This happens to be my fathers book, however I am compelled to comment despite my potential bias.

Firstly, the authors are Edward W. Simpson Jr. and Guy R. Everson (ie. not R.W. Simpson - he was a historical figure in the book). Dad found the letters hidden in a storage chest. He transcribed them over a period of four years and both authors spent another 3 years documenting the accuracy of the movements. Secondly, I am pleased to say it is truly one of the most wonderful bits of history that actually reads like a novel (important for me because I am not a Civil War buff). The story was a compilation of letters, written by a soldier dipicting everything from grand strategy, individual combat, to challenging personal experiences. The Simpson brothers (ie. the letter writters) served in Longstreets Corps under Robert E. Lee, in the Army of Northern Virginia. I am amazed at the courage that war required and how the letters capture the essence, the struggle, and the pathos of our Civil War.

This is in my mind Guy's best book. Paradoxically, it may be his best business book!

I bought this book to spend some of my free time after dinner. With its impressive collection of mathematical riddles this book is intellectually stimulating. One has to recognize, however, that from a certain point some of the problems are reserved to the truly "aficionados" of mathematics. Educators in the field of mathematics my find this book particularly interesting.

An incredible documentation of the only street in America to have its own National Landmark status. The authors did their research on this fascinating piece of Americana, and the street comes alive in beautiful photographs and fascinating description.

A MUST for anyone's coffee table!!

After the counting numbers, geometry is the oldest branch of mathematics and no doubt the first one that required abstract thinking. Even so, there is always a certain "concreteness" about it in the sense that diagrams can almost always be constructed. The range of problems that fall under the geometric umbrella is extremely wide and some even have practical uses.
This book is a testament to the wide range of problems that are geometric in nature. One of my favorites is known as the "worm problem." To be more precise, the question is, "find the convex set of least area where any continuous curve of length one can be placed in it." This type of problem has ramifications in optimal packings, where a single type of container needs to be constructed for all possible ways an object can fold. Other problems such as tiling and dissection; packing and covering and combinatorial geometry are also covered.
However, the best part of the book may be the extensive references. Every problem is followed by a list of references, so if you wish to take a crack at it, you will have little difficulty in locating the work done to the date of publication.
This is one of those books that always seems to beckon me when it lies on my bookshelf. Every once in awhile I pull it off and browse through it, admiring the skill and breadth of mathematicians in their pursuit of truth. It should be in every academic library.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission

Starting with Hackenbush (thanks to Groucho Marx) this book describes and analyzes a great many interesting games. While the authors are mathematicians, and there is mathematics involved, much of the discussion can be followed by the lay reader.

During most of 1999, Dark Horse Comics pursued a single long story line with intermittent breaks. In a sense, this was an imitation of the television show, with its combination of episodic tales and extended story arcs. While this was a mixed success with the readers, it did produce its share of great moments, and established some basic principles for the series that have lasted for almost regular 50 issues and countless specials.

This trade paperback contains the last three episodes of the 'Bad Blood' story arc that consumed nine issues in total. The force behind the series is the efforts of Selke, a horribly scarred vampire, to recover her looks, establish a power base, and to destroy Buffy. Selke and her accomplice Dr. Flitter have found away to create an evil Buffy twin whose assignment is to track down her original and 'slay' her.

Of course, we know that Buffy will survive, but the clone's ability to anticipate Buffy's every move allows her to accomplish the impossible - leave Buffