Editorial Review

Our best interactive Sudoku puzzles are now available for Kindle! Whether you are a novice to Sudoku or an experienced player this collection will sharpen your mind.

Each Sudoku volume contains 20 different Sudoku puzzles: five puzzles for each difficulty level.

The objective of a Sudoku game is to fill a 9x9 grid so that the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box.

With Mobi Sudoku you can:

• Check your progress at any time. The number of wrong entries will be reported.
• Remove errors. Use it if you feel you made too many mistakes and want to keep your correct entries but remove incorrect ones.
• See the solution
• Reset the puzzle if you want to start over.
• Add a clue if you feel that you are stuck. A single number will be added to a randomly chosen empty cell.

Note: Whispernet wireless needs to be turned on when a new game is loaded. Once a game is loaded, wireless can be turned off to conserve battery power.

NEW!!! MOBI GAMES: WORD MORPH PUZZLES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOUR KINDLE. TRY VOLUME 1 FOR JUST 1 CENT. SEARCH: WORD MORPH

UPDATED!!! THE MOST POPULAR KINDLE USER GUIDE JUST GOT BETTER! THE GUIDE EXPLAINS:
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Kindle hidden features such as the preinstalled games Minesweeper and Five in a Row
- List of Kindle-friendly websites that saves you time typing in long URL addresses
- How to email from Kindle
- How to download thousands of free eBooks
- How to convert your documents to Kindle format
- How to search the internal dictionary, Wikipedia, and the Internet
- Shortcuts to Kindle audio player
- How to use text-to-speech Kindle feature
- How to choose the default dictionary
- How to use Kindle as a calculator
- How to Display the Time and Free Memory
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Reviews

High quality Sudokus!, November 5, 2009
As a Sudoku expert I can testify that these boards are high quality Sudokus. The book has four levels of difficulty ranging from "Easy" to "Expert". There are five puzzles of each level. Regardless of the level, these puzzles are scrupulously fair.

Working Sudoku on Kindle is somewhat different than on paper. Rather than writing the numbers on paper, you jump between fields with the joystick. It feels somewhat unusual at first but when you are working your second board, you don't remember you are working on the Kindle.

My only problem with this book concerns the wireless access. You must turn the wireless on to load the game. If you are in a zone where wireless is unavailable you cannot load a new Sudoku board. I have also tried this Sudoku on my iPhone and it did not work.

OK, if you're an addict..., November 7, 2009
I downloaded Sudoku Volume 1 for my Kindle DX. If this product is still available for a penny, I'd suggest you download and try it. I thought I'd add a little detail to the earlier reviewer, in case the price has gone up and people might be hesitating.

After playing a few puzzles, I would personally stick to paper Sudoku. But if you always carry your Kindle everywhere, and you're terrified at the thought of being stuck somewhere without a Sudoku puzzle to play, and you're confident the whispernet will be available when you need it, (i.e., not on an airplane!), then maybe this is your thing.

The "book" that you download is a short document that contains hyperlinks to the twenty puzzles, plus a few pages of instructions. The game actually runs in your Kindle's web browser; thus the requirement that your wireless be turned on to download the puzzle. The "book" explains that this is because the native Kindle format does not support interactive operations within a document.

The instructions in the "book" walk you through some required settings changes for your Kindle browser, but I found that you don't really need to read the instructions. When I clicked on one of the puzzle hyperlinks, the browser opened, and the necessary instructions appeared directly on the web page. As I followed each configuration step (there were only two, at least for my DX), the corresponding instruction disappeared from the web page. Nice touch. Upon completing the last config step, the puzzle appeared immediately.

Once you get a puzzle loaded into the browser, you can turn off the wireless. I turned mine off, played a little, went back to Home, read some books, went back to the browser with wireless still off, and the puzzle was still there, as I'd left it.

The book says that if you want to return to the puzzle, you are supposed to NOT click the corresponding link in the instruction document again, but instead browse to it from the browser. I ignored that warning and clicked back into the puzzle from the instruction document, and the puzzle was as I'd left it. However, I had my wireless off; I suppose if I had done the same thing with my wireless on, the puzzle might have re-downloaded from the web page and lost my progress.

Once in the puzzle, the user interface is simple and intuitive. You scroll around the open squares and type in the numbers where you want. A row of buttons at the top and bottom let you check for errors, get a "clue" (randomly fill in an empty space with the correct number), remove errors, solve, or reset.


Though the interface is simple to pick up, I found the following little quirks annoying:

- I *think* the puzzle displays a different font for numbers I've filled in vs. those that were filled in at the beginning, but the font difference is very very subtle. This is a big deal because of the next bullet:...

- The scroll skips squares that were filled in at the beginning of the puzzle, but not ones that you have filled in. If you try to scroll into an adjacent square that was filled at the beginning, sometimes the highlight will skip over the cell; other times it might skip over and then diagonally if that one is open. When you get near having a puzzle complete, sometimes you end up scrolling in a spiral through filled squares to get to the square you want to select.

- On the DX keyboard, the puzzle will accept literally anything you type into a square - letters, numbers, or symbols. This means that to insert a number, you have to press Alt and then the number key. On the DX, this is a two-handed or two-step operation; awkward lying on a couch. Since the squares can only take numbers, it would be nice to be able to just hit the number key and have the puzzle smart enough to figure out, "Oh, he means 6, not Y".


I do agree with the earlier reviewer, after playing a couple puzzles, the interface faded a bit into the background. I discovered I can just his Alt and number, then scroll elsewhere, without having to press the enter key first. And now I can find that stupid Alt key really quickly... Of course, you can't pencil in candidate numbers like you can on paper. You can easily type over or change anything you've already entered (or simply hit the Remove Errors button). But, I found myself frequently kind of holding my fingertips in different squares while thinking, "Neither of these boxes can be a 3 because there has to be a 3 somewhere in that row..."

I also agree with the earlier reviewer, the few puzzles I've played are really pretty good. Some of the cheap paperback collections give the impression that the choice of starting squares was completely randomly generated; you might start with eight 3's but no 4's. The Kindle puzzles I've played start out balanced, just enough overlap to get you started but not really any "gimme's" even in the easy ones.

That's about it. I will keep it on my Kindle and I imagine I'll play it occasionally for a change of pace. But I will still be tossing a paperback Sudoku into my carry-on or car trunk.

Kindle 3 problems.....(updated 9/6/10)..., November 13, 2009
This is a nice application and works well on the Kindle 2, the DX, or the PC app.

The Kindle 3 has an advanced browser, however, the result is that the entire puzzle does not appear on the screen. Scrolling is needed to see the lower row of numbers, which is not acceptable.

Some work needed, please!

I'm addicted to Kindle Sudoku, November 8, 2009
It was easy to download and worked great with my Kindle 2. Yes, it was somewhat irritating to use the tottle switch to get to the space you wanted since it would sometimes not go where you wanted it to. However, my addiction to the game allowed me to overlook that factor. I found that if I had two possible solutions to a square, that I could place both numbers in the square and then later delete the one which did not fit. I would gladly pay full price for Vol. 2 because of the fun I had with vol. I. I would say that the puzzles were more difficult than the puzzles I have experienced on paper! The easy puzzles seemed to be more at moderate level and the moderate level puzzles appeared to be difficult.

Useless, October 11, 2010
This is neither a game, nor a book. It is a collection of HTML links which open in a browser.
It is totally unusable on Kindle 3 as sudoku won't even fit on the screen and navigation is a huge pain in the butt.
Needless to say, you need the internet connection enabled in order to play.
There are web sites out there which will generate you an endless amount of puzzles which you can print.

Yes, these are fun!, November 12, 2009
To my suprise, these are fun and neat to do on the Kindle 2! It doesn't take long to get used to doing them on the K2, and they are probably a bit more challenging simply because the lack of pen/paper requires you to do more thinkiing in your head, more remembering. This volume of twenty puzzles is certainly worth the penny I paid, and when I tire of these I'll spend the 99 cents on the next volume. I saw 30 volumes and I'm sure I could rework each volume many times, so there are plenty of offerings. While I'm not a sudoku addict,it is fun to have this game to play on the Kindle, and it is the first game that I've tried on it that worked well and easily (other than minesweeper, which is included with the K2). Downloading the game via the wireless is not a problem at all, and I just turn off the wireless after I download a game. I would recommend these puzzles to anyone who is interested in using the K2 to play a game for an occasional diversion.

Definitely Not for Kindle 3, October 30, 2010
If you own a Kindle 3, don't even think about downloading this. It is extremely frustrating to see only 8 lines of the board at a time. Even for free, it is way overpriced.

Worthless on Kindle 3, October 11, 2010
Uses the browser and doesn't show the whole grid onscreen at once. Why does this even exist?

Might be good if, October 7, 2010
The latest kindle does not have number buttons. So you have to go into symbols and select a number from there. It's a pain and takes all of the fun out of the game.

Great for learning how to do Sodoku, November 21, 2009
Great introduction to Sodoku -- this is perfect for getting your kids interested in these puzzles as well.

I like the fact that you get help -- which you don't get with hard-copy puzzles. If you are new to sodoku, this is the way to learn.
... Read more

Editorial Review

How do you make a flip from a flop? Obviously, by changing the i to an o. This is how you play Word Morph. At each step, you can change one letter to form a new word. The task is to transform the starting word one letter at a time until you spell the ending word.

For example, here is a puzzle:

east
----
----
west

You can get from east to west like this:

east
past
pest
west

Often puzzles have more than one solution. In the east to west example, you could also do:

east
last
lest
west

or

east
vast
vest
west

Sometimes the sequences are quite long. For example, here is one way to get from teach to learn:

teach
peach
peace
place
plane
plans
plays
slays
stays
stars
sears
years
yearn
learn

Each puzzle comes with one to three solutions. For most solutions a hint is available.

The puzzles are divided into several difficulty levels, from Novice to Expert, based on the length of the solution.

Multiple volumes of Word Morph puzzles are available: search “mobi word morph”.

Enjoy the game!

NEW!!! MOBI GAMES: INTERACTIVE SUDOKU IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOUR KINDLE. TRY VOLUME 1 FOR JUST 1 CENT. SEARCH: MOBI SUDOKU 1

Reviews

These puzzles are witty and challenging!, December 21, 2009
I downloaded the Word Morph a few days ago and worked on the puzzles on my way to work. These puzzles are a lot of fun. The book has five levels of difficulty ranging from " Novice" to "Expert". There are five puzzles at each level. (The novice has only two puzzles). Regardless of the level, these puzzles are very entertaining.

The puzzles include pairs of words. You need to keep changing the first word one letter at a time until you generate the second word. What makes the game really amusing is the selection of the words in each pair: "bat - man", "pet - cat", "eye - see" , "card - game", "work - hard", "diver - water". The longer word pairs like "prose - verse" are really challenging. I even had to cheat a few times: in addition to solutions, the book provides a few hints.

I previously reviewed Sudoku for Kindle. My biggest concern with the Sudoku was the need for wireless access. When mu train is passing a tunnel I am not able to load a new Sudoku board. (Though I am still playing Sudoku on my Kindle and worked through four or five volumes). Unlike the Sudoku puzzles, Word Morph puzzles do not require wireless connection at any time. The book with all the puzzles and solutions downloaded to my Kindle as soon as I purchased it. Finally, I have also tried the Word Morph on my iPhone and on the Kindle for PC. It worked nicely and synchronized with the Kindle.

This is not actually a Kindle Game!, September 30, 2010
Although you can sort of play it on the Kindle using the Notes feature, this is NOT A KINDLE GAME!!!! This is just a puzzle book. It is not interactive in the sense of the other Kindle Games like Scrabble and Shuffled Row. BE FOREWARNED!!

