Opening

Easy-to-read and well-written advice on what to lead against all types of contracts.

Here is someone coming out from ancient bridge history, talking about rubber bridge, but making absolute sense. Opening leads are a huge part of defensive play and Ewen had them down pat. There are numerous sections on inferences from bidding that are archaic--using strong twos and other such relics--but the principles are invaluable.

This and Klinger's LOSING TRICK COUNT are the two indispensable bridge books, in my mind. They make the difference between average and advanced players.

If you love musicals, you can spend hours poring over this collection of reviews for the Broadway musicals that followed in the wake of OKLAHOMA. Hits and flops, all are here -- with some great insights and theatre diah provided by Suskin. For serious research or just plain fun reading, this is one of the most rewarding books ever published on the subject. (And the sequel is equally worthwhile!)

I bought "Opening Night on Broadway" when it was first published. I found it to be much more than a written recorded history of the Broadway Musical. It is a time capsule that captures the feeling of the periods when these shows first opened. The reader can almost feel what it was like to be there in 1956 at the opening of "My Fair Lady". Mr. Suskin gives useful biographical information about some of the theater's biggest stars. As someone involved in the business end of the theatre, I also enjoyed finding out whether or not a show was a financial success or failure. My only criticism is, I wish the book was laid out chronologically, not alphabetically. That way readers could get a better perspective of what else was running when "Guys and Dolls", or "Kiss Me Kate" or even "Donnybrook opened" All in all though, I found "Opening Night.." to be the hit of the season

This spiritual and, in many ways, autobiographical work is an eye-opening, heart-awakening, mind-expanding, and imagination-bending achievement.

Some we value for their thinking, others for what they make. But M. C. Richards is that rare one among us who shows us a way by fact of her very presence. All else follows.

Reading this book as an "inquirer," I found it be very balanced and approachable. It's full of real scholarship but reminds you that you can't always just read the book as an interesting ancient text; you have to read it as Scripture, too. Well-written, just the right length. Recommended.

I recently taught a bible study class for a goup that varied from newcomer to bible study to very sophisticated scholars. This book gave the newcomers a more solid background that enabled them to understand what others were talking about and to ask questions that were based on theology rather than clarification of language. We adapted the study in order to include readings from several versions of the "Episcopal Short List" of Bibles so that people to get a broader sense of of the spirit of the message. I would recommend this to any one who is seriously interest in bible study.

Finding good information for research on the Japanese immigration issues has been challenging. Dr. Brody addresses many of the issues involving the Nikeijin and their return to mainland Japan. Her comparative analysis between how Japan and Germany treat returning immigrants was very informative. If you are researching Japanese immigration or just have an interest, I highly recommend this book.

The author's discussion on the theories of labor migration using the push-pull model was very informative. While the book is very specific on Japanese and Brazilian immigration, you will find the book very entertaining. If you are interested in the Nikkeijin, this is the book for you.

This was not my field of expertise, but I enjoyed reading Dr. Brody's book.

This is not your typical verse by verse exegetical commentary. While it goes deep enough to satisfy your intellectual appetite, it really is more focused on giving you a resource for teaching and preaching, rather than giving you ammunition for your next doctoral thesis. In other words, it is highly practical and written for the average reader. This does not mean that serious students have nothing to gain from it. Far from it. But the goal of most students is to eventually be able to better share their faith with others and this commentary could be a very useful tool in that respect.

Before many sections of the book there is a "Preaching Focus", and what would normally be called exegetical notes are called "Notes for Preaching and Teaching." There are introductions to important sections and there are also helpful notes at the end of several sections. All in all, a very practical teaching resource organized in verse by verse commentary form.

This book is great! It's very well-organized, and full of useful nuggets for teaching.

Thich Nhat Hanh never ceases to amaze me. He has an unparalleled skill at writing on extremely complex topics in a way that virtually anyone can understand. At first, I very wrongly considered him to be a very simple monk with nothing particularly brilliant to say -- just repeating some important but already common axioms about being a good person, and so on. A soothing but occasionally saccharine voice. What a wrong view!! I am ashamed to even admit I ever thought such a thing of such a great master.

Now I realize that everything I have read by him is illuminating beyond measure, and that the obstacles are often on the part of the reader, because he is a teacher who makes everything very clear -- sometimes so clear that because of our own misperceptions, we can't see it!

