Indoor Books

Although originally written as an introduction to chess - and for which it is still quite useful - it also is an opportunity for intermediate players to read the great Capablanca's annotations to twelve games he played against some of the strongest players ever known. We spend a lot of time studying chess books by modern masters and grandmasters and neglect the ideas of a chessplayer regarded for a time as practically invincible. An inexpensive, interesting primer that will repay study for players like myself (ELO 2023) and lesser rated.

Without question, this is the one book for a beginner to get. The book not only is written by what some consider to be the greatest chess player ever, it offers a ton of excellent advice. Capablanca shows what to do in the opening, middlegame and endgame. The end of the book offers his best games for instructional purposes. The best part of the book is his excellent advice and honesty. He does not hide knowledge from the reader. He is open and candid about everything. For example, some have wondered how Capablanca became so good. The answer is in this book. He writes that one should play over the games and examples in the book, and think of similar positions himself and keep going over this again and again. This is the "secret" to Capablancas success as he writes in the book;practice, practice and more practice. That is the key to chess wizadry. This book is excellent because it teaches the truth about chess mastery. It takes the reader from begginner to chess master and beyond. A great, great book.

That pretty sums this book up.I have found this book to be easy to follow as well as very insightful. Capablanca was a world class chess champion, but his terminology for this work is far from aloof. It is down to earth and to the point.He goes over rules, opening moves, middle game and ending. His points on strategy are priceless. I highly recommend this book to any beginner; it will improve your game - fast!

Solid info is contained in this book. but like the title says its a primer. From the material contained in the book i think it would benefit the beginer to someone rated around 1300.
if you dont have a book on chess this would be a great first book!! its definetely comparable to silman's HOW TO REASSESS YOUERE CHESS. though the content is more in silman's book. its mostly rules about how to think like him. and capablanca tries to help you develop youre own style.
i know people put this book down because its in descriptive notation, but it has a small section in the begining that shows you how to read it. Plus youll be able to buy other great books that are descriptive too! like botvitnik and alehkhine's books.
why not study with the greatest? i know people devate alot about who is the greatest. But he was in an era where he played against some of the best ever! like alehkhine, lasker, Nimzowich, tarrasch, and more. if youre a beginer theyre is no reason you should not have this book!

It is difficult to share the insights with my daughter. She has only learned the algebraic notation. Each of the other books we purchased have been translated into this format and it is much better for learning!

These are indeed challeging puzzles but I am improving as I go through the book. I love that the pages are perforated and the y can be easily removed, especially for the ones on the left hand pages. I can't wait to finish and try some of the other volumes!

For the intermediate to advanced crossword puzzle enthusiast, look no further than these puzzles published by Simon and Schuster. Hundreds of hours of challenging puzzle fun, featuring themed crosswords! Several volumes are available - all time well spent.

This series has a great variety of challenging crossword puzzles. Perfect for killing time on a Sunday afternoon, but be prepared to think, they are not just easy puzzles. Nice selection of puzzles, defientely recommend for the price.

EXCELLENT I LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU CAN TEAR OUT A PAGE WITHOUT TEARING UP THE WHOLE BOOK

Like all the books in this series, these are serious puzzles. They make you put on your thinking cap. Great book

I found the book very inspiring. The pictures in this book were meant as examples to push and inspire your imagine instead of taking a cookie cutter approach. The book also provides principles and strategies on how to implement your own ideas. However, the pictures provide primarily a modern and contemporary perspective for those of you who are die heart country chic or traditional.

This book is fantastic! Unlike a lot of books on the market, it will really help you develop YOUR OWN space to suit YOUR OWN wants, needs, and taste.

The first few sections are devoted to helping you really examine your own living situation: What are your basic needs for your space? What are your not-so-basic needs and wants that will make your space suitable to you? Now, what have you got to work with? How is the space defined? What are your limitations on changing it? And, how would you like it to look? Atkins asks very clear cut questions that will help you evaluate what you and your home are capable of.

The next few sections are on basic design principles that work in any area. Use of color, lighting - both natural and artificial, furniture, and your own home's architectural features (doors, walls, windows) are explored.

Finally, every room in the home is given it's own chapter. Every nook and cranny is scrutinized for maximum use of space. From layout to furniture to walls and floors, there is helpful advice on EVERYTHING. Large, colorful photos and examples abound; and there are even case studies that show a room and explain why and how it works.