New game fun for the Kindle, December 29, 2009
While I've never played Word Morph before, I found this a fun (but not always very easy!) game and the developers did an excellent job of making the game Kindle friendly. Wireless is not needed to play the game, instuctions and samples are clear, workspace is provided via Kindle's notes feature. Also, the levels of difficulty are clearly defined. If you are interested in games for the Kindle and you enjoy word games, this is one to have. NOTE: Amazon will not indicate me as a "verified owner" because I received the book as a "gift" from the publishers when I inquired whether they were working on any games other than the Sudoku that I had tried (and enjoyed). I have no other connection to the publishers/developers and the receipt of the gift did not obligate me in anyway to write a review, positive or negative.

Nice waste of time, January 9, 2010
I downloaded this for free and admit it's definitely worth the price. :) I got it mainly to keep me occupied on an upcoming plane flight. I also have been using it while I walk the treadmill. It's addictive and I like it. I realize there's not a whole lot you can do as far as interactive games on the Kindle, but I think in my mind I was expecting more. It's just like being in the backseat as a kid and playing hangman on a piece of paper. But then again, that always entertained me back in the day... this will too! Again, definitely worth the price and will keep you entertained for a good, long time.

Not Interactive at all!!, October 11, 2010
As shuffle word was so much fun, I was looking forward to other interactive Kindle games... this is NOT one of them. Apparently, you are meant to use the note feature!! That isn't a game, that is a book you are scribbling on!

Not worth the money, June 6, 2010
I bought the "Kindle" version of this to use with students....big mistake. There is no real way to use this on a Kindle, and I haven't figured out how to access the "solution" set. If you want this kind of a puzzle book, spring for the paper version.

lame and boring, February 17, 2010
This is very slow moving and lame....although it is for the Kindle which isn't really supposed to be for games. I'd buy it because it's cheap, and if you happen to be stuck somewhere and severely bored it might pass the time

found it boring, October 4, 2010
glad i got this free. this really isn't an interactive game. ( you can sort of play it on kindle) . the beginner and novice levels were way too easy ! there was one puzzle in intermediate that i had to cheat at, but i really did not feel challenged until i tried the advanced puzzles. as stated before, im glad i got this free. theres no way id pay for something like this.

One penny transactions are rejected by many credit card companies, February 3, 2010
I tried to buy this and several other new $0.01 games but my credit card companies (two different ones) declined the charges. They do not accept one cent charges because they think it's attempted fraud. How about 5 cents, or free? Thanks!

Solutions are not optimal, January 15, 2010
I picked an expert level puzzle at random, army - navy, and in less than 5 minutes I found a shorter solution than the one given in the book. To whit, my solution was

ARMY
ARMS
AIMS
RIMS
RAMS
DAMS
DAME
NAME
NAVE
NAVY

I suggest future such puzzle designers use a computer to find solutions that are the shortest possible. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Uncle John's Latest and Greatest!, October 16, 2010
In some respects, the word "Heavy" in the title of this 23rd Edition of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader might refer to the hefty nature of the book. UNCLE JOHN'S HEAVY DUTY BATHROOM READER clocks in at 538 pages; that's almost two pounds of book! More importantly, it's stuffed full of the interesting, oddball, "didn't-know-that" info that Uncle John readers relish.

In terms of format, why mess with a winner? Edition 23 has the same mix of quick reads, two-three page articles, longer pieces and "extended" articles that have made the Bathroom Readers so successful.

In this case, Uncle John enlightens readers on the following:

famous food origins;
final concerts of famous performers;
a three-parter on smart birds;
funny church board messages;
185 uses for a pig;
bathroom-themed art;
famous gangster couples;
food dinosaurs ate;
people you thought were Americans but aren't;
a three-parter on Esperanto;
popular myths;
"Monopoly" game facts;
forgotten cartoon characters (think "Chilly Willy," etc.);
phobias of the rich and famous;
products that flopped;
fatal first flights;
weird fish stories;
good deeds done by celebs;
and - my favorite - a four-parter on explorers "who strode bravely into the face of the unknown and never came back"...and much, much more.

In short, you're sure to find something interesting in UNCLE JOHN'S HEAVY DUTY BATHROOM READER. So, a big thumb's-up to Edition 23!

**********
2,600 Helpful Votes!

Love IT, November 17, 2010
I love all the bathroom reader books. I read them at bedtime, and they give me great pieces of information to use as conversation.

Another smash from Uncle John!, December 15, 2010
What more can be said of a book that is in its 23rd edition and keeps on getting better! This series is so entertaining and delightful that even its great length, almost 500 pages, hardly seems a bother. The various stories are so entertaining they stagger the imagination. The anthrax story is very interesting as is the one dispelling various conspiracy theories.

If you enjoy being entertained and maybe learning something in the process than this book is for you! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Why do we have eyebrows? What's a black hole and what happens if you fall into one? What's the fastest a human is capable of running? Why do wet fingers stick to metal in the freezer? Where is the deepest point on Earth? Divided by subject area - humans, animals, environment/nature, technology, and space - and written in an upbeat manner, each answer is accompanied by either a photo or an illustration to show the reasons why. Of course, "Time for Kids" goes beyond answering the question by dipping into the science or history to further explain the answer in an easy-to-follow, straightforward manner. This is a must -have book to satisfy the most curious of kids and provokes a great way to encourage interest and knowledge about a wide range of subjects, as well as to stimulate reading. Kids will be desperate to share what they've learned with their parents, teachers, and friends...and anyone else who will listen. ... Read more

Reviews

Love it!
Love this book! Bought it for my daughter for Christmas this year. She is always curious how things work and I know she will love it. I thoroughly enjoyed looking through it myself.

why mom
the big book of why - helps the busy mom for some of answers that get us when we are not thinking on why mom - the little facts are fun for all ... Read more

Editorial Review

Fact: A cockroach can survive for several weeks with no head.
But it spends that time bumping into walls and screaming, "Where the F**K is my head?!"
Fact: Most wines are made from grapes harvested by machines that scythe through everything in their path, including sticks, insects, rodents, and even larger mammals, which can make their way into the end product. This is known to wine growers as MOG, or "material other than grapes."
MOG also stands for "Mother of God, I think that was a hoof."
Fact: A giraffe has twelve-inch hooves and legs that can kick in all four directions with incredible power. Giraffe kicks have been known to decapitate lions.
I bet lions hate that.

The world is a frightening place. If the information in this book scares the sh*t out of you, good. You're probably reading it on the crapper, anyway, and what better place to be scared sh*tless? Isn't that the idea, to be sh*tless?

From the sneaky fish that can swim up our genitals to the e coli bacteria lurking in the very water we drink, disturbing phenomena are everywhere we turn. Educational, entertaining, and undeniably horrifying, this book isn't guaranteed to help you go to the bathroom, but it's certain to make your time there more memorable.

Reviews

Informative and Hilarious - plus a little scary, March 25, 2010
I've been an avid reader of Cary's McNeal's "List of the Day" blog for a while now. As soon as I saw this book on LOTD, I quickly ordered my own copy. This book is hilarious - yet informative. Cary has a witty one-liner (or two) about each fact, and I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading. As a librarian, I appreciate how Cary listed the source for each fact, so the reader, if so inclined, could do additional research if he/she so desired. There are chapters such as food, bugs, and one of my favs, "weirdest of the weird." I'm very pleased with this book, and although I don't keep it in the bathroom, it has earned a place on my nightstand.

Hilarious, April 6, 2010
A friend recommended that I buy this book. I checked out McNeal's blog before ordering the book. I immediately noticed the man is not right in the head, which is something I really respect in a writer. Now I own the book and will probably buy copies for my sick friends. It's worth the price. Even better than I anticipated.

Witty Twisted Trivia (say that three times fast!), April 18, 2010
Sure to make you laugh, this unique trivia book contains 1,001 scary, odd, revolting, and bizarre documented facts about the world. Along with each fact is a tidbit of humorous commentary from the author, Cary McNeal.

McNeal's witty wisecracks will keep you chortling, snickering, and snorting to the very end of the book. His clever use of sarcasm, puns, put-downs, hyperbole, word play, extended gags, and outright silliness will entertain and amuse you.

Those who are already fans of McNeal's writing won't be disappointed. Those unfamiliar with his caustic wit should visit his blog, List Of The Day, for further amusement.

Gross and funny and exactly what's advertised, September 2, 2010
Did you know that the Bible is the most shoplifted book in the world? (Fact No. 94) Or that one percent of the entire population of Greenland resides in one apartment building? (Fact No. 983) How about the iceberg spotted by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1956 that was the size of Belgium? (Fact No. 998)

Some of these items are surprising, others are funny, and still others utterly horrifying. But they are all fascinating. Cary McNeal's //1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You// does an admirable job of living up to that promise, offering whole chapters on insects, illness, drugs, and bathroom activities. He talks about frogs that break their own bones to create weapons (No. 570) and Queen Isabella of Spain, who lived to be 50 but only bathed twice in her lifetime (No. 999).

Not only that, but McNeal offers a joke or comment after each of his 1,001 facts. You may find some of them inappropriate or offensive, but the very fact that he even made the attempt is pretty entertaining. You know what you're getting as soon as you pick up the book. What more could you ask for?

Reviewed by Glenn Dallas

Love the snarky commentary!, July 11, 2010
I've been a big fan of LOTD for awhile now, so knew I had to have this book, and I've been snickering, or just plain laughing out loud as I make my way through the book.
Thanks for making me smile, Cary!

perfect for bathroom, September 19, 2010
My husband loves random fact books so I bought him this. Quite frequently he's in the bathroom much longer because he's just reading! lol. I like the book as well and find the comments under the facts amusing

Wish it was for me!, December 9, 2010
I ordered this as a gift for my impossible-to-buy-for brother, and it came last night. I looked through it, and I really wish I'd bought one for myself! The facts are really off the wall, and the humorous portions are funnier than you would expect. Can't wait to borrow it!

good humor material, November 28, 2010
the book was very interesting yes some very scary thoughts run thru my minds while reading it.it was worth the money. thank-you

Scary S--T!, August 21, 2010
You may never eat or go to the bathroom again! It's a great diet book. Once you read how dangerous everything is you won't be hungry.I have lost 5lbs. just from reading this book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

New edition! An inexpensive edition of the book that SCRABBLE� players call their bible. Ideal for recreational and school play. More than 100,000 playable two- to eight-letter words including 4,000 new entries. Includes variant spellings. Endorsed by the National SCRABBLE� Association. ... Read more

Reviews

Missing words disappoint, April 10, 2007
I was very disappointed to find that more than 800 acceptable Scrabble words are missing from this edition. Scrabble News, Issue 201, which appeared more than a year ago, stated, "Some words may have been erroneously omitted from early printings of OSPD4." It then listed those words, including some vulgar words that had been intentionally omitted for PC purposes. I understood that the vulgar words would not appear, but I had thought that the edition I had purchased from Amazon in March 2007 would be up-to-date with the others--it was not. The OWL2 (Official Word List 2, available only to current National Scrabble Association members) contains all acceptable words but does not include definitions, which is why I purchased this book, the OSPD4. As far as it goes, the large print edition is fine, but since my aim was to be exposed to the meanings of all of the thousands of new words that have been deemed acceptable in Scrabble, this Amazon purchase failed to meet my expectations.

Useful and Fun!, August 24, 2005
Beyond being useful for playing Scrabble, this book is fun. It might be nice to just have a list of new words, but the reality isn't so bad: you can spend some relaxing time just peeking through the book to find new words and what they mean. This book is worth it just for identifying the first acceptable two-letter Q/Q-without-U word, Qi. No longer must you be able to spell just Qat when you get stuck with the Q at the very end of the game without an accompanying U.

For those folks who want the "dirty" words as well, it can always be agreed in advance to use the current Webster's dictionary or whatever in addition to this book. You need to do that anyway for words with more than eight letters.

Fundamentally False, November 8, 2005
For example, the back cover declares "Features more than 100,000 two-to-eight-letter words, including 4,000 new entries." But there are only about 84,000 such words, of which only around 3,200 are new, even if you treat "entries" as synonymous with "words" in this context.

