Mah Jong, Anyone?: A Manual of Western Play [Hardcover]

Kitty Strauser (Author), Lucille Evans (Author), Tom Sloper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2006

Mah Jong, the ancient game of China, is enjoying another burst of popularity in America, as well as in Asia. Often seen as a mystery to Westerners, Mah Jong includes the combination of skill, chance and social interaction of Western games like dominoes, bridge and dice.

Authors Strauser and Evans unlock this mystery with an easy-to-follow instructional book which outlines the rules and strategy of the game for Westerners. The perfect primer for the new player and a convenient manual for old hands, Mah Jong, Anyone? gives basic information on equipment, accessories, terminology, rules of play, scoring, penalties and bonuses. Experienced Mah Jong players will especially welcome the section on special hands.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ask any player about the rules to mah jong and the inevitable answer is a frustrating, "Well, that depends." The game has so many variations that the rules change according to city, country, and even year. But don't worry--this book provides a solution by presenting clear and simple rules that combine the ancient spirit of the game with some of the best modern innovations. Once you learn the basics here, it's much simpler to pick up local variants. Even old pros may find some new information on special hands to liven up their house rules. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kitty Strauser of Baltimore, MD and Lucille Evans of New York, NY traveled throughout America and Asia, following their husbands from one military assignment to another, for years. During this time they both played Mah Jong and organized groups wherever they were stationed.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Revised edition (June 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804837619
• ISBN-13: 978-0804837613
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #349,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars all mahjongers should have this, January 30, 2010

By 

margaret woodard "mw" (waikoloa, hi United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mah Jong, Anyone?: A Manual of Western Play (Hardcover)

to me, this is the "bible" of mahjong. all you need to know to learn to play and follow the correct rules is in this book. our mahjong group each has her own book and we refer to them all the time, especially for the special hands. if you play mahjong- you want this book over any others. the others are nice, but this one is the best.

20 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent resource for the way we play in Honolulu, May 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Honolulu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mah Jong, Anyone? (Hardcover)

Playing the form we play in Honolulu, this book covers all the bases and gives thorough explanations of play, scoring and strategies. It is a "must have" for our group. Mah Jong!

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, direct, excellent, January 3, 2011

By 

Arnold F. Williams "Thoughts Online Magazine" (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mah Jong, Anyone?: A Manual of Western Play (Hardcover)

Without the embroidery of things not related to playing the game, this is the outline for Mah Jong as it is played in social settings. No cards that change from year to year, variations that impact play carefully set aside into their own sections so that you can know them, or skip them and concentrate on the basic game.

This should be everyone's introduction to playing mah jong.