Customer Reviews

The Book of Mah Jong: An Illustrated Guide

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A unique book which covers traditional Cantonese, Shanghainese, 12-tile (13th-wild), and Taiwanese variations of mah jong. Scoring of hands are described in the translated English as well as the equivalent Chinese dialect (through Chinese characters and pin yin). Most other books address play and scoring using Western or Japanese standards, where as this book best describes the game that is played by my family.

Diagrams are useful in explaining the hands, but unfortunately in some cases the diagrams are misplaced in the layout and not labelled properly for best clarity.

The book is in paperback now. I hope that it sells well enough to garner a second edition.

This book has excellent graphics. Good introduction to the 3 variations of the game without all the complications added by Western players using the American/Jewish or Officers Wives clubs.

...if you intend to play the game the way the majority of the people on the planet play it. Oddly this is the only book readily available in English that does so. She could do a better job explaining the seemingly arcane scoring system, but for the most part this was a much appreciated addition to my library.

This book describes most of the basic combinations for Asian style Mahjong and I have used it with several classes. There are a few problems that should have been edited but are easily corrected. I like the book because it explains the rules and scoring of Mahjong and provides pictoral references of dealing, set up of walls, and scoring hands.

I want to learn Mah-Jong; in searching virtually all of the available texts & handbooks, 'The Happy Game of Mah-Jong by David H. Li and this 'The Book of Mah Jong: An Illustrated Guide' by Amy Lo stand out by far as to enlighten Westerners (and Chinese American youth seeking to imbibe the treasures of their own noble ancestral culture and affinity with the China of today) the traditional game as is played in the Orient today. and that is exactly what is wanted. Happily, David Li's and Amy Lo's books are similarly sized and expertly printed on good paper with excellent diagrams -- and they compliment one another marvelously. To buy this book, and that of Amy Lo, one will see that they are indeed peas of a pod, but by no means mere duplicates of one another. The scholar & mathematician Mr Lo clearly intends his to be the sort of handbook a Mensa member would want -- the title 'Happy Game' is not facetious, it is that which folks of extraordinary intelligence need and actually themselves perform: to relax and adjust the mind & mood, in restoring social intelligence and preparing themselves for the other more demanding tasks of life.

Amy Lo has the irritating habit of affecting the "he, she; his, hers" duplications ad nauseum -- in English, as in other languages, the male type is generic for both sexes, as "man" is the root of "woman" and need not be duplicated by repetitive insertion of three other words, as if they were needed when in fact they are not and never have been needed, nor is there reason to need them in future, except to support a controversial social outlook which is at once short-sighted and affected & superfluous.

Otherwise, the grammar is concise, as also David Li's, and illustrated beautifully, though in both books colours appear only on the Covers; yet the diagramming is appealingly didactic. I wanted to stress Mr Li's book because is it is equally as well done as Madam Lo's, and yet the latter seems to be somewhat overlooked -- they are both complimentary works which ought to be purchased together. Even so, there are in both works occasional confusing tidbits, but not so as to obviate these fine books, but rather to suggest to both authors a clear advantage in some slight revisions and additions for clarity's sake. I found myself after both works not entirely prepared to play this terrific game -- which is sort of a puzzle competition with a lot of movement and that fast paced amongst habitués, which pace is easily adapted to a more comfortable leisurely flow. To remember -- Mahjong is a gambling game, for those who choose to use it so, whether for stakes or for pennies, and therefore can be played in a more strict manner for that purpose, and one's demeanour adjusted accordingly; I believe both books make the point clearly -- they both present Mah-Jong as a social & intellectual-tactual experience, and both note those things necessary to play with stakes, which a reviewer of another book*, which I am expecting from Amazon shortly, mistook to be normative whereas of course it is not necessarily so, to play Mah-Jongg for high stakes. Rather both books emphasise the way ordinary adepts play the game in their native habitats -- and both recognise that the traditional game is experiencing a renewal in the West, partly due to Chinese influences in modern culture, and partly due to the fact that the classic game is a product of hundreds of years of evolution and needs no gimmicks, thank you, to appear to improve on it. Other books from earlier decades are written for the American game, with its peculiarities and "card" changes announced yearly by their league, which allude to special combinations of enhanced value, and these variation are part of the Hebrew American culture, the which appeals to many other modern American & European aficionados.

In sum: buy this book by Amy Lo, and also buy its cousin, 'The Happy Game of Mah-Jong' by David H. Li -- they are both together a happy marriage. If you find the one a real treat, as does everybody interested in learning the classic game, so will you find the other. In fact, they are both the same size, in format and in length; both cover the same ground and together, do it stereoscopically. I do think that a third book, at least, could prove extremely useful to the novice in covering the entire game as sequentially played out, and its hands values, as I at least did not receive enough to prepare me to play even the online [real] Mah-Jong games software; I need a flow chart of exactly what player 'A' has and does, and how the subsequent players follow forwards, because as seems true of many experts attempting to explain a game or any procedure to the novice, the instructors have what they're describing perfectly in mind, but they do not adequately convey what they know to those of us who are not similarly experienced, or, clairvoyant.


* 'The Red Dragon & The West Wind', by Tom Sloper

This is one of the better books on mah jong, but I'm still left with a few questions that need to be cleared up where she wasn't specific enough. Other than that, great pictures, very clear diagrams and good explanations of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, and 12-tile Mah Jong. And it's written by a native Mah Jong player, not just a westerner who's been there once or twice; someone who has been playing it for her whole life in China.

I bought it as a Christmas gift for my husband. He really enjoyed reading it ans learning how to play his new mah jong set. Thanks!

I bought this book when I first started to learn how to play mah jong. I found the instructions and rules laid out in an easy to comprehend manner that covered almost all the questions that came up for me during the learning process. Now, having learned to play, I find that it's a great reference guide for some of the more obscure rules and hands. I mainly stick to Cantonese rules, but I've enjoyed reading about, and on occasion trying, the other styles of play.

It's a well written, well structured book, with many interesting historical and trivial facts included that keep the reading interesting, while teaching you more about the game.

I purchased this book for my library as I am just learning to play Mah Jongg. Good information on the several international versions of playing Mah Jongg, especially the Chinese and American game variations that I am learning, 5 *****'s on the book and POSITIVE FEEDBACK to the seller for fast shipment and a great product!

This book saved me a lot of hair pulling and confusion. Great!! A must for novice players!