So, in this book, Nhat Hanh turns his eye towards the Lotus Sutra, one of the most important sutras for Mahayana Buddhists. Despite its importance, the Lotus Sutra is very difficult to read straight-out, although good translations exist (see Hurvitz and the recent edition "The Threefold Lotus Sutra" put out by Kosei). Just diving into a translation may leave you feeling a bit confused. So then, you might want to turn to a teacher or commentary. Unfortunately, contemporary teachers of Buddhism don't tend to teach on the Lotus Sutra much, and many of the commentaries -- written a long time ago -- may be just as difficult! What is a poor student to do?

Along comes Thich Nhat Hanh and this book. Placing the Lotus sutra in its historical context (around the time when Mahayana Buddhism was just emerging, and had to distinguish itself from non-Mahayana schools, which it terms "Hinayana" or "Lesser Vehicle"), Nhat Hanh illuminates why this sutra is so important and revelational. In short, this is the sutra in which it was firmly proclaimed that _everyone_ could become a fully enlightened buddha.

Previously, it had been thought that the best one could do was become a saint ("arhat"), liberated from samsara, with the joy of nirvana, but not an actual buddha oneself. In this sutra, the Buddha proclaims that he taught this as a skillful means, because if he had said right away that people could attain buddhahood, no one would believe it. Now, however, the time being right, and people having understood the basics of the Four Noble Truths, etc., he could give this mind-blowing teaching. All the teachings and vehicles (Sravakayana, Pratyekabuddhayana, Bodhisattvayana, etc.) all point to the one single vehicle: the buddhayana, the path to full buddhahood for all sentinent beings.

Because the language of the sutra itself is quite difficult and full of very elaborate imagery that can confuse or mystify the reader -- or worse, lead to wrong understandings -- the commentary provided in this book by Nhat Hanh is essential to clarifying the points and getting at the essence of what the sutra is saying. He explains how one can read the sutra along two dimensions -- the historical dimension, and the ultimate dimension. If one does not read it in such a way, and takes everything as literal (historical), it will result in a whole lot of confusion!!

So, this book is for serious students of Buddhism who are interested in reading some actual sutras, but who are not so intellectually hard-core that they feel they are "above" reading this commetnary by a monk who seems, on the surface, very simple and non-academic. (Actually, he is a master scholar himself -- see "The Heart of the Buddha's Understanding" for the best introduction to Mahayana Buddhism around). Note that this book does _not_ contain the actual text of the Lotus Sutra, which is very long. Find one of the translations (noted above) and read it along with this commentary, and you will find it very beneficial, I am sure!

Enjoy.

In Opening The Heart Of The Cosmos: Insights On The Lotus Sutra, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, teacher, writer, peace and human rights activist Thich Nhat Hanh draws upon his more than 30 years of study and experience to focus upon one of the most important of the sutras and reveal how it can be of invaluable service in transforming ourselves and the world around us. By way of illustration, Hanh provides commentary on a number of current issues and enduring world problems ranging from the Palestinian-Israeli impasse, to the threats posed by international terrorism, to the continuing degradation of our planetary environment. Opening The Heart Of The Cosmos is a superbly articulated and presented contribution to the growing body of Buddhist literature for western readers.

No other book in quite some time has assaulted the perceptual foundations of conditioned self with such a thud as William Segal's Opening. Clear of all psycho-pompous fluff, the author painstakingly communicates with a minimalist Zen touch the subtle processes unlocking consciousness from the quotidian of programmed mentation. Opening is not so much a literary undertaking as it is a series of loosely connected revelations on psycho-spiritual matters including lyrical parables, conversations with spiritual aficionados, a dialogue with the Tibetan Master Chatral Rinpoche and an exegetic gem on the Buddhist Ten Oxherding Pictures. Opening is a treasure chest of spiritual insights, a testament to a sage realized in the quest to know thy self. Highly recommended for the serious spiritual seeker only.

There are many, many books on "Spirituality, "New Age", "Religious Traditions", etc. Most are informative, but few offer substantial help to the seeker. Mr. Segal's book is one of those few. His words carry an energy that calms and opens, their content offers in-sights and practices which truly are helpful.

The presentation is in prose, poetry, sketches by the author, interviews with and by the author, and several photographs.

Practitioners of Zen (and others) will find Mr. Segal's rendering of the Ten Oxherding Picutres --both in prose and sketch -- incredible aids to experiencing the message and guidance they contain. Practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism (and others) will appreciate Mr. Segal's candid interview with Chatral Rinpoche. Followers of the Way of Mr. Gurdjieff will find substantial help throughout the book: in the interviews with Mr. Segal, reprinted from Parabola Magazine, as well as in his prose, poetry and sketches. Even the photographs of Mr. Segal can stir a higher energy within.

A book not to be missed.