The front flap claims "All entries are included in a single alphabetical list". If only. While TIDIES and TIDIEST appear together, UNTIDIES and UNTIDIEST do not. REPP and REPPED appear together, but REPPING must be found elsewhere. If you're trying to figure out which of LASER MASER TASER forms a word when spelled backward, you'll probably need to look in more than two places.

The claim that "Main entries include a brief definition (especially useful for less common words)" is open to question. ENOPHILE is defined "oenophile", URSID "a mammal of the family Ursidae"; many are simply defined "a mineral" or "a chemical". However, some are good. GLUCINUM: "a metallic element"?! One of the worst is BENZIDIN, "a hydrocarbon", which will come as a surprise to the nitrogens in the molecule; the spelling has been outdated for decades.

It is true that the book is endorsed by the National Scrabble Association (NSA), and the widely respected publisher Merriam is just reporting what NSA wants. Please don't shoot the messenger. Indeed, Merriam dissuaded NSA from dozens of forms even sillier than the ones highlighted in this review, which unfortunately are only a sampling. Left to its own devices, Merriam could no doubt come up with something much nicer.

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD) is a compilation of words from twelve U.S. college dictionaries from the last four decades. Four are still in print and, as the descendants of seven of the others, contain most but by no means all of their contributions. As a result, pronunciations, etymologies, and full definitions are no longer available for many entries, especially those found only in the source that has been out of print for a quarter century. NSA members like to twitter that they don't play your grandmother's Scrabble, but in many respects they're using her dictionary. It's a shame they can't bring the game into the 21st century.

Although the official rules have always sensibly banned foreign words, about fifty OSPD entries stem from words so designated in source dictionaries, such as DE as in "Charles de Gaulle". In addition there are a great many Scottish words, such as AE, JO, BRULZIE. Although I consider the politest and most accurate way to regard Scots is as a foreign language, a full discussion of all sides would be longer than this review. Suffice it to say that the Scots words are not marked in any way; if you use OSPD, you cannot choose to avoid them. Likewise for foreign words, substandard words such as BRUNG and ET ("ate"), disused spellings, AFARS, and so forth.

Consider the following thirty spellings:

alkalin asswage brillo burlesk carrom dandriff develope enuf enzym
foureyed goloshe humvee iodin janty jurassic lept mayvin naething
oxid pailsful penname quare ratan smerk sorel tramel umteenth vext
worrit ya

You or your spell-checker can correct most of them. A great many more OSPD forms can be added to the list. These obsolete or mistaken spellings are overwhelmingly rejected by modern lexicography, usually unanimously. OSPD is a fundamentally false portrayal of current English.

The cover recommends OSPD for schools. School Scrabble is doubtless a welcome development, and hurrah for the coaches who help out. But with spellings like those above, OSPD should not be welcomed into schools by students, parents, teachers, or coaches. Every year Merriam plays an important role in sponsoring the National Spelling Bee, a task they undertake with meticulous care. In 2004, LAGNIAPPE was in the Bee; OSPD shows only a spelling without the I that would have been rejected. In 2005, a contestant was eliminated for using the OSPD spelling AVOSET.

Entering my sixth decade of Scrabble activity, I have met quite a cross-section of enthusiasts, who fall into three groups. Members of the first group, about 15 or 20 percent of the total, want to play only with words they already know. They need a dictionary only to check spelling, and as we have seen, OSPD is worse than useless.

A second group, less than 1 percent, asks only to be directed to an official word list. Such people should web-search the National Scrabble Association posthaste, where many pleasant adventures await. But OSPD is not official for NSA clubs and tournaments. Instead, Merriam publishes an Official Word List, available only to NSA members. This list contains over 200 forms too offensive for an Amazon review, schools, the NSA website, or a televised championship game. It also contains roughly 200 forms deemed by NSA to have been omitted from OSPD in error by the pros at Merriam, and to be added to OSPD at some unspecified time. These include the above-mentioned enuf, Jurassic, and Brillo, and others in a similar vein. (The trademark Humvee is already in OSPD; in the introductory material, manufacturer Hasbro implores readers to respect their trademark Scrabble.) Another example is Latina, which along with Latino (already in OSPD) is normally capitalized as a routine politeness. But common courtesy, like common sense, does not inform the OSPD.

The third and final group, a sizable majority, likes Scrabble in part to learn new words. But they must be English words, orthographically and grammatically correct, and a part of the contemporary language. Clearly OSPD is not for them either. The money can be devoted to a standard college dictionary, any of which should be adequate for Scrabble.

Watching a talented player score 400 or even 500 points in an OSPD Scrabble game can be reminiscent of seeing a long home run off the bat of a slugger on steroids. It's astonishing that Merriam and Hasbro put up with any of this.

From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com, December 8, 2005
Whether or not you agree with the inclusion of many of these words, the fact of the matter is that OSPD4 is now the official dictionary for Scrabble tournament play. If you wish to play in a Scrabble tournament, you must learn them, or you will most certainly lose.

If you don't like "Scrabblese", maybe Scrabble isn't the right game for you. There are plenty of other great games out there. Try Wildwords, it's like Scrabble except it has "blank" tiles which can stand for not just one letter, but a whole string of letters. That game uses a regular old-fashioned collegiate dictionary as its word source, so you won't have to know qat, qi, or jo to play.

What's new?, June 28, 2005
So the most interesting thing about this new version of the Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary is the newly added group of words. Unfortunately, none of the new words are indicated in the book in any way. The hard back does have additional helpful word lists in the nback that the paperback does not, such as 2-5 letter words using J,Z,Q, etc.

I would have appreciated a star next to new words or something to that effect. I would also specifically like to know what all the new 2 and 3 letter words are. Overall, this is of course a must for the avid scrabble player, but I'd would like a better description of the methods they used to update it.

must have for scrabble players, July 14, 2006

I bought this Scrabble Dictionary paperback from Amazon. If you enjoy playing Scrabble like me and you have a hillbilly father-in-law like me that makes up words then this book is a must. We play that any word can be challenged and it must be in the book. After I disqualify all my father-in-laws crazy words I like throwing my own words down like "za" that he challenges and then curses when he finds it in the book. Thumbs up.

New Dictionary, August 2, 2005
For many years, I have been an avid Scrabble player; my previous Scrabble dictionary is very well used!! I've been waiting for a long time for a newer version and this one is just terrific!!!

Great Improvement in OSPD, July 27, 2005
For about 50 years, I have been a veteran Scrabble Player and have participated in many tournaments, as well as playing on line, internationally.
The updated edition of OSPD is excellent, because they separated special sections with prefixes, making it much easier to find your way around.
The only complaint I have is that the delivery charges were much higher than the book, forcing me to rely more on local or second-hand books.

Neeedeed by everery Scribble Playar, January 15, 2006
No serious Scrabble can be without this book. The section listing all the Q words that have no U in them is worth the entire investment. Don't even think about it.

Bruce Palmer
Charlotte, VT

Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, August 2, 2005
Small, but clear print, finding it a very useful book to own. wish I'd had it ages ago. ... Read more

Editorial Review

• Wield Paint and Paint Thinner like a pro with our expert tips on exploring and fighting!
• Playstyle Matters: Your actions and decisions have consequences! Our guide will help you choose the best paths for the outcomes you want as you help Mickey in his quest to save Wasteland.
• Extensive walkthroughs reveal the secrets behind every quest, puzzle, boss battle, and hidden area!
• Complete enemy descriptions and boss breakdowns provide tips on how to survive the harrowing encounters, and the consequences of befriending or defeating your foes!
• Collect every Disney Epic Mickey pin and piece of concept art with our step-by-step visual guide to all the hidden unlocks!
• More than 40 fully labeled world maps guide your exploration of Wasteland so you can get the most out of each level! ... Read more

Reviews

Helps you find EVERYTHING in the game, too long, December 5, 2010
This game has an immense amount of hidden items to find and this guide is great at getting you to them. The walkthrough is for the most part detailed and good, but it is heavily disorganized requiring a lot of page flipping. At times you'll find yourself reading whole sections before resuming play. There are entire sections which could simply be summarized by a couple of diagrams or screen shots.

On the positives: it really gets you going on all the basics, showing you all the controls and basic structure of the game. The table of content is quite good. Screen shots and maps, when provided, are excellent; however, part of the excessive length is that the guide puts almost everything into words. When they do provide a diagram, they still persist to ramble needlessly through half a page explaining the very same situation. Each section for each portion of the walkthrough is quite long.

It's a helpful guide, but very exhaustive and will require a lot of page flipping. It spends a lot of time explaining what the game should be showing me. If you need help with the game, however, by all means, pick up this guide.

Guide is disorganized and limited, December 26, 2010
My wife and I bought this guide because we really wanted to get everything on our subsequent runs. Little did we expect that the game guide wouldn't have everything included. The guide starts off decently enough, but as the game progresses the guide becomes more and more sparse. There are side quests and missions that are only mentioned by title but not covered in the guide, quests not mentioned at all, hidden content with no information on obtaining it, et cetera.

There is also a few moments in the game where using Paint vs Thinner creates two very different experiences but they are not both covered, i.e. The very first boss battle (the small world clock tower) utilizes two very different strategies to win the battle. The joke is that no one saves the clock tower, we didn't expect the game guide to completely agree and exclude strategies for painting it.

For a guide that promises 100% completion, it really feels rushed, and that the authors themselves didn't achieve 100%.

Save the 20 bucks and find a free guide from ign, or gamewinners or other online sites. ... Read more

Editorial Review

   • All levels detailed with labeled maps.
   • Two player tips for getting the most out of co-op play!
   • Every hidden item revealed. ... Read more

Reviews

Worth its weight in bananas!, November 28, 2010
This guide really should be sold in Cranky Kong's Shop. It's just that vital to getting through the 8+ worlds of Donkey Kong Country Returns. While I didn't really use the guide until after I had beaten the game and started going back to collect stuff, it's been worth its weight in bananas! As you will see in a minute though, this is the way the guide was meant to be used.
Although the guide isn't the traditional sort of guide. Which is to say it doesn't lead you by the hand through the tough obstacles of the game. It does a fabulous job of showing where all of the Puzzle Pieces, Hearts, Coins and Bonus Levels are located. It would have taken me ages to find some of this stuff without this guide's help.
The maps in the guide are great and serve as an easy way to pick out vital information visually while playing. Each K-O-N-G letter, puzzle piece and bonus level are clearly marked and numbered so you can go directly to the paragraph of information on the thing that you're trying to get, or in my case locate the nearest heart refill. XD
The guide also does a great job of explaining enemy tactics, and the controls for the game, which really helps. Bosses are covered almost in passing, but cursory techniques and strategies are covered, if ever so briefly.
The only negative that I can think of is that I would have liked a little more thorough description of boss fights and the mini levels that lead up to some boss fights. As well as some tips on Time-Attack challenges. But these are in no way deal breakers. If you are going to buy or have bought DKCR for yourself or someone else as a gift, I can guarantee they will enjoy having the guide as well.

