Novice/Beginner Book Recs?
#1
Posted 2012-March-21, 08:11
I've heard that Bridge for Dummies is better than you might expect, and recently I recommended Watson's The Play of the Hand and Bill Root's How to Play a Bridge Hand to someone as play instruction. And I recommended Lawrence's Workbook on the Two Over One System as a way to learn 2/1.
All bridge players at any level should read The Bridge Bum, by Alan Sontag. If that doesn't make you want to play bridge, nothing will. Low bridge content, high entertainment content.
But N/B's, what are you reading and how do you like it?
And I+'s, what did you read when you were an N/B that you found helpful?
Remember, these books should be aimed at N/B's -- folks who may not yet know what a finesse is, so Adventures in Cardplay or Love's Bridge Squeezes Complete are really not what we're looking for.
"...we live off being battle-scarred veterans who manage to hate our opponents slightly more than we hate each other. -- Hamman, re: Wolff
#3
Posted 2012-March-21, 08:39
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Meh... maybe I was in bad mood when I was reading it but I really didn't like it.
Zia's "Bridge my Way" was much more motivating entertaining imo when are with this kind of books.
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"Countdown to Better Bridge" by Kelsey and "How to read you opponent's cards" were 2 books which made me fell in love with the game.
Granted i had some bridge experience when I read those (playing with high school friends) and wasn't total novice. Those can be difficult if you just know the rules but they will show you how beautiful this game is.
#5
Posted 2012-March-21, 10:24
I liked Mollo/Gardener "Card play technique" which starsts after you know how to finesse.
Roland
Sanity Check: Failure (Fluffy)
More system is not the answer...
#6
Posted 2012-March-21, 20:06
#7
Posted 2012-March-21, 22:40
If you wanted to learn Standard American from a book, this is not a bad place to start.
The joy of bridge, co-written by Rodwell(?!) is not.
#8
Posted 2012-March-22, 07:59
As for tv, screw it. You aren't missing anything. -- Ken Berg
I have come to realise it is futile to expect or hope a regular club game will be run in accordance with the laws. -- Jillybean
#9
Posted 2012-March-22, 08:05
As for books to learn from, I'm afraid I didn't do much reading until I was intermediate (or if I did, I don't remember the books)--as wyman and I shared most of our books eventually, he's made all the recommendations that I would.
Never tell the same lie twice. - Elim Garek on the real moral of "The boy who cried wolf"
#10
Posted 2012-March-22, 08:16
-gwnn
#12
Posted 2012-March-22, 10:25
5 Weeks really has never been equalled. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find someone who can play 5 Weeks any more - and it's hard to upgrade to Standard American without destroying the "this is why" stuff that Scheinwold is so wonderful at. At least nobody I've seen has been a good enough Bridge Writer for Novices to do it.
#13
Posted 2012-March-22, 12:18
mycroft, on 2012-March-22, 10:25, said:
Watson was SO BORING! It seemed to be written like a textbook by someone from Victorian England. The only book I've ever read like it is Whittaker and Watson's Complex Analysis (come to think of it, it may be the same Watson) which is a brilliant book, but I'd never recommend it to anyone.
Never tell the same lie twice. - Elim Garek on the real moral of "The boy who cried wolf"
#14
Posted 2012-March-23, 03:28
blackshoe, on 2012-March-22, 07:59, said:
I am surprised that people actually buy this book. You would be calling yourself a "dummy" -- or your friend, if you gave it as a gift. And I don't think that this means declarer's partner.
Eddie Kantar is a wonderful writer, so I guess he can get away with something like this, but it seems poor marketing to insult the reader before she even opens the book.
#15
Posted 2012-March-23, 05:22
Vampyr, on 2012-March-23, 03:28, said:
Eddie Kantar is a wonderful writer, so I guess he can get away with something like this, but it seems poor marketing to insult the reader before she even opens the book.
It's a whole series....