There are several excellent opening books from the early '90s published as part of the "Maxwell Macmillan Chess" series, and they are all excellent books. The format these books followed was so sensible and instructive that one wonders why other publishers have not followed it. More on that later. The overriding theme of the book is that white does not play c4 on move two; rather, he plays Nf3 and sends the queen's bishop out to g5 or f4; then, he may play c3 to secure d4, and he aims for e4. This approach is similar to the Colle against 1... d5, so Colle players definitely will want to have this book, especially since Koltanowski and others recommend a king's indian response as best against the Colle. The book has three parts: Part I examines the "Torre-Petrosian Attack," which consists of 1. d4 Nf6, 2. Nf3 e6, 3. Bg5. It is heartening to hear Varnusz explain that the young Tigran Petrosian was frustrated when facing the Nimzo- and Queen's Indian, and that he turned to the Torre Attack as a simpler, direct response thereto. If a world champ used this line, then it is good enough for me. Part II explores white's approach to a king's indian response with ...g6. Varnusz does not promise a distinct advantage with this line, just as Burgess, in his book on the Torre Attack, contends that Bg5 is not the critical response to the king's indian set-up. However, this does not mean that it is not a practically effective system. Nor does it mean that black has an edge! Again, Petrosian played this system, as have other grandmasters, including Ribli, Trifunovic, and Kasparov (vs. Martinovic, Baku, 1980). What I especially like about the chapters in Part II is that Varnusz offers you several alternate systems to the king's indian response. These include what Burgess calls "The London System" in his book, "Beating the Anti-King's Indians," as well as a finachetto approach with g3. Part III of the book recommends lines against Benoni and Benko gambit approaches. Again, the same ideas are applied, with white refraining from c4 in favor of Nf3 and Bg5. If you combine this book with Summerscales's excellent work, "A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire," you have an excellent practical approach with the white pieces. Personally, I like the London System more than the Barry Attack, as in the latter you play Nc3, blocking the c-pawn, which always feels awkward. With the London System, you have not violated any principles. With these systems, you are not playing the absolute best lines as white, as master practice has long established that 2. c4 is the best move for white. However, if you know these systems well, you will have an advantage over most of your opponents, in that you are playing on your turf instead of his. Many black players are waiting to trot out the king's indian, the Benko, the Nimzo, etc., and you are denying them the chance to use their favorite line. They should still be able to find their way, but, again, you will have dictated the course of the game, and this is an invaluable advantage at the "club" level. Do not disparage the club level. For years, I fumbled around with 2. c4 because it was supposed to be best. Invariably, though, I found myself playing against someone's pet line. Since I turned to the systems espoused by Varnusz (and Summerscale against 1... d5), my results have improved, and I have enjoyed my chess more too. Back to this book and its format. In each of the three parts, there are chapters of theory, each of which ends with several lightly annotated illustrative games. There are a total of 116 illustrative games in the book. This format is the best of both worlds for an opening book. That is, you have your dense theory, and your complete games, but without the drawback that the complete game format used by Everyman and others elimiates exploration of many sidelines. This little-known book has been a great asset to me.

Varnusz is a relatively unknown but excellent writer. His book on the Caro-Kann is also great, if a little dated. This one is my favorite, though. It has a great deal of explanatory text and enthusiasm for the Torre Attack, as well as offering a white repertoire for other responses. The book is realistic (none of "Winning With..." hyperbole, but it conveys the Torre in a fascinating manner, such that you can't help but want to play it. I have bought and sold hundreds of chess books, and constantly change around the contents of my bulging shelves, but this book is always there. It is really good and a keeper. p.s. you can buy Burgess' book on the Torre too, but this one is better. The Burgess book is more up to date, so it too is essential for Torre players. But Burgess downplays the Torre against the King's Indian formation (which Varnusz does too), but Burgess doesn't really offer an alternative. Varnusz does.

Gligoric has produced a master piece on the subject of the Nimzo-Indian Defence! This is one of the most complete referenced on the subject of the Nimzo-Indian Defence. The Book is sectioned into three parts, covering "27" variations!!! Each variation is represented by an incredible amount of Grandmaster games ranging from the 1930's to the 1980's! With deep annotations for each game and variations of play from the main line. The author has given the reader a large selection of high quality games covering wins for Black and White, with deep detail of information for both sides. The book is in algebraic notation so it is easy to follow and each variation is presented with some history on the player and the variation. If you are looking for the most complete reference to the Nimzo-Indian Defence then look no further, this is as good as it gets!

If you're looking for a book on the Nimzo-Indian defense, Svetozar Gligoric has written *the* book. Gligoric traces the development of the defense, using the games of top-level GM's throughout the book. Every variation of the defense is touched upon.