Loads of fun!, December 21, 2010
This is a game for everyone. My grandkids love to play it at my house and I love playing it too. ... Read more

Editorial Review

His eyes were open now, watching the path of the tiny flame. If you continue your path, little spark, you will cause great harm.I must burn! I must live!There are places where your glow and heat are welcome. Find them, do not destroy the dwellings or take the lives of my people!For a second, he seemed to wink out of existence but then blazed back with renewed vigor.Thrall knew what he had to do. He lifted his hand. Forgive me, Brother Flame. But I must protect my people from the harm you would cause them. I have requested, I have begged, now I warn.The spark seemed to spasm, and yet he continued on his lethal course.Thrall, grim-faced, clenched his hand hard. The spark flared defiantly, then dwindled, finally settling down to nothing more than the faintest of glowing embers. For now, he would no longer do anyone harm.The threat had ended, but Thrall was reeling. This was not the way of the shaman with the elements. It was a relationship of mutual respect, not of threats and control and, in the end, destruction. Oh, the Spirit of Fire could never be extinguished. It was far greater than anything any shaman, or even group of shaman, could ever attempt to do to him. He was eternal, as all the spirits of the elements were. But this part of him, this elemental manifestation, had been defiant, uncooperative. And he had not been alone. He was part of a disturbing trend of elements that were sullen and rebellious rather than cooperative. And in the end, Thrall had had to completely dominate him. Other shaman were now calling rain to soak the city in case there was another aberrant spark that persisted in its course of devastation.Thrall stood in the rain, letting it soak him, pour off his massive green shoulders, and drip down his arms. What in the name of the ancestors was happening?New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Christie Golden has written thirty-five novels and several short stories in the fields of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Among her many projects are over a dozen Star Trek novels and several original fantasy novels. An avid player of World of Warcraft, she has written two manga short stories and several novels in that world (Lord of the Clans, Rise of the Horde, Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, and The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm) with more in the works. She has also written the StarCraft Dark Templar Trilogy, Firstborn, Shadow Hunters, and Twilight. Forthcoming is Devils’ Due, a StarCraft II novel focusing on the unlikely friendship between Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay. Golden is also currently writing three books in the major nine-book Star Wars series Fate of the Jedi, in collaboration with Aaron Allston and Troy Denning. Her first two books in that series, Omen and Allies, are on shelves now. Golden currently lives in Colorado. She welcomes visitors to her website, www.christiegolden.com.***Thrall, wise shaman and the warchief of the Horde, has sensed a disturbing change . . . Long ago, Azeroth’s destructive native elementals raged across the world until the benevolent titans imprisoned them within the Elemental Plane. Despite the titans’ intervention, many elementals have ended up back on Azeroth. Over the ages, shaman like Thrall have communed with these spirits and, through patience and dedication, learned to soothe roaring infernos, bring rain to sun-scorched lands, and otherwise temper the elementals’ ruinous influence on the world of Azeroth.Now Thrall has discovered that the elementals no longer heed the shaman’s call. The link shared with these spirits has grown thin and frayed, as if Azeroth itself were under great duress. While Thrall seeks answers to what ails the confused elements, he also wrestles with the orcs’ precarious future as his people face dwindling supplies and growing hostility with their night elf neighbors.Meanwhile, King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind is considering violent action in response to mounting tensions between the Alliance and the Horde, a hard-line approach that threatens to alienate those closest to him, including his son, Anduin. The conflicted young prince has set out to find his own path, but in doing so, he risks becoming entangled in political instability that is setting the world on edge.The fate of Azeroth’s great races is shrouded in a fog of uncertainty, and the erratic behavior of the elemental spirits, troubling though it is, may only be the first ominous warning sign of the cataclysm to come. ... Read more

Reviews

The Shattering was a great read for a Warcraft lore geek like me., October 20, 2010
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down until I finished it, same with my wife when she started reading it.

I have been playing the Warcraft games since they first came out and have been buying all the books as soon as they are published. I am a lore geek, and this book answered ALOT of questions I had about changes coming in the Cataclysm expansion. I was lucky enough to get into the beta, and a few of the changes confused me since I had no backstory to understand WHY these changes were made. The Shattering answered every single question I had made, and even gave me a newfound respect for Garrosh Hellscream, a character that I had previously loathed.

I can't recommend this book highly enough, buy it, borrow it, whatever, and read it!

Anyone who likes Warcraft needs to read this book, it clears up many things in the transition to the new World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm, and it is also an amazing read, like Golden's other Warcraft work.

10/10 no contest!

GOLDEN AGE FOR BLIZZARD BOOKS, October 19, 2010
This may be the most epic warcraft book ever written!!!!! I am still wowed, speechless, and enthralled by what i just put down. I've never been this excited to play a game expansion in my life. I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone, so i will not hit on the plot scenarios of the book. So much happens. I got to understand characters i've seen in game for years so much more. Golden did her masterwork with this one. Also, is it just me or has blizzard's books just been kicking ass these last few years? Golden has been doing an amazing job, but even the other lesser talked about books like the manga and more have all been really good.

This is a must read. I just pre-ordered the game after reading the end. can't wait.

Before the End of the World, October 26, 2010
**Warning: There are minor spoilers in this review.

Christie Golden's appropriately titled, The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, covers the earthshaking events leading up to latest World of Warcraft expansion being released this winter.

The Shattering contains story arcs for both the Horde and the Alliance, with a few intertwining scenes to tie them altogether. Two of the major arcs are parallel to each other, but are set within the context of one of the two factions.

Golden navigates the reader through these plotlines masterfully. Alliance and Horde politics are entertainingly explained, and Golden performs her magic of fleshing out characters that most Warcraft fans vaguely have seen in other media or not at all; specifically, Anduin Wrynn and Baine Bloodhoof, whose storylines are the focus in this novel.

However, considering the length of the novel and its' purpose, the multiple story arcs does contain a few tangles. Some plot-lines are rather rushed, specifically Thrall's visit to Nagrand.

Thrall's journey involves a romance that came off rushed and unconvincing due to the limited screentime the two characters had. The romantic interest IS interesting as a character, but the way their relationship developed could've been better off developed later versus all at once in The Shattering.

Additionally, considering it's a novel containing both factions, there's a lot of names and locales exclusive to those factions that a casual fan wouldn't recognize. Golden tries to mitigate this by providing a brief background or title on anything notable, but it still can come off as a tangled net of pronouns.

At best, The Shattering will satiate your desire to know under what circumstances the Horde and Alliance go into the Cataclysm that will change Azeroth forever.

At worst, The Shattering might have have been better off as a collection of short stories.

Nevertheless, the narrative is gripping and as cliche as it sounds, it'll keep you going through the wee hours of the morning just to see how things resolve.

Great lore piece, disappointed reader, December 5, 2010
Let me preface this hopefully succinct review and say I'm rating this not solely as a book on Warcraft lore, but by the standards of any book. Most game-based lore type books would barely rate one star in my opinion, and I consider them more "guilty reads", so I mean three stars as a compliment.

The good:

Christie Golden does a great job of giving you a sense of the lore figures, even if you only have a cursory familiarity with Warcraft lore. In fact, I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to gain a quick, synopsis of not only those-present lore character's history, but demeanor.

Often when an author is challenged with multiple view points, a reader can feel disappointed "just as s/he is getting comfortable" with a POV and being taken away at an interesting point. Golden does a solid job of keeping the various threads of her tale engaging, and the bulk of my disappointment arose elsewhere (read further).

The bad:

I primarily bought this book for lore I felt was lacking in the game, and really, in most Warcraft lore books, specifically: Voljin, Sylvanas, Lor'themar Theron, and Prophet Velen. Curiously the only leader absent that I didn't care about was Mekkatorque. As a lore reader, I was sorely disappointed to see them absent amidst such critical moments in the game's canon. As a general sci-fi fantasy reader, I was thoroughly disappointed in the, as what other reviewers here have labeled rushed (and in my opinion, lazy), writing. Having to juggle so many "players" in a game's history can be a challenge, but anyone who has read the likes of Steven Erikson or George R.R. Martin are familiar with how a five star author handles such a challenge. Leaving them out so completely was despite their obvious symbiotic relations to the present-characters and activities was just amazing and, as I try to reason the "why", lazy. Thus, three stars.

As others have pointed out here, I also felt many scenes were rushed or resolved not through an evolution of character, but through necessity to move the story. Writing like this is why "plot driven" carries such a negative connotation in today's literature. Again, I understand the author's constraints, but am judging her through the world of sci-fi, and not solely game-based lore. For the latter, she did not disappoint anymore than another author. By the former, she was a three star author, at best.

Finally, the price was just too high. I learned nothing new that I wasn't formerly aware of through information on Blizzard's official website, or through the in game activities. Truly, at $6 this would have been a bargain on my Kindle. Instead, I feel strangely bitter that I purchased it, and would not recommend it to a friend.

Summary:
Not shockingly, the book is for fan boys and lore hounds of the Warcraft canon. I'm not sure how anyone could buy this book expecting otherwise. If you've been absent from Azeroth for some months (or years) and want to quickly (and I mean quickly, it's a short read) catch up on where your old friends and are before this exciting new expansion released, I would recommend this book. If you've been relatively active in game, and take any time to read the official site for new information, I would save your money until the price on this book comes down to a value that represents what it has to offer.

The absolute BEST story EVER!!!!, October 26, 2010
This is one of those rare books that compels you to finish it as quickly as possible. The story is so good that it continues to move forward and the only time it pauses for you to catch your breath is only when you stop reading it to turn the page.
First off... If you're playing World Of Warcraft, then this book is a MUST read! If you're not playing the game... know that the events that happen in this book are also happening in the game world, which makes the story even more important to read!!

This book's story is so good that you feel like you are actually watching a movie and see the characters within the pages. I think what helps is the fact that if you've played the game, you already know what everyone looks like. When the author mentions a place or location within the World Of Warcraft realm, you can already understand what that looks like, because you've been there in the game.

The book is easy to read, brings GREATLY NEEDED DEPTH to the characters of World Of Warcraft and make you thirst for more of the same. Blizzard truly has an amazing cast of people as resources to expand its World of Warcraft universe. Christie Golden has just put herself into the top tier and had set the bar for all others to follow!!!

3 words... GET THIS BOOK!

Wacraft at its best, October 21, 2010
I have just finished reading the shattering and let me tell you that I could not put down the book during the time it took me to read it. I have played every Warcraft game since the series started and when Blizzard came out with the first book about the series I was ecstatic since even though I am a gamer, first and foremost I am reader. All the Warcraft books are fantasy/fiction goldmines but "The Shattering" is by far the best of the bunch, you cannot even imagine how Golden has taken the best of the Warcraft universe as a canvas and created an excellent storyline worthy to have the blizzard stamp of approval. Unlike other Warcraft novels which seem to be the novelizations of the games, Shattering has new and old characters that help the story progress through a maze of politics, coups, honor duels and natural disasters that will keep you glued to your seat/bed/sofa. I do not want to go into the story since this is a book worth reading but let me tell you that be you Alliance, Horde or don't know what the heck I am talking about you will not be disappointed in investing your time with reading this masterpiece.

For the Horde!

Amazing, October 22, 2010
This book is amazing, I couldn't put it down till I was done. Explains a lot that happens between WOTLK and Cata expansions. A must read for all Warcraft fans. I recommend 100%

This World is Shattered, November 12, 2010
Though not without its flaws, "The Shattering" is a great read for those who are interested in the Warcraft lore. The story, though sometimes slow and melodramatic, is all together fascinating and intricately woven; however, Golden's nuanced and thoughtful writing make reading even the most difficult sections of the novel an absolute pleasure. Her true power as a writer is shown in the novel's tense, dramatic, and action-packed moments. The characters are wonderfully represented in this story and it is an absolute must-read for those who are interested in how Azeroth will change in light of the events leading up to Cataclysm.

PHENOMENAL read!, October 31, 2010
This book arrived when I had about 5 chapters left of another book I'd been reading. I quickly finished off the other book, and once I picked up The Shattering, it was oh so very tempting to play hooky from work just so I could finish the book more quickly. It draws you in nearly instantly and the character development and fleshing out of characters seen in-game for years now are simply amazingly written.

It makes my anticipation for Cataclysm all the greater.

Many, MANY kudos to Christie Golden for writing yet another gripping lore-filled World of Warcraft novel!