There are a few things about this book that I think put it above others in the same category. First, it really does help you evaluate what YOU are capable of in your own space. Second, there are helpful hints in the sidebars on nearly every page, which can be quickly referenced time and time again. And third, it covers areas that are often overlooked by other design books, such as hallways, stairs, and the occasional terrace.

For someone who can only afford a new coat of paint to those about to take on a major renovation, anyone can and will find some useful advice in Small Spaces for Modern Living.

Over the years I've collected quite a few books on designing for small spaces. What I really like about this title is that it combines the best features from the wide array of books available on this subject matter. It doesn't just present you with intriguing ideas and cool photographs; it also provides important design concepts, so you truly understand the design solutions presented. The book starts with assessing and planning your space, then discusses a variety of applicable design styles (rather than just the often-sterile, minimalist/modern look so many books feature!), room-by-room ideas, and options for special circumstances (such as an attic or galleried space). The book is also laid out very well and is a joy to read and reread. My only complaint is that I wish there were photos of every idea mentioned!

This book has many wonderful images and lots of inspiration for your home. The only thing you might want to know is that the ideas are best for those who own their own condo or a small house. Renters might be inspired by this book but probably wouldn't be able to implement most of the ideas.

We recently bought a new condo and found this book helpful in planning how to organize and arrange our new condo. Living in a big city we've always been strapped for space and the time needed to organize. I think Atkins does a good job giving advice on how to purge and ideas on how to maximize space. My only compliant about design guides (either this book or magazines) is that they tend to show spaces that rarely resembles the cookie-cutter condo look that you often buy into.

I read this book years ago and it captivated me. I have always thought that this would be a great movie with a young Michael caine In the lead role. I cannot vouch that this is a truue story (I have heard conflicting reports that Norman Leigh never Existed - his system doesn't work etc etc) However its a great read even if its a work of fiction. The Book ends with the "hero" about to depart for Vegas, I have wondered what happened Ever Since. Sounds like time for "Thirteen Against the Mobs bank!"

While the tale of a team of gamblers taking down a famous casino in Monte Carlo is an engaging story, here's the problem: The gambling system described is simply not possible.

When I read the book, I had my father write a program to simulate 100,000 spins of a roulette wheel, using each of the gambler's moves (the outcome of the spin affects each team member differently).

It took about 5 seconds on this massive computer (at Abbott Laboratories) to re-create 100,000 spins. Results weren't even close to making money. We ran it again, several times, same outcome.

I then had him invert the program, that is reverse the logic revealed by Leigh's system. Maybe, I figured, the author was altering his strategy to hide the real method.

Back to the computer, back to the same results - nothing that amounts to winning money.

Cash in on good readaing from a fun older book, but don't get your hopes up to make a living off a the author's gaming system.

I read this book as a teenager and enjoyed it immensely. Since then, I've often wondered if it was true. I recently decided to write a simulation program that plays the system exactly as laid out in the book. What did I find? Email me at jwoodger@sympatico.ca, if you're interested.

I read the book in less than two days....truly was hard to put down....if you are just picking up a book to browse through and try and pick up a system, then you don't want the book...the system is explained throughout...no charts or graphs or any other BS....I found it to be a great read and have used a part of the system(mostly red/black and high/low) 5 times in the casinos(hardly enough to prove anything)but have walked away with $100+ each time...Now I don't have the capital to get a "Mushroom" as they call it, but if you can consistently walk away from the casino with $100-$200 for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of play...isn't that worth it.....Not quite as profitable as the European wheel, but it can still turn a profit with patience....BUY IT, READ IT AND ENJOY IT!

The fascinating account of how Norman Leigh took a team to break the bank at Nice using his roulette system. Dryly funny, it offers an insight into how gambling affects and alters personalties. It also illustrates a winning roulette system for those with the exceptional discipline, stamina and bankroll required to play it.

The content of the book was helpful. Would recommend to anyone that is interested in house plants.

