Invitation to Bridge [Paperback]

Charles Goren (Author), Sam Sloan (Preface), Sol Immerman (Cover Design)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2008

THIS BRIDGE BOOK is unique in several ways. It is specifically designed for persons who do not know one playing card from another. It gives the beginner a solid foundation and approach to the game by means of clear and simple text accompanied by a pictorial presentation of procedure and. play. The hundreds of illustrations and diagrams instruct the novice simply and forcefully, doing away with much of the labored and involved explanation which makes other Bridge books for beginners seem so technical. INVITATION TO BRIDGE does not pretend that it can turn beginners into experts. Rather, it is designed to bring the student to a point where he can sit down with friends, play a game of Bridge with enjoyment, and understand what he is doing and how much he still has to learn. There is an early, brief section devoted to playing cards and their values, particularly as they apply to Bridge. Then follows a graphic, illustrated description of procedure. The middle sections go on to explain how the game is played; how games are begun and ended and scored. A feature of this section is a detailed description in which the reader is invited to "sit in" on a rubber, where the play of every card is illustrated and explained. The later sections of the book discuss basic principles of the game - the theory of bidding, the strategy and tactics of play. In short, INVITATION TO BRIDGE is an invaluable primer for those tens of thousands who have "always wanted to play the game but never found time to learn", and a valuable refresher for the countless thousands who now play Bridge "by ear".

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Ishi Press (March 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0923891943
• ISBN-13: 978-0923891947
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,931,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Miraculous Book?, March 25, 2008

By 

Dave Morefield (Chino Valley, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invitation to Bridge (Paperback)

Amazon notified me just today of the publication of this book. I look forward to reading it for several reasons.

* My first bridge book was the 1957 version of Goren's _Contract Bridge Complete_. With considerable study it enabled me to become an adequate player. If I hadn't found it, I probably would have given up learning the game.
* To this day I prefer to allow opening the bidding with a four-card major (even though Goren recognized the popularity of five-card majors in a 1980s edition of the aforementioned book).
* From its description I expect this book to be helpful with the most difficult task in the game of contract bridge, namely helping a newcomer get started with a minimum of confusion.
* Finally, if I may be facetious here, I am very interested in seeing a book written for publication in 2008 by a man who died in 1991. I can only assume that the legendary "Goren Editorial Board", which produced books bearing Goren's name during the later years of his life, is still in existence.

I hope this book is a big success. If I have occasion to introduce someone to the game, I will certainly buy it and then ghost-write a review from a novice's point of view.