Amazing, October 30, 2010
This book was amazing. Once again I love Thrall, and Anduin Wrynn was well done as well. The development of Garrosh as a hotheaded leader of the Horde is perfect for keeping cross faction player hostilities going even after the peace treaty. Amazing introduction to Cataclysm! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Play World of Warcraft: Cataclysm and win! "BradyGames" gives its Signature Series treatment to World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the highly-anticipated development to the original World of Warcraft game. In this high-fantasy guide, you will be introduced to two new races, the Worgen and Goblins, and learn all about the unique races and classes that will help you complete your quests. You'll also discover how to battle enemies for gear and glory and how to join guilds with other players. There is a dedicated step-by-step guide, designed for brand-new players, to help you start your journey into World of Warcraft game. This "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Signature Series Guide" features official artwork, designed for beauty and ease-of-use. It's a must-have guide for any World of Warcraft player. ... Read more

Reviews

Not worth it for level 80+ players, December 4, 2010
Lets be honest. this guide is made for "new players" there is a "new players section" but it seems the ENTIRE guide was made for new players

it has VERY little information on the new zones and new quests and new gear for level 80+ 85....

for those of you who are level 80+ getting the expansion DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! unless you just want everything Wow....for me it was kind of worth it.. as chances are im going to use more of the wikis and websites and addon guides rather then getting this guide

sadly a lot of people will be getting this not knowing that there is pretty much ZERO infomation for level 80+ players

oh well. i guess its a nice basic guide...

and not back for just 17 bucks but....not the best in the world. your better off with wiki sites and in game ui addon quest tracker guides ....

Good if you have never played..., December 5, 2010
Pros: The pictures are pretty! Great book if you are indeed new to the game. Got it cheaper here then what the suggested price.

Cons: For players that have played and raided this book is a HUGE let down. The spell rotations they give you in many of the classes to help you solo will easily get you killed and leave you frustrated. The book goes into every zone with a high level of detail and the wording that was fed to them from Blizzard. The down side to this is it reads as a ad to get people to start playing WoW and not so much to help them keep playing WoW. I purchased this book so I could have an idea of what to expect out of the first few dungeons so that I could get ready for the 7th without any problems. The section for Dungeons and raids just told you that there were indeed dungeons and raids new to Cataclysm but absolutely no details of what to expect. The book has a few spaces where the information it gives is not accurate (This is not Bradygames fault as Blizzard made the changes recently after the printing process began.)

I will not ever buy another game guide again. Huge let down!

Pretty good, December 8, 2010
This book is really intended for newbies or returning wow peeps, but that being said, I found some info on classes I haven't played that seems to be pretty good. It also gives tips on the stats you should beef up for different specs of the classes too.

There's also a small section that breaks up the continents into level brackets, which is very helpful to me since I don't have to alt-tab a bunch because I can't remember if I was high enough to start in a certain zone or not.

For the proper rotations though, you're better to google them since there were so many changes in the recent patches before Cataclysm's release. Also, there are add-ons you can download that can help out a lot too.

I do feel jipped about the dungeon section. I was expecting at least a general walkthough on the new instances & raids, but all it gives out is a list.

So, if you're new to the game or don't have a lot of knowledge about the different classes, get this book. This is coming from a person that only has one protection/retribution pally that was max level before Cataclysm & a crap load of lowbie alts.

Not what I expected, December 8, 2010
This book is good if you have never played World of Warcraft and want a picture filled simple overview of the game. If you have level 80 characters and want to know where the new dungeons are located, where should you spend talent points, what are the quest lines for the new zones, what are the strategies for the new boss fights, and so on then this book is a big fat waste of money.

My advice to both new and old player alike, don't buy this book.

Does exactly what it says it does., December 16, 2010
This guide does exactly what it says it does. It's an updated version of the original Brady Strategy Guide. It's meant for beginner to intermediate players, or players that want to see major changes that have occurred since the expansion/patches. It's not meant for level 80+ players. Chances are that if you're at 80+ you don't need the guide to begin with. For those players, you'll most likely see an updated dungeon companion in the future.

Best new guide for World of Warcraft!, December 6, 2010
This is the best new guide for World of Warcraft especially now since the "world" has changed pretty much completely! All the class roles are displayed, all the new character combos and races. If you've been playing forever or just now starting and know nothing about the game before hand this book is for you! All your old guides you can toss out =D ... Read more

Editorial Review

Chess is one of the most challenging - and enjoyable - games that has ever been played. It has a history that goes back over a thousand years, and there is some evidence that perhaps it is even older than that. The Rules of Chess is a free book, in electronic format, that will teach young and old how to play the “Royal Game.” Written by one of the great instructors of the modern era, Bruce Pandolfini, it is in fact a small excerpt from his extremely popular book Let’s Play Chess (2nd edition). After the material is presented, there is a section listing and describing the chess books published by Russell Enterprises, Inc. which are also available in electronic format. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy The Rules of Chess by Bruce Pandolfini... ... Read more

Editorial Review

Born in a log cabin in the Ozarks, Alvin "Titanic" Thompson (1892-1974) traveled with his golf clubs, a .45 revolver, and a suitcase full of cash. He won and lost millions playing cards, dice, golf, pool, and dangerous games of his own invention. He killed five men and married five women, each one a teenager on her wedding day. He ruled New York's underground craps games in the 1920s and was Damon Runyon's model for slick-talking Sky Masterson. Dominating the links in the pre-PGA Tour years, Thompson may have been the greatest golfer of his time, teeing up with Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, and Ray Floyd. He also traded card tricks with Houdini, conned Al Capone, lost a million to Minnesota Fats and then teamed up with Fats and won it all back. A terrific read for anyone who has ever laid a bet, Titanic Thompson recaptures the colorful times of a singular figure: America's original road gambler. ... Read more

Reviews

This Titanic stays afloat! A great Christmas Present
Having just finished Kevin Cook's, Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything, it's my pleasure to highly recommend this thoroughly enjoyable book. Unlike some reviewers, I had no previous knowledge of the subject and I thank Mr Cook for introducing me to a man who was without question one of the most colorful real life characters of the 20th century. From humble origins in Arkansas to Al Capone's Chicago, Damon Runyon's New York and Howard Hughes' Hollywood, the man was like "Zelig" with a bankroll: traveling through America's cultural landscape in pursuit of his own version of the American Dream. If you've ever swung a golf club, bowled a bowling ball, pitched a horseshoe, played poker or have done any of the myriad things Titanic excelled at and bet on, this book is for you. Titanic Thompson was the king of road gamblers and Kevin Cook has written a sure thing.

The definitive biography of this legendary gambler
Having just finished this book, my first thought is that there will probably never be another biography of Titanic. I say this because no one would want their effort to be compared to this one. I knew Titanic back in the 1960s, but I understand him better now after reading the book than I did when I was around him on a daily basis. Rich in detail, literate, and always with a "ring of truth," the book was one of the best reading experiences I've had in quite a while.

More than just a re-telling of the many stories about Titanic and the bets he won, Cook's book brings in a variety of other interesting and colorful characters and gives us a look at what was going in America during the first half of the last century.

By the way, I can remember running into Titanic's son Tommy about 45 years ago when he and a top pool player (Richie Ambrose) came into a pool hall in Dallas, Texas (Time Square Cue Club). As I recall, Richie ran over me playing 9-ball and the two of them drove off in Tommy's fancy car. As Tommy said in his review, there was no one else who came close to accomplishing Titanic's gambling feats and he did it for over 50 years.

My dad's story brought to life.
This review is from: Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything (Hardcover)
My wife, Latrice Thomas, and I both think this is the best book ever written about my dad, Titanic Thompson, [Alvin Clarance Thomas]....True insight into the life of a professional gambler. The interviews bring to life the amazing feats of my dad that in the natural would seem impossible. I was with him when he made three hole in ones on par three golf courses while in his early seventies. Being a professional gambler and card shark for 32 years I can tell you that in the world of gambling there has never been anyone like him. When you read about his life and the amazing things he did you will escape into a time in America that was made to order for the life of Titanic Thompson.

Tommy Thomas
howtobeattheodds.com

Titanic Thompson
Titanic Thompson by Kevin Cook is a fascinating, extremely well-written, true account of an awe-inspiring scoundrel. This is one of those books that you will be sorry when you have finished it because you want to hear even more of the Titanic stories. The scams and cons that Titanic created are almost too outrageous to believe, but, as truth is always stranger than fiction, this larger-than-life athlete/grifter really existed and actually conceived and executed these feats and tricks. Not to be overlooked in the book is how the reader gains a better grasp and understanding of the times and era as the author deftly weaves historical highlights into the Titanic tales. This is a well-researched, invitingly-written book that should be read by anyone who ever bet or thought of betting on anything. This would make a great movie.
---Dr. Nancy E. O'Dell--

Titanic Thompson
America's Galactic Foreign Legion - Book 1: Feeling Lucky

You want to know about a real gambler, read this book. Good read. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The bestselling entertaining guide from America's most delightfully unconventional hostess is now available in paperback!


Are you lacking direction in how to whip up a swanky soiree for lumberjacks?A dinner party for white-collar workers?A festive gathering for the grieving?Don't despair.Take a cue from entertaining expert Amy Sedaris and host an unforgettable fete that will have your guests raving.No matter the style or size of the gathering-from the straightforward to the bizarre-I LIKE YOU provides jackpot recipes and solid advice laced with Amy's blisteringly funny take on entertaining, plus four-color photos and enlightening sidebars on everything it takes to pull off a party with extraordinary flair.You don't even need to be a host or hostess to benefit-Amy offers tips for guests, too!(Number one:don't be fifteen minutes early.)Readers will discover unique dishes to serve alcoholics (Broiled Frozen Chicken Wings with Applesauce), the secret to a successful children's party (a half-hour time limit, games included), plus a whole appendix chock-full of arts and crafts ideas (from a mini-pantyhose plant-hanger to a do-it-yourself calf stretcher), and much, much more! ... Read more

Reviews

This book is frickin' insane and addictive! Amy Sedaris rocks!, October 27, 2006
I have been enjoying Amy Sedaris's freaky-weird acting for years, so I had to snatch up this book the second I heard it was out. And, man oh man, I have been laughing for days. This is one addictive book, like a paper drug. I woke up this morning, and instead of thinking about my husband or cats or breakfast or my job, I imagined Amy Sedaris trying on pantyhose, and I thought "No Squirrels." (You'll understand after you read the book.) Then I wondered how on earth I would achieve that baked Alaska featured in her book.

This lady works comedic magic with this book. I have never, ever, ever read or seen anything like this strange book.

Yes, there is a plethora of valuable tips and recipes for entertaining, but the way Amy presents the info is nothing short of comic genius. The pictures are all gold. And her writing is rickety and charming. And wait till you find the secret poster! You will buy a locker just so you can hang it up!

Mark my word, this book will be *the* gift to give this holiday season. It is destined to make Amy Sedaris a household name. Plus, it is extremely useful and entertaining.

Our Parties, Ourselves, November 23, 2006
Partially a cookbook, partially a primer about entertaining and partially the random thoughts of an eccentric actress/caterer, I LIKE YOU is Amy Sedaris's hilarious guide to hospitality.

Recommended for those who enjoy attending parties and people who get a kick out of hosting them, this is a quirky book that succeeds in offering valuable information while charming the pants off the reader. In this way, it accurately could be described as the bodice ripper of cookbooks.

Chock full of photographs, illustrations, notes and invitations, I LIKE YOU can be enjoyed by randomly opening it to any page, but I can guarantee that if you start it from the beginning, you will find yourself engrossed in Sedaris's simple, tasty party chow and quirky but valuable tips and anecdotes about:

* Party Strategy
The second you decide to throw a party start making ice. Sedaris calls buying a bag of it "cheating."

* The Guest List
If everyone is the same, the party is a boring convention. Still you should avoid toxic combinations, like an astrologer and an astronomer, the newly divorced couple, and a serial killer and a drunken teenager.

* Invitations
Be specific about time, location and themes so guests can dress appropriately. If you don't RSVP immediately, hosts will worry you are waiting for a better offer.

* Etiquette
Don't arrive early unless specifically asked to. But do arrive on time, especially for a dinner party. Depending upon the host, consider practical gifts like toilet paper and stamps. If you want to bring wine, ask the hostess what she is planning to serve and bring a bottle of that. If you want to be graceful in an old world sort of way, send a bouquet of flowers the following day.

* Adult Proof Your House
Assume guests will snoop. Plan ahead and fill your medicine cabinet with marbles.