This is an great book for beginners plus it's cute and small and easy to read (this book would be especially appropriate for teenagers and older children). Chapters include: "Choosing Houseplants" including how to match plants to the growing conditions in your home and how to grow bulbs indoors; "Light and Humidity;" "Watering Know-How;" "Feeding Your Plants;" "Pots and Potting On;' "Pruning and Training;" "Propagating Houseplants;" "Tackling Pests and Diseases;" "Favorite Houseplants;" and "Display & Arrangement." The "Favorite Houseplants" chapter includes descriptions and growing requirements for 20 easy-to-grow plants including English Ivy, Philodendrons, Rubber Plants, Boston Ferns, African Violets, Cyclamens, Hyacinths, Poinsettias and Geraniums, etc. "Display & Arrangement" has instructions for container plants, hanging baskets and terrariums. The only reservation I have about this book is that some of the symbols used to designate humidity and amount to water are a bit confusing; in particular, I had a little trouble telling the difference between the medium drop ("water moderately") and the small drop ("water sparingly").

This book is an essential guide, just as the title says, for anyone interested in caring for house plants. Good photographs along with excellent tips make this a good starter before buying a plant. I found it particularly useful that it recommended plants according to my own lifestyle, location, as well as advice on what to look for when buying a houseplant.

I keep this book right next to my watering can and refer to it for helpful hints every time one of my plant leaves turn yellow, or brown or another problem turns up.

It covers lots of information in few words. The illustrations are quite helpful. Love it, and wouldn't do without it

This is really a very useful book for beginners and intermediate players.
The only thing that hurts a bit is the steep price !

Another very good book for starters (but also advanced players) is Paul Lamfords "starting out in backgammon", which is moch cheaper !

This book really helped me improve my skills. There are two really good sections on Doubling. A nice chapter on the back game. Other topics are duplication, flexibility, priming, slotting.

This book helps me win more games!

I was expecting a little more than I got. The book is not reader friendly. A little more wordy than I thought.

If you play online as I do you should read this book.
I've been playing online at http://www.play65.com/index.html?did=13610 and increased my ratings from 1400 to 1700.
the section about the doubling theory was the most importan one for me.

Peter Adams has achieved international stature as one of the finest bonsai practitioners alive. Classically trained as a studio artist at the Royal Academy of Arts, Mr. Adams essentially pioneered the art of bonsai in the UK in the 1950s. What distinguishes him both as a bonsai artist and author is his vast knowledge of horticulture combined with his grasp of bonsai aesthetics as expressed through Western art doctrines. His ability to communicate those two integral disciplines clearly and powerfully in his writing and drawing contributes to the value of his work.

Bonsai Landscapes is first and foremost a guide book. It is a reference from which bonsai enthusiasts can draw inspiration and salient information concerning the creation and maintenance of miniature landscapes. As is typical of Mr. Adams, the subjects are examined and discussed using the universal language of aesthetics rather than a culturally-oriented system of artistic ideals. When needed for emphasis or clarity, the author will of course make note of a certain form or composition that evokes an Eastern locale or style. However, he is just as likely to create the image of a British hedgerow or American rainforest when the material and potential allow.

Thirteen plantings of a wide variety of materials are reviewed by the author. A history of each planting is presented and consideration is given to the original artist's intent. Then the landscapes' forms are tuned and adjusted by Mr. Adams to create more harmonious designs. Mr. Adams' pen and ink sketches give a clear sense of the desired refinement for the future. Liberally sprinkled throughout the book, horticultural notes on the species used as well as viable design choice alternatives enrich the text. The reader is left with the notion that beauty in bonsai is not an end goal, but rather a transitory state through which the trees will rise and fall over the course of their lifetime.

Later chapters discuss topics such as tools and materials and sources for plant materials. In an especially helpful chapter titled `Styling The Plants', the author outlines basic to intermediate pruning and styling techniques and why they are appropriate. Of particular interest is the chapter 'Making a Rock Planter' in which the artificial rock construction developed by Mr. Adams and Bill Jordan is described. Although some detail is offered, it would have been of more use if the descriptions went a step further and provided more in-depth instructions on textures and coloring of the cement. (Bonsai enthusiasts eager to try such a project can look to Chase Rosade of Rosade Bonsai Studio, New Hope, PA who regularly teaches these techniques in classes and workshops.)

The book concludes with a hands-on step by step 'how to' section about recreating each of the thirteen plantings. Each planting is carefully described and materials needs and their sources are fully and clearly presented.

This 128 page volume, a fine addition to any bonsai library, has been illustrated with Bill Jordan's excellent photographs.

