Much like playing cards, I have a habit of picking up any book relating to games I happen to come across. More than a few I haven't had a chance to read, unfortunately, so I may not have much to say. This page is a work in progress.
This is a very expansive book on the subject of games, covering the rules and history of everything from Monopoly and Mahjong to Hopscotch, and a lot of popular card games too. Very fun to read through, big enough it doesn't fit on my bookshelf, so it sadly sits in a stack on the floor instead.
Another book too big for my shelf. A nice reference for card game rules, and nice to read through to find new card games. Plenty of good quality graphics that help greatly in learning.
I've never played bridge, but this book has a handful of photographs of interesting decks of cards.
An average book of rules, very nice and thick and well put together. The introduction starts with a huffy rant about the quality of other Hoyle books.
This was my dads book when he was a younger man. I'm really not very good at chess, which is why I pilfered it from him. It's a book of chess games with analysis.
A very nice, well illustrated book of solitaire games.
Checkers is a game I'd never given much consideration, but I picked this book up and decided to give it an honest try. I even took an unused cardboard chessboard I had and engraved it to be a notated checkerboard, which I may write about. Even so, I'm still not good at nor do I particularly enjoy playing checkers. Alas.
Subtitled "The Ultimate No Limit Texas Hold 'Em Guide", this is a book about Texas Hold 'Em. I've never played Texas Hold 'Em and I haven't yet read this book.
I picked this up because it was virtually free, and I thought I might be able to adapt or at least get some ideas from it. As a true gamester, I am always open to new games, but uh. This book is really bad. In between the games, there are a bunch of anecdotes and essays(?) about beer drinking, and literally endless lists of nonsense (e.g. Fifteen Ways To Say "Drunk", Fifteen More Ways To Say "Drunk", Son Of Fifteen Ways To Say "Drunk"). Of the fifty games listed, two of them (Burn-Out and Slush Fund) seemed at least a little interesting. Listen, I don't drink, and I'm not a frat boy, so I know I'm not the target demographic, but even if you were, I'm kind of worried about the kind of person who thinks Red Black (flip cards in a deck, with you or your opponent drinking a beer if the card is red or black) or the 100 Beer Club (drink 100 beers in three days, or one beer every 43 minutes) is a fun time.
Another bridge book I've never read.
This is a nice book, and it's illustrated. One of these days I'll cross-examine it against my other solitaire books and see which games are shared and which ones are unique.
I like playing blackjack, even though I don't play for money, but learning the intricacies of it makes me worried it'll ruin the fun and just become a game of remembering charts. This book is funny because it has a whole chapter halfway through devoted to other blackjack books you should buy.
Does this count?
This is a book of anecdotes and stories of poker games from Phil Hellmuth Jr. and his poker playing friends. I'd read this when I was babysitting the laser cutter in the wintertime, but I think I'd get more out of it if I understood poker better. Regardless, it's a fun read.
This is a guide to playing online poker for the express purpose of making money. I haven't read it.
Interesting book that doesn't just explain the rules, but also strategies for a number of card games, and how to detect and prevent cheating. Mine has a neat card-themed advertisement for Sunlight dish soap glued to the inside cover.
A book of games specifically for kids, plus card tricks, and a section at the end on "adult" games like Rummy. It even has a kids guide to bridge!
A rule book with no illustrations, which makes a lot of assumptions on the knowledge of the player. Feels more like a reference for games you already know how to play rather than a way to learn.
A nice book of solitaire games, with illustrations showing how to lay out the tableaus.
The oldest book on games I own, printed during the second world war, and due to sentimental reason, very special to me, moreso than almost any other book on this list. Unfortunately, it is a chore to read, the only book on games I've read being worse and more obtuse to learn from being The Compleat Gamester.
Another book on bridge, originally belonging to my late grandmother, whom I wish I was closer to, and never got the chance to play cards with. Inside are loose pieces of paper scribbled with notes, written by her.
This book also belonged to my dad, and was also nipped up by me to better learn chess. It came to me in such a sad state that I had to learn how to do basic book repairs to make it readable. It's in much better shape now.
A list of games for scouts to play. I was never in the scouts, but I learned pioneering at a certain point to make trellises and garden fences quickly. There are a lot of games crammed in this book, and its been interesting to read through them. Most of them intend to teach or heighten certain skills, mainly about listening, which makes sense. These are all physical games as opposed to board or card games, of course, but as a proponent of games as educational tools, its a fun read.
This is a Fighting Fantasy gamebook I got when I was a kid. Back then, I didn't have dice, so instead I cut up some pieces of paper, labelled them 1 through 6, and put them in a bag. It was cumbersome, but a very distinct memory. I recently played through it again with my girlfriend, setting up a playlist of suitable music for ambience, and it was a really fun time together.