* Try to Turn a Profit
Capitalize on the chance to sell things to a house full of liquored up, generous guests. Set up a table of things you are selling for 25 cents. A strict hostess Sedaris has three rules for party sales: 1) it has to be a quarter, not two dimes and a nickel; 2) you break it, you buy it; and 3) you buy it, you take it away.

Plus completely unrelated to cooking or hospitality, I LIKE YOU covers an array of other idiosyncratic suggestions about curling your eyelashes, staining your lips with cherry popsicles, removing hair color from your forehead, entertaining the elderly, proper rabbit care and the basics of grooming, handicrafts and gift giving. For all of these reasons, I wish I could give it ten stars.

- Regina McMenamin

There are not enough Stars for this GEM!, October 12, 2006
Well...you had me at "IdespiseAndreaHarner", but you are right on all other accounts.

Miss Amy has done something really special this time, and it shows!

First off, this book is HUGE! I hadn't imagined how thick it would be- it is literally jammed packed with everything you can imagine (and more, WAY more) from our hostess extraordinaire. The hard cover edition is solid as a rock, nothing flimsy about it.

The recipes indeed appear to be "JACKPOT" and crowd pleasing-I cant wait to try them out. The scrap book feel to this book is ever-present, with zany crafts, priceless photos (old and new) and authentically stained recipe cards in scrawling print surrounding the main text. The party ideas and themed night suggestions are off-beat and creative. It is a much beloved addition to my Sedaris collection.

Tongue-in-check entertaining advice, November 27, 2006
If you like Amy Sedaris's quirky sense of humor (e.g., Strangers with Candy), and you're into kitsch, then I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence is just the book for you this holiday season. If you avoid Comedy Central, however, and are uncomfortable around irony-laden humor, you best steer clear because Amy Sedaris's new book is a rollicking romp through tongue-in-cheek entertaining, far more amusing and satisfying than anything Martha Stewart could devise.

Armed with her own brand of humor and a bottle of liquor, Sedaris is ready for any situation, from the unexpected guest to a death in the family. She explains in detail how to write invitations, plan a menu (by color, texture, theme, flavor, or decoration), and get guests mingling. But she also includes aspects of party throwing you may not have considered, such organizing some sale items to make a little money for yourself. Sedaris insists that she lets guests have their picture taken with her pet rabbit for 25 cents. Also, consider avoiding the following guest combinations: astrologer and astronomer, psychologist and psychiatrist, and serial killer and drunken teenager.

Sedaris offers numerous recipes throughout the book, including some favorites from her Greek family. From "I Remember the War Cube Steak" for entertaining the elderly to spanakopita for a New Year's Day brunch, you'll have the crowd clamoring for more.

You'll also find plenty of comical desserts like the heart-shaped cake that says "Stepmother" and the "Happy Coming Out" cake in the form of a butterfly. Of course, no meal is complete without Amy Sedaris herself covered in icing and sprinkles, and she gives us just that. (Be sure to check out the poster inside the cover for the pin-up version.)

Throughout the book, Sedaris dresses in dated polyester outfits and drops hints on everything from how to put on pantyhose to how to wear a fall (woman's long hairpiece).

The photos (by Todd Oldham, no less) and illustrations are hilarious, and even the book jacket will have you wiping your eyes.

Armchair Interviews says: Surely, we all know someone this book would be perfect for.

Finally! A book about entertaining I can relate to!, October 17, 2006
I don't think a book about entertaining has ever made me laugh to the point of tears before! Seeing peanuts! Gift ideas for nuns! Dad come home cake! Change your medicine chest from herbal remedies to something that works! The section on guest etiquette is priceless and hits the nail on the head. Todd Oldham's photography with its lurid lighting/drab hues is amazing. And the children's games section alone is worth twice the price of the book.
This isn't kitsch of the moment--this defines an edge of humor that deserves a spotlight. Amy Sedaris gets it! Cheers to her and her wonderful book. It is a generous, warm, inspiring and hysterically funny treasure that knocked me over with happiness. I will enjoy it for years.

Hilarious!, November 28, 2006
This book is awesome- I bought it for a friend for christmas and as soon as it was delivered I ended up reading the whole thing myself! I bought it for a friend who enjoys throwing parties (as I do). The recipes seemed good, and the writing was unmistakeably Sedaris! Even if the food is crap, this book is worth every penny as a conversation piece/entertaining read.

This book is off the hook, December 13, 2006
I had no idea what to expect other than humor, obviously.
This book has information on etiquette and manners, classic recipes, social suggestions, and tips in areas you would never expect. You can read it cover to cover, or open any page and start new every time. I have to mention the ridiculous (in a good way) photography, illustrations and various notes that dot each spread. A refreshing compilation.

The perfect gift for crude moms & gay uncles., October 31, 2006
This book is raunchy, scatterbrained, offensive, and absolutely hilarious. What a purchase! Amy Sedaris has created a book on entertaining that is as freakishly detailed as her home decor. Every square inch of the book (including the book jacket/centerfold) is overflowing with absurd drawings, photos, recipes, crafts, family memories, and helpful hints, such as, "Gift Ideas for Early Menopause." The tone is of a 1960s cookbook with a narcotics problem. Although this is the type of book you want to curl up with and have a laugh - it is actually useful! The recipes are delicious (try the Tiddlywinks Toadstool Pie *yum*) and the entertaining tips take the pretentiousness out of throwing parties. Go Amy!

The Familiar Deadpan Sedaris Humor Infuses Hilariously Off-Kilter Tweak on Martha Stewart, October 20, 2006
It's pretty obvious Amy Sedaris and I come from the same generation because her harmlessly subversive sense of humor and kitsch-driven cultural references feel very cathartic to me. With photos and narration that reflect the becalming tone of kitchen counter magazines like Sunset and Better Homes and Gardens circa 1967, this hilariously off-kilter satire of Martha Stewart's "Entertaining" books has the familiar comic actress in a new guise, the perfect party hostess, though Jerri Blank (her put-upon protagonist in "Strangers With Candy") does show up in the book. Sedaris is smart enough to know the book cannot be a complete satire, so she actually includes honest-to-goodness recipes. The zucchini fritters and the "Li'l Smokey Cheeseball" bring particular flashbacks to me of what my mother would have served at her mah jong parties as they watched "Mannix".

It's the faux-patronizing context and wholly unappetizing photos where she gets to express the dry and sometimes twisted Sedaris wit. For example, the author has a chapter devoted to the particulars of entertaining lumberjacks. I especially like the idea of filling one's medicine cabinet with marbles to catch nosey guests in the act of examining the host's medications. Moreover, she gives etiquette pointers like not divulging a friend's inability to conceive during a guest introduction, and sound advice on what textures to have on your party platters -"crunchy will always punch up soggy," but "never have bumpy and lumpy on the same plate". Sedaris' deadpan approach and over-the-top images are exactly the tweak your lifestyle cookbook collection needs. I am hopeful that a TV series will follow whether it's on the Food Network or Comedy Central.

I like you too!, November 27, 2006
Imagine a beautiful full color cookbook written by a 1950's single girl with a flair for entertaining. Now imagine that girl is drunk, and messy, and just a little bit crazy.

I love this cookbook. It's the funniest thing I've read in ages, and full of ideas designed to educate, or at least entertain. It's jam-packed too, you could pour over just a few pages for quite some time and not catch all the tidbits and visual goodies there are to be found.

Bottom line: buy it for the style, keep it for the substance. It's hilarious. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A collection of 32 projects for novice origami hobbyists, clearly illustrated with easy-to-follow instructions that even beginning papercrafters can follow with successful results. Subjects range from an ultra-simple hat, cup and pinwheel to the more challenging figures of a penguin and a piano.
... Read more

Reviews

An Excellent Introduction To Origami, June 19, 2000
This book is a good introduction to anyone who is interested in exploring origami and what it has to offer. The models in this book can be done by anyone, even if they have never had any origami experience. The diagrams are clear, concise, and to the point. By constructing the models in this book, one not only can create various paper works such as fish, birds, boats, windmills, but also learns basic origami folds and techniques which are fundamental to more intermediate and advanced folding, if one wishes to continue in this discipline. All in all, I highly recommend this book to beginners and newcomers to origami.

Perfect starter book for origami, August 3, 2002
I teach an art program for children. Of the many glamorous origami books that I've used with my students, this is the book they always want - the book they grab and fight over! In fact so many of my copies have disappeared that now I need to order more! The price is right which is another great thing about this book. The projects are organized in a logical manner starting easy and getting progressively harder. Teachers: I always start my students off with guided instruction on the first few lessons, then they are usually capable of managing on their own.

Excellent Craft Book for Kids, September 2, 2005
My daughter used this book immediately on the day it was received and continues to use it. The instructions are clear and easily understood. It is an excellent beginning origami book. My 8 year old daughter has enjoyed it immensely.

Starts simple and stays simple, May 6, 2008
This is a good starter book as it claims to be.. but as I leafed through it I realized that anyone who has had even some remote experience with origami or paper crafts will find this book ... perhaps too basic.

I was hoping for at least a couple of more 'exciting' or slightly advanced projects at the end of the book, but the book stays simple till the end. Also, paper with both coloured sides looks better even for some of the basic designs.

Other than that, it offers exactly what it says on the cover.

As easy as you can get, April 15, 2004
This book is one of the simplest out there. I use this book with 4th-6th grade children who have never paper folded before. Although the direction key is at the beginning of the book, written instructions are still included with each figure enabling the reader to connect the symbols with the folding results. It such a great book to go at your own pace. The ease of the instructions allow the individual to begin to trust their own decisions of going back and redoing a particular fold.

A little disclaimer: The simplicity of the first few pages are helpful to increase the comfort of paper folding. However, because they are not elaborate in design, some of the objects require a little imagination to "see" the animal or subject.

The BEST for learning Origami, January 10, 2004
I bought this book a long time ago and trust me I did not pay $3.95 usd for it. I think back then the Canadian currency was really bad so I ended up paying about $10 cdn. It's a great buy! If you are interested in origami and feel intimidating that it's hard to learn, do not worry! Like previous reviewers that have given it a perfect 5, this book definitely deserves it.

First off, if you have no idea how to make a perfect "square" with a standard 8" by 11" paper, put it horizontal to the 8" side making it a tall-building-like-rectangle. Let's call the bottom facing you Side A. Let's name Side B be the 11" side that is on the right side. On Side A, take the bottom-left hand corner and bring it across to the opposite-adjacent (Side B), until the center of page makes a vertical crease across the page. You will see a rectangle, left over on the top above Side A's corner. Cut this rectangle excess off and now you have a perfect square! ^_^

Okay, now back to the actual book ^_^; it includes a basic introduction step-by-step on "base" origami along with a "symbol" page, as in an loopie-arrow would mean to flip over or something. All of the origami projects are step-by-step with pictures! It's read from left-to-right since it's in English =P and has number steps. For each step there is a diagram (shaded in grey and white, to contrast the front from the back) and below gives simple instructions. I had this book since I was in grade 4 so it's that EASY! It's a very affordable price (aka cheap =P) BUT does not hold out on details for beginners.

After going through all these projects, it's time to promote yourself by buying actual origami paper. Trust me, after completing all 32 you will probably be bored with all the white origami paper around you. Thankfully Amazon sells paper but I'm sure you can find them at local asian area. There are a lot of paper-quality and are very beautiful like kimono patterns. I love the foil-sparkley-flower-pattern kind but they can be a bit more expensive than regular origami paper. Most origami paper comes in pretty colours and some even with simple patterns.

Nice stocking stuffer, August 7, 2006
This little bookk, at a great price, makes a nice intro to origami. It is very basic. I found that most of the paterns in this book are repeated in Montroll's "Teach Yourself Origami," so I passed this on on to a cousin who was intrigued when she saw what I'd been doing. It's fine as far as it goes, but it isn't intended to go vary far. You can't beat the price. I thought it was a misprint.