Having been involved in bonsai for about 20 yrs and especially like forests & groves, I feeel that Peter's book is one of the two best on the topic. It is imformative, the photographs are excellent, and he gives you step-by-step details for serveral different projects as shown in the book. This, as well as any other of Peter's books, is a must for a bonsai library.

This book was terrific for me both as a beginner and to my friends, Who are long-time Bonsai enthusiasts. The wonderful photography made the reading very enjoyable and also illustrated the topics well.

nice arrangement with colourful pictures . easy diagrams with simple explanation . recommended for starters and pro .

Michael Mepham does it again. A great follow up to the first book. I love this one too.

Addictive.

But this particular book will tend to drive you crazy for 2 reasons:

1 - too little space: the puzzles are too small to allow one to write in solutions (gets awfully, awfully messy).

2 - misleading organization: some of the easy puzzles are really too complicated and some supposedly complicated ones are relatively easy -- leading to much confusion and frustration!. After hours of obsessive puzzling I went back to puzzle #1 for an easy break (I didn't solve it when I started). It was NOT easy at all but harder than most subsequent puzzles even in the "tough" section. I can prove it quite graphically.

Did the authors actually solve these puzzles??? I wonder.

50% LARGER VERSION (workaround): I eventually used Excel software to make a resuable, easily printed layout with nicely bold borders like in the book BUT 50% larger so I could have space to pencil in and erase the often very complex potential solutions.

I also had to devise a simple way of marking numbers to keep track of how selection of one number selected or eleminated others. The pathways get very complicated and you can trace effects through 20+ numbers before discovering a conflict or, worse, not discovering a conflict in a number selection which actually is incorrect. [My markings were underline "_" under selected number and short vertical mark "│" under eleminated number.]

I got so frustrated with the bad organization and overly complex puzzles that I eventually threw the book away (into woodstove).

If you want to avoid the addiction of this game, don't buy the book.

If you buy the book, use a spreadsheet program to make a simple grid that you can fill in from the book and print. It's the only sane way. My revised puzzle size makes it possible to solve the more complex puzzles AT ALL. And, like I say, the difficulty has little to do with the groupings, which is misleading (to repeat myself).

It amuses me to hear these number puzzles referred to as a hot new craze to hit the US, since I used to solve these puzzles many years ago in the Dell puzzle magazines. I believe Dell is actually the originator of this puzzle, which was called "Number Place" rather than "Sudoku." The rules are quite simple. Given a 9 by 9 square grid, you have to arrange the digits one through nine into the grid so that the same number does not appear more than once in any row, column, or subgrid. Although it sounds easy, it can be fiendishly difficult. It takes reasoning, logic, and, in the case of the harder puzzles, a lot of persistence.

This Sudoku collection contains a detailed guide on how to solve easy, medium, and difficult puzzles (and yes, the harder the puzzle the more complex the approach that must be taken to solve it). It contains more than 130 puzzles arranged in order of difficulty from easy to diabolical. The grids are large and easy to work with. This book will keep you challenged for a long time. Warning: these puzzles can be habit forming!

Eileen Rieback

Last night I had a friend over and my sudoku book happened to catch my eye. Suddenly I wanted her to go home so I could work on the puzzle. That book has some serious power over me!

I used to play chess avidly in my youth, partly as a result of reading this book.

The book is structured as a series of fifty independent chess problems based on the settings and characters of the Arabian Nights (cleverly reworded to Arabian Knights in the subtitle). Smullyan ingeniously frames the problems as short stories (say, a murder mystery), engaging the child's imagination. The puzzles are sorted in increasing order of difficulty. The first few are short and simple, allow the reader to gain confidence, while the last few are up to fives pages long. There are solutions at the back.

I'm keeping my copy for posterity.

This is a very entertaining book but the editing was quite poor. The author is very clever, but he has set up some impossible situations i.e., one side will have 17 pieces, etc. In the first 11 problems, I found four such mistakes. It may be that this has been discovered by the author or publisher, and the book is out of print for that reason.

I believe this is one of the best books that you can buy. The entire book is mesmerising, from start to finish. Don't pick it up if you were waiting for the bus or during lunch -- it'll probably need a whole Sunday afternoon and even then you'll be solving the problems at work on Monday.

It is entertaining as it is, but it gets better if you work your way through and start solving puzzles of your own without looking at the solutions.

