's not too bad on a DM, either, since everything is well laid out and explained in marvelous detail. Keep in mind, this adventure will take you from low level way up the ladder, so there won't be much room for side adventures, although you might want to make a couple side adventures anyway to break some of the monotony, which may occur at times. Overall, assuming the new adventure is basically the same thing as the original (which I'll bet it is), I think you will be very pleased.

Although I agree with most of the feedback that this is a great module (the dungeon levels are excellent and well-documented). I would point out that the overland maps, while beautiful, are NOT TO SCALE and DO NOT MESH with the Living Grayhawk material. Also the maps and sketch of Hommlet DO NOT MATCH the old AD&D module (esp regarding terrain). Unfortunately this is typical of the Dungeons and Dragons product line. For example, the text says it's 30 miles to Verbobonc, but the overland map shows 90. There are no details about the river that flows past Hommlet, nor the one that flows past the moathouse. Nor are there any roads shown for the route to Rastor. While this is fine for hack and slash GMs who don't care about realistic whole-world detail, the more discerning GM will spend hours remapping and/or rescaling all the overland areas. Because there are no published detail maps for the world of Grayhawk, the GM must make his own maps, and face the prospect of reworking them later to fit future modules into the campaign. All-in-all, this is really just a case of poor editing. I would suggest dropping this module into your own campaign world and forgetting the World of Grayhawk altogether, since it so inconsistent and patchy. You may have to redo one or both of the two overland maps, but at least you can make it mesh.

First of all, let me say that this is easily the best module I have ever gotten my hands on for Dungeons and Dragons. It is very well written, provides everything in great detail, and is a hell of a lot of fun to run. As the DM of my home campaign, i must issue a few warnings to those who want to use this adventure. My campaign is set in the Forgotten Realms and thus I needed to do a fair bit of conversion to set the adventure in Faerun, but in the end it was well worth it.
DMs should remember before running this adventure that it is intended to be the backbone of an entire campaign, and if you run the entire thing, it most certainly will be just that. After conquering the Temple, your PCs will have saved the world (hope I'm not spoiling this for anybody), and the question for the DM is simply: Where do I go from here? Frankly my PCs are a bit disenchanted with the entire "Save the world, um, again" theme. I'll still give it five stars since it is the best module available as far as content is concerned, just make sure you want your campaign to be remembered as "When we did the Temple of Elemental Evil".

I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interesting in learning how to play blackjack. Good for beginners, but also has good material
for experienced players. Very easy to follow. Has interesting stories about how blackjack teams operate.

If someone could only buy one book on blackjack, I would highly recommend this one. I have been playing & counting for 15 years. This covers everything you need to be a winning player and then some. It also has something for everyone from the first-time novice to the seasoned professional (including some things I'd rather not see in print).

I have a hard time finding anything that was missed in this book, and it is written in straight-forward, easy-to-understand language. If anything is missing, it is the complex math that bogs down most of us anyway. Blaine instead offers up the best ways to make money, and that is what we are really after (at least me anyway).

Hey its about time a guy put a book together like this*****.

I recommend BJ Blueprint as the first book to read when learning the game. Everything is clearly explained and the stories mixed in are fascinating. Five Star Rating from this reader!

GOOO Train..

Robert

I'm reading "Blackjack Blueprint" for the second time.
It is an impressive tutorial and practice guide for
anyone seriously interested in learning to play blackjack.
Similar to Revere's classic work, Mr. Blaine explains the
basics one must learn to get an advantage playing the game.
Then he offers practice drills designed to ingrain those
basic skills/info, so the new BJ player can perform at a
level to compete with the casinos.
The last half of the book introduces related topics like
BJ tournament play, casino critters, comps, shuffle tracking,
team play, camouflage, etc. All interesting topics for aspiring
advantage players.
Blackjack Blueprint is among the best introductory books on
advantage blackjack play that I've read. It compares favorably
with Revere's and Wong's books, and is more up-to-date.
I don't hesitate to recommend it, and am happy to own it.

This book is without doubt the most well written and entertaining blackjack book around right now. I have read many many books on counting cards and the game of blackjack in general and this is by far the funniest read there is while actually giving really good information on counting cards and the game you must play to be a counter. Blackjack Blueprint doesn't bore you to death with super advanced systems that will cause you to sleep after read each single rule. Instead it's filled with many stories and useful information that are completely relevant to the situation that they accompany. If I were to have one blackjack book this would be the one without any doubt in my mind. I will also add that I don't read for fun at all, I only read books that will give me information and teach me how to do stuff. If all books were this good I would read more then I do.