Easy Origami, September 6, 2005
This book is very kool! If you want to do something to pass the time, buy this book. It is reasonably priced and after you do a few foldings, you can really use anything to fold with, not just the origami paper. It is fun and relaxing. I like the ease of the book. Because it is so simplified, you are able to remember the folds, and, there with you for a lifetime.

Easy Origami - A great book, August 12, 2005
If you're a novice to origami, Easy Origami is the book for you. With simple, clear instructions, it helps you to create the most beautiful projects. A must!

Everybody likes a penguin, October 4, 2004
If ever there was a perfect harmony between a man and his folded paper, one example stands out above all the rest. This book is a great buy in my opinion if for no other reason than the origami penguin. The penguin is a very complex animal. Mr. Montroll takes all of its real world complexity and channels that energy into one of the most easily constructed origami projects.

As of the writing of this review, I have folded 162 penguins. The $3.95 makes up for itself in the money you will save on gifts. 133 of my 162 penguins have been doled out to family and friends on special occasions. The other 29 decorate my humble home. With a little paint work, the origami penguin traverses all religious holidays: Yarmulkahs for Hanukkah or candy canes for Christmas are both appropriate.

Sadako's 1000 origami cranes is easily within my grasp, I am currently averaging 6 penguins per day with an all time high of 14* (*the 14 were unpainted) in a single day. I will concede that Sadako was quite sick during her origami career. For this reason, I will consider myself the origami champion if I complete 1500 penguins.

I do have one caution. If you do not immediately fall in love with one of the 32 projects, the book should be discarded immediately. If you are as lucky as I was and are smitten by one of the projects, you too will find a lifelong friend in origami.
... Read more

Editorial Review

As a unique, one-volume encyclopedia with over 350 pages, nearly 1,000 Superstars, and more than 1,500 images, this is the book for all WWE fans! Featuring hundreds of Superstars of all eras, from the World Wrestling Federation of the 60s and 70s to today's WWE, this thrilling, one-of-a-kind reference guide contains a visual glossary of all wrestling moves and provides coverage of the television shows that put the WWE into millions of households. From the Hardcore Champion to the World Heavyweight title holder, from the WWE's showcase events to the Pay-per-views, from Survivor Series to the grand spectacle of WrestleMania this encyclopedia covers it all. ... Read more

Reviews

A must own for wrestling fans, March 21, 2009
Often times while I'm watching an old wrestling match (or browsing some wrestling website) I end up looking an old wrestler up on Wikipedia in hopes of finding out more about him (or her). The WWE is, apparently, hoping to capitalize with marks like me with the WWE Encyclopedia. As the name implies, this book is an encyclopedia to all things (well most things) that have occurred in the vast history of the WWE - wrestlers, TV shows, PPV's, title histories, etc.

The book is written in kayfabe (pretends that wrestling and the personalities are "real"), so you are not going to get any inside information as far as behind the scene stuff goes. To me, that's perfect - but be forewarned though if you are looking for serious information on the people who played these characters you are going to be disappointed. For example, the encyclopedia has a separate entry for Kane and Dr. Isaac Yankem DDS with no mention one person played both roles (Glenn Jacobs). This is because in the WWE canon they are two separate people (one a crazy guy who is the Undertaker's brother and the other was an evil dentist - classic stuff) that just happened to played by the same person. Hence, the two different entries. I could see how this will be annoying for some people though who might want to know what the "real names" of these wrestlers are or some information about their real life pasts.

Really the only drawbacks (besides the potential problem for some that the book is written in total kayfabe) are the omissions or errors. I haven't searched every single page to find these issues (a few other reviews discuss them), but they appear to be very small in number when one stops to consider the thousands of different wrestling gimmicks that have shown up over the years. I certainly wouldn't let it stop me from purchasing the book because TL Hopper isn't profiled (there are always going to be errors in this sort of undertaking).

Overall, a great purchase for wrestling fans of all ages who want to either learn or fondly remember the fun and goofy past of the WWE.

Chock Full of Interesting Info and Fun Trivia, April 3, 2009
The "WWE Encyclopedia" is a fantastic reference for wrestling fans. There is so much info packed into this book you will spend hours upon hours reading through the various items presented. You get a thorough history of each and every title in WWE's history, from the Heavyweight Titles, down to the Intercontinental Title and Tag Team Titles to things like the Hardcore Title and European Champ titles as well. You also get the history of WCW and ECW titles too.

You get the history of every Pay Per View the WWE has presented over the years, as well as look at ALL of WWE's TV programming through the years. Of coures the real reason to purchase the Encyclopedia is the indepth SuperStar Profiles. Of couse you get the profiles of guys like "Hulk Hogan", "Stone Cold Steve Austin" and "The Rock", but you also get profiles on everyone from "Doink the Clown" to "The Brooklyn Brawler" and "Haku". No one is left out of this reference, even "Chris Benoit" gets a profile, which surprised me as he's been purged from most other WWE projects. It was nice to see profiles on the older wrestlers as well, guys like Bruno Sammartino, and Black Jack Mulligan get a nice profile, and credit for helping shape wrestling during the early years.
The book is laid out in alphabetical order, so if you want to take a quick glance at say the "Backlash" pay per view history, it's easy to locate. One thing to note, which is a little odd, that the wrestlers are alphabetized by their first names, which means if you are looking for Bobby Heenan for example you would turn to the "B" section, not "H". Another nice addition, is that the various tag teams have both a team entry as well as an individual entry in this reference. So if you were a fan of US Express say, they will have a profile on the team itself, but you will also have individual profiles for both Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo.

The photographs of some of my favorite childhood superstars really brought back some great memories as well. It's obvious WWE spent a TON of time and money on this book, and I can honestly say it's one of the best WWE produced products in a long time. If you were a fan of WWF's Hulkamania era, or the Attitude era there is plenty of interesting info in here for you. Even if you aren't a fan of the current product being put on tv today, you will still enjoy this book. Highly recommended for both casual and hardcore fans.

The COMPLETE History Of The WWF/WWE, March 14, 2009
Being a true WWF/WWE fan for many years this WWE Encyclopedia was a no-brainer for me. After looking through this LARGE book I have to say the WWE really went all out for this book. They left NOTHING out of this book, yes even Chris Benoit is included in this book along with ALL the titles he obtained before he died. I honestly could not find any wrestlers who were excluded from this book, from the top stars to mid-card stars and they even included the jobbers! There is no doubt in my mind, this is an absolute MUST for any WWF/WWE fan!

Best Wrestling book ever but..., March 14, 2009
This book is the best thing released by the WWE EVER !!!!!!
This is the best book around, so more infos !
Over 1000 superstars with photos and bios !!!!
even guys like : Battle Kat, Phantasio, Big Steel Man, Al Perez ...
all are listed !!!
All tv Shows/PPV
All differents stipulation for matches
All the belts (timeline)

even 2 pictures of Missy's Manor !!!!
2 pictures of the MYSTERY MAN (Furface) fighting Rick Martel
The Bio of Chris Benoit is included !!!

The best book around

unfortunately some wrestlers are missing but it's a really short lists:
from memory :

Sean Ohaire
Mordecai (Kevin Thorn is in but not this gimmick)
Rico (mentionned but no pic or bio)
Nathan Jones
Ernest Miller
Velvet Mcintyre
furnas/Lafond
Max Mini
tenessee Lee
Matt Morgan
ultimo dragon
kanyon
sakota
kizarny
Rodney Mack
Tiger Ali Singh (is showed in a pic, mentionned at 2 times, but no bio)
Daniel Puder
Spike Huber
Chris Walker
Kazarian
...

WWE Encyclopedia, May 13, 2009
I don't have anything much to say about this. This book is pretty good because it has all superstars and divas, but I found more match types on Wikipedia than in this book. I would buy it for the wrestlers and divas, but not for the matches.

Ehhh..., April 20, 2009
It's ok I guess... just more WWE propaganda. To be honest it was just an impulse buy leading up to wrestlemania. It seems to be relatively thorough... but the way that the WWE roster changes they are going to have to update it from time to time. It was good to see some of the old stars that are wrestling for other companies now still in the book.

If you are a must have WWE fanatic get it... I don't think it will be a collectors item or anything. They could have gone way deeper into the wrestling universe. It'd be a cool book to get autographed if you are ever at an event.

Not great at all., May 15, 2009
Reading this book I kind of marked out as a fan of WWE/WWF ever since the mid 1980's. However as I got into it and thought about a LOT of the entries it bothered me. The book being written "Kayfabe" is fine, it is a bit annoying seeing almost all the wrestling biographies have not been in this style, so having to look at a persons 15 gimmicks separately is a bit off putting.

My biggest problem with this book, besides the typo's as well as wrong footnotes which are not as bad as they could be, is the omissions of MANY people who wrestled for years with the company, including Brian Christopher, who is mentioned with his tag team, but his partners both get entries in the book. Also the lack of death information on MANY of the wrestlers. I am not saying you need to say Dino Bravo was murdered, but it would be nice to see that they stated he was dead. It seems according to this, Dino, as well as people such as Sapphire, and Kerry Von Erich would still be alive.

Is this a good beginning, probably, but with it's misdirections as well as most of it being written in "Kayfabe" are huge drawbacks.

Very Good Overall With Just A Few Issues..., April 6, 2009
I got the Encyclopedia last week and overall I was rather impressed with it. There were however some things that irked me. I'll list the major things.

The book is written mostly in kayfabe which means it pretends that people who wrestled under different identities were actually different people...such as Tony Atlas/Saba Simba, Iron Sheik/Col. Mustafa, Sultan/Fatu, and so on and so forth.

They are inconsistent with listing tag teams/stables/ factions. For some they list the group and also list separate profiles for each member, and for others they just lump everyone in the group profile and in some cases don't even mention the members by name. For example Owen Hart and Yokozuna each have separate profiles, then are grouped in another profile for the tag team Owen Hart and Yokozuna. Savio Vega has his own profile and is also featured in the Los Boricuas profile, but the other three members are not named, nor do they have their own profiles.

Since the WWE owns the rights to WCW, ECW, AWA, WCCW and others and they are inducting people into the WWE Hall of Fame from said promotions, I would have liked to see profiles on the wrestlers and personalities from those promotions included as well.

The title histories have some printing errors. In several instances the same title change is listed twice in a row. For instance the July, 09, 1986 entry where Fabulous Moolah won the title from Velvet McIntyre is repeated immediately below it.

Antonino Rocca's profile though labeled as "Antonino Rocca", is listed alphabetically by his nickname "Argentina". Gangrel is listed by real name Dave Heath, but his profile appears in the G section.

There is also a giant error where wrestling plumber T. L. Hopper (Dirty White Boy Tony Anthony of Smokey Mountain fame) is misnamed as PJ Walker. The real PJ Walker became Aldo Montoya then moved on to ECW where he became Justin Credible. Ironically, in the photo for this entry Hopper is fighting Aldo Montoya.


I've been able to think of a few WWE wrestlers/personalities that aren't listed at all in the Encyclopedia. Frankie Kazarian, Tiger Ali Singh, Nathan Jones, Amy Weber, Public Enemy, Sean O'Haire, Mordecai, Rico, Ernest Miller, Chris Walker, Ultimo Dragon, Rodney Mack, Daniel Puder, Kanyon, Doug Furnas and Phil Lafond, PG 13, Velvet McEntyre, Sakoda from the tag team Akio and Sakoda, Max Mini, Matt Morgan, Tony Schiavone, Kizarny, Sean Mooney, and Todd Pettingill to name a few.

Aside from these issues, the Encyclopedia is surprisingly detailed and informative and is well worth the purchase price in my opinion.