One way to increase the fun is to work with a partner. That way, you'll be able to explain most "impossible" situations in one go, because what you might miss again and again, your partner might catch.

I read this book and "The Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" and both are absolute gems. If you don't like the book, it simply means you don't have the aptitude and patience for solving puzzles.

The prevoius reviewer misses the point of the problems, I think. They are not normal chess problems. They are "retrograde analysis" problems, where you have figure out how a given position came to be.

Perhaps this is the reviewer's problem: he claims several of the positions are impossible. In fact, the challenge is to figure out how in the world they *can* be possible; many do indeed look impossible at first sight. I disgree that the book is filled with mistakes. I've worked all the problems, and haven't found any mistakes.

This is a wonderful book, cleverly written, full of ingenious and diabolical puzzles. I heartily recommend it.

Perhaps now that the companion volume, Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, has been reprinted, this one will be as well. It is a classic.

Riding on the back of the fantasy role playing game craze came these interesting books, and plenty more popped up along with them on other topics, from other publishers.

They were designed so that all you would need was a pencil and a simple randomiser and be able to carry the whole thing around with you, and introduce the game and chance into it.

A Dungeon bash, of course.

Deathtrap Dungeon, written in 1984 by Ian Livingstone, was the sixth edition to the growing Fighting Fantasy series. This adventure is set, like most of the earlier FF books, in the medieval fantasy land of Allansia. There is a successful town in north Allansia called Fang. It's ruler, a certain Baron Sukumvit, decided to make Fang the centre of a great contest, to be held once each year, called the 'Trail of Champions'. Now, this Trail of Champions involved the Baron tunneling a deadly labyrinth into the hills behind the town. The labyrinth, named Deathtrap Dungeon (if you didn't already know), was then riddled with fiendish traps and vicious monsters to trick and test any contestants trying their luck. Just before the grand opening, Sukumvit selected ten of his finest troops to enter the dungeon, as a test of it's lethality. Much to the Baron's delight; none of the troops were ever seen again! The call then went out to adventurers all over Allansia. Many adventurers were eager to test their skills in Deathtrap Dungeon, for the honour of being the first to survive the labyrinth and collect their own weight in gold as a reward. As yet, none have survived to claim the prize...Until now, that is!! You start as an adventurer, signed up for the Trail of Champions, the eve before the contest starts. The next day, you line up outside Deathtrap Dungeon, ready to start your adventure. Five other contestants enter the dungeon with you. These are: an armoured Knight, a robed Ninja, a female Elf Warrior and two 'Arnold Schwarzenegger look-a-like' Barbarians. So, the race is on! To succeed in your goal you have to beat the other contestants (by fair or foul means), avoid becoming a victim of the many cunningly lethal traps, find and collect various items, vital if you are to escape alive, find your way through quite a complex maze and hack-'n'-slash your way through loads of Deathtrap Dungeon's inhuman inhabitants (this is my favourite part!!) For 'true' diehard FF fans; this book is a real roller-coaster ride. The book is original, well written, engaging and (fairly) complex. The book has some nice parts to it: Stumbling onto the remains of past contestants, impaled on spikes, ending up as stew for the Boodbeast, meeting the 'Trial Masters', Poison Ivy and those playful Trogoldytes (no, I won't tell you! You'll have to find out about them for yourself!!) There are some really nice 'adult' traps and ways to die as well; the 'Vice' trap and drinking the acid, which burns a hole in your stomach, are real corkers. As for bad parts......Well, I couldn't really think of any. This book is a very good edition to the FF series. Not being linear (like a lot of later books) the dungeon can be explored many times differently. The ending is especially challenging and exciting. Iain McCaig's illustrations are of the usual excellent quality; they really bring Deathtrap Dungeon alive, adding immeasurably to the atmosphere of the book. In fact, without his contribution, the book probably wouldn't of been so well received So, in my ending summary of number six; Deathtrap Dungeon. I would say that it is an absolute classic; this book is about as good as FF gets!

The Strategy guide offers everything it promises and more, with one exception. This is the strategy guide for the playstation version, NOT the PC. If you want the PC version, DON'T puchase this book, for the first board is entirely different and I'm not sure what else is changed in the playstation verson until I get my Map Book version. In short, Don't get suckered like I did!!!!!!!

This isn't a strategy guide at all. It is the original Fighting Fantasy Gamebook. Silly man. Check what you're reviewing before you post.