Never tell the same lie twice. - Elim Garek on the real moral of "The boy who cried wolf"
#17
Posted 2012-March-25, 04:24
The book illustrates basic play techniques by way of example hands presented as problems for the student to solve. Problem presented on the right hand page, solution overleaf. Different play techniques are randomly sorted throughout the book, some harder than others, but again the difficulty is randomnly spaced out. Most techniques are repeated several times throughout the book, for reinforcement.
The name of the book derives from the fact that the problems are divided into two sections split down the middle of the book; the 'A' series in the first half and the 'B' series in the second half. Again, there is no difference in the difficulty or type of problem, but the division is simply to prove a point made by the author: If you work through either one of the series, and keep a note of your success rate in working out the correct answer before peeking, and then do the same with the other series, the author guarantees that your hit rate will be dramatically greater in the second series, whichever order you choose.
I absolutely agree with the author's claims, and it is a great confidence booster to the student to be able to see a measurable improvement in play technique.
Psyche (pron. sahy-kee): The human soul, spirit or mind (derived, personification thereof, beloved of Eros, Greek myth).
Masterminding (pron. mstr-mnding) tr. v. - Any bid made by bridge player with which partner disagrees.
"Gentlemen, when the barrage lifts." 9th battalion, King's own Yorkshire light infantry,
2000 years earlier: "morituri te salutant"
"I will be with you, whatever". Blair to Bush, precursor to invasion of Iraq
#18
Posted 2012-March-25, 11:41
http://bridgeanalysi...ith-bridge.html
A small sample:
"Best newcomer Bridge Books, in order of priority (IMHO):
- 5 Weeks to Winning Bridge by Alfred Sheinwold (the definitive beginner's guide in many people's minds)
- How to Play a Bridge Hand by William S. Root. Root is arguably the best beginner's and early intermediate's bridge teacher and writer of all-time.
- How to Defend a Bridge Hand by Root. So many people learn how to play (declare) a bridge hand but never do much work on improving as a defender. Rest assured that you will defend twice as often as you declare!
- Bridge for Dummies by Eddie Kantar. Kantar is a fantastic writer and very, very funny. And a World Champion to boot.
...
"
#19
Posted 2012-March-25, 11:55
Vampyr, on 2012-March-23, 03:28, said:
Eddie Kantar is a wonderful writer, so I guess he can get away with something like this, but it seems poor marketing to insult the reader before she even opens the book.
Stef,
It is fairly well known in the States that the "Dummies" series of books are not insulting. They are simply synonmyous with "Beginner to X" where X is among hundreds of topics, bridge being one of them.
#20
Posted 2012-March-27, 15:27
daveharty, on 2012-March-21, 09:41, said:
Hear, hear!
If you look on Amazon you'll see several great reviews, and the occasional "It's terrible because it doesn't teach 5-card majors and Jacoby transfers and other stuff".
These latter reviews are written by idiots.
This is a great book, written in the late fifties / early sixties when 5-card majors and Jacoby transfers were innovations (and are included in the chapter on Modern Bidding Conventions). What this book teaches you is how to think like a bridge player, which doesn't change no matter what bidding conventions or carding conventions you're using. Study it and learn to think like a bridge player. Read it cover-to-cover three or four times. You'll be amazed what you'll learn, even if you're an experienced player.
(As a simple example, I've been playing at a new club for almost a year, with many different partners of varying levels of experience. I had one partner who knew transfers and 1430 and Bergen raises and negative doubles and new minor forcing and a host of other conventions, but when I asked what sort of game tries she used after 1♥ - 2♥ or 1♠ - 2♠, she looked at me as if I were talking in Greek. It's a basic concept, covered beautifully in one of Sheinwold's early chapters, that seems to be omitted from modern bridge instruction. Bizarre.)
"If you're driving [the Honda S2000] with the top up, the storm outside had better have a name."
Simplify the complicated side; don't complify the simplicated side.