Very vague for true wrestling fans, August 7, 2009
I was excited to get this book until I opened it and saw that it was very vague and poorly organized. A lot of the information is repetitive, ie, if a wrestler had both a solo and tag team career they give the same info twice. For example Davey Boy Smith had a singles career and was tag team champ with Dynamite Kid; his info is given twice in two different parts of book, almost identically. This is done with every wrestler who had even a short -lived tag team partner, ie, DOn Muraco and Bob Orton who were only a team for a couple of months.
Another frustrating part is that many wrestlers portrayed different characters. Instead of listing them all in one single listing they list them as separate wrestlers ie, The Masked Superstar and Ax from Demolition were both portrayed by the same Bill Eadie (any real wrestling fan knows this) yet he has two seperate entries for the characters he played. It would be nice if they gave the person's real name as well as his alias'.
Another problem is many of the wrestler's have passed away. They don't have birth dates, death dates or cause of death, and in some instances they don't even mention a wrestler is dead. it just says they will be remembered as a great competitor or something to that effect.
Overall, it seems like this book was rushed together with out much research. Most of this info is vague and not very intriguing for a wrestling fan looking for something new.
I give this book a grade of D.

Fantastic Book!, April 7, 2009
A must own book for WWE fans of all ages.Great Pictures,Loads of Detail.Buy It now,you will not regret it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

5 stars for Will Shortz, 4 stars for the book design., February 17, 2008
Long recognized as a great "puzzler," not just for sudoku but for his NYTimes crosswords, Will Shortz provides 400 puzzles of difficulties ranging from "Light and Easy" to "Beware! Very Challenging!" Regardless of the level, these puzzles are scrupulously fair, requiring, in my experience, only two occasions of "trailing" (and those may have been my own fault), when most other such books often require the puzzler to use this "technique" many times during the book.

"Trailing" is the controversial "technique" in which a puzzler, unable to move further in the puzzle, (desperately) chooses a number from a set of pairs and inserts it into the box. The puzzler then trails the results as they suggest other solutions involving other numbers throughout the puzzle to see if they work or if, eventually, you get duplicates in rows, columns or squares. (If you do, you have to backtrack and insert the other number from the pair, which should work.) Many puzzlers feel that this "technique" is not "logic" but guesswork.

The book is a convenient size and has a spiral binding. The puzzles are large, and the pages are smooth and very white, allowing you to write in plenty of options and do whatever erasing you may require without roughing up the surface of the page (in case you decide to start over). Some of the puzzles which look the most difficult and have the most empty spaces are, in fact, the most fun, with surprises opening up as you do the puzzle. Many are very tricky (but fair), and some will have you berating yourself for missing something that should have been obvious, especially in the most challenging puzzles. For pure fun, without the frustration which trailing produces in many of us, this is one of the best books around.

My only problem with the book concerns the spiral binding. Very soon after I started working the Demanding and Very Challenging puzzles in the back of the book, the back cover and some of the answer pages started releasing themselves from the spiral. After many annoying episodes of this, I finally released the back cover and let it hang loose. (It didn't make any difference to the book's sturdiness.) I put the pages back into the spiral, and then used household wire to overcast the spiral completely closed. That held the pages in place and solved the problem. n Mary Whipple

Will Shortz + Sudoku = Great puzzling, February 9, 2007
Will Shortz is a fabulous puzzle editor, and this collection is one of his best. The spine of the book is spiral, which fascilitates puzzle working. Extremely high quality paper makes it easy to erase notes or mistakes. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys sudoku. It has four levels of difficulty, 100 puzzles of each level.

Disappointing format, December 18, 2008
Don't advertise "spiral bound" if the spiral binding has an awkward hard binding over it.

One would assume that the sole reason for advertising a spiral bound sudoku book is that customers want a book that will LAY FLAT ON A TABLE. This book does not. Having nothing to do with its content, the format of this book is very unfortunate and the description above is misleading.

Pretty good little book, August 21, 2007
Mostly, I love the spiral binding and hardcover, because I can haul it around on my breaks at work. No more trying to write on my knee without poking my pencil through the paper. But I've done about 1/4th of the puzzles and the back cover has slipped out of the binding twice. So far it's slipped back in pretty easily but it's got me slightly worried.

Best Sudoku Book Around, May 2, 2008
This is the third time I have bought this exact book, so that should tell you how much I like it. There are 100 puzzles for each level of difficulty for a total of 400 puzzles. Great quality paper, easy-to-use spiral binder.

challenging, March 25, 2007
There are four levels of play. Our 4-year-old and I have a running joke about the hardest level. The level is called "Beware - Very Challenging!" and we say it in our scariest voices. The puzzles are much harder than our newspaper's.

This book rocks!!, June 8, 2007
Just got this book about 3 weeks ago and I'm hooked! I'm very quickly going sudoku kuku! The book is very neat and sexy and with 400 puzzles in all levels, I'm going to be occupied for a while. Just this past weekend I solved my very first "Beware! Very Challenging" puzzle and I going crazy with excitement. If you love Sudoku, get this book!!!

terrible spine makes impossible to use on lap or on table, March 24, 2009
WARNING!! I love other Will Shortz Sudoku books so I ordered the spiral version thinking that it would be a great format. Unfortunately, it is not a regular spiral that allows for opening and folding over to expose only the one page. The book has a huge spiral coil covered by an oversize hard plastic covering that makes the book impossible to fully open flat, let alone open and fold over as in a regular spiral notebook design. I am returning and hope to warn others about this design defect so you can avoid my troubles.

This is the one, March 16, 2008
This sudoku book is excellent.
The puzzles are large on good quality paper.
Plenty of room for solver to pencil in clues and eliminations.
Hint: cut the spiral's cover off and you can flip pages over while keeping your place in this massive collection.

A sensual experience, January 23, 2008
I do the puzzles in this book wiith a nice, sharp #2 Ticonderoga pencil that has a good eraser. The pencil glides along the the very fine paper in this beautifully formatted book. The hard binding provides a great writing surface. I find doing the puzzles satisfying on a variety of levels--from the intellectual to the purely sensual. The puzzles range from easy to beyond difficult and are printed large, one per page. This is my favorite puzzle book ever. I can't wait for the next one. ... Read more

Editorial Review

From Nikoli, the Japanese publisher who launched the Sudoku craze, comes the gold standard Sudoku calendar. Each puzzle is hand-created, giving it an interactive feel that computer-generated puzzles can't match. The puzzles, printed in full color, begin easy on the weekend and grow more difficult over the week.
... Read more

Reviews

Sudoku calendar a gem, October 17, 2010
This is my 2nd Sudoku calendar. I used every page last year and plan to do the same this year. Great puzzles that run the gamut from extra easy to hard. Sometimes it's nice to be able to complete one quickly, though I do enjoy the challenge of the difficult ones. Great product!

Fun and attractive, October 30, 2010
I've been buying the Original Sudoku Calendar every year for several years now and I love it. The puzzles are fun, organized from easy at the beginning of the week to difficult by Friday. The colorful format makes it attractive to display. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The ChessCafe Puzzle Books! We are pleased to offer excerpts from three of the most popular chess books available today. They are The ChessCafe Puzzle Books 1 and 2 by German grandmaster Karsten M�ller and Book 3, also by M�ller, and in cooperation with Dutch international master Merijn van Delft. All three books are available in both traditional, hard copy and electronic editions. The original books are published in figurine algebraic notation, with Informant-style evaluation symbols. For this Puzzle Sampler, we have converted the notation to simple English algebraic and replaced the Informant-style evaluation symbols with text. The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 1 combines clear discussions of tactical themes with over 600 well-chosen positions to test, challenge and teach. Although the classic combinations are not ignored, the great emphasis is on positions from modern tournament practice of the last decade. From CCPB1, four puzzles with different tactical themes (please note that the actual numbering of the puzzles has been changed for this Kindle edition). It is Black to move in Puzzles 1 and 2, White to move and Puzzles 3 and 4. Solutions are immediately after the four puzzles. The ChessCafe Puzzle Book 2 takes on the more difficult and less tangible aspect of positional play. As most chess instructors and players know, it is much more difficult to teach and learn strategic concepts than tactics. The author not only presents puzzles to solve, but also presents examples of different strategic ideas. Here is an excerpt from the section about Outposts. One of the most important skills a chessplayer needs is the ability to defend a position that is under siege. In the third volume in the highly acclaimed, best-selling ChessCafe Puzzle Book series, international grandmaster Karsten M�ller, along with international master Merijn van Delft, examines and expounds upon the vital defensive concepts and techniques used to repulse enemy attacks. From CCPB3, three puzzles with different themes (please note that the actual numbering of the puzzles has been changed for this Kindle edition). It is Black to move in all three puzzles. Solutions are immediately after the three puzzles. ... Read more

Editorial Review

It's time to play Jeopardy!™ Just like the hugely popular TV show, the Jeopardy! 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar has a unique answer-and-question format. Each week features Jeopardy! and Double Jeopardy! categories with assigned "dollar" amounts and a Final Jeopardy! round where players can wager all or part of their "winnings." The answer is printed on the front of each page and the correct question is printed on the back. With categories such as Show Biz Awards, Scary Movies, Four-Syllable Words, and Famous Pairs, this calendar calls to any Jeopardy!™ fan.

The Jeopardy! 2011 Calendar is based on the television series produced by Sony Pictures Television, a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Jeopardy! is a registered trademark of Sony Television Pictures, Inc. Copyright (c) 2010 Sony Television Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Reviews

My husband can't live without this calendar., November 22, 2010
This is the only Christmas gift that he specifically looks forward to every year. The calendar goes in the bathroom and every morning he answers the question (or tries to). If you love playing along with the Jeopardy! TV show then you'll love this calendar.

Perfect for the Jeopardy Lover!, November 8, 2010
I've been buying my father this calendar every year for Christmas for many years. He absolutly loves it! Many of his co-workers also love it. He told me they go into his office daily just to play it. If you someone who loves Jeopardy, they will love this calendar.

Betty's Jeopardy review, October 31, 2010
I'm very pleased with the Jeopardy calendar. It saved me a trip to the bookstore, which is invaulable. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Sometime about 30,000 years ago, somebody stuck a sharp rock into a split stick—and presto! The axe was born. Our inquisitive species just loves tinkering, testing, and pushing the limits, and this delightfully different book is a freewheeling reference to hundreds of customs, notions, and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history.

From hand tools to holidays to weapons to washing machines, An Uncommon History of Common Things features hundreds of colorful illustrations, timelines, sidebars, and more as it explores just about every subject under the sun. Who knew that indoor plumbing has been around for 4,600 years, but punctuation, capital letters, and the handy spaces between written words only date back to the Dark Ages? Or that ancient soldiers baked a kind of pizza on their shields—when they weren’t busy flying kites to frighten their foes?

Every page of this quirky compendium catalogs something fascinating, surprising, or serendipitous. A lively, incomparably browsable read for history buffs, pop culture lovers, and anyone who relishes the odd and extraordinary details hidden in the everyday, it will inform, amuse, astonish—and alter the way you think about the clever creatures we call humans. ... Read more

Reviews

Uncommon History of Common Things, February 1, 2010
Great book! Alot of fun to read! Bought for husband as Christmas present. Lots of interesting and facts and antedotes in this book, worth the money. Will read myself when he gets done!

good for both 11 year olds and 63 year olds, February 10, 2010
I gave this as a gift to my goddaughter and my husband. Both are thoroughly enjoying the trivia and tales. It makes for a lot of "Did you know?" conversations that are both fun and engaging.

Interesting!, February 11, 2010
If you are a fan of trivia, you'll enjoy knowing the background behind these everyday things. Makes great dinner party conversation!

Great review of unusual things, January 24, 2010
Full of fun facts about common things you never knew and can use to impress your friends! Easy reading in sections that make reading in short periods very easy. Quality product, prompt shippiing.

History Lover, January 7, 2010
This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. One would never expect the origins of some of the things we use every day.

how things work, February 3, 2010
this book has a lot of information, easy to understand on common things of daily living, when they were invented, by whom, etc.

book, June 4, 2010
This book is a gift for my dad--it sounds interesting, I hope he likes it!

Uncommom History book, November 24, 2009
This is for a gift and I think it will be enjoyed very much. Thank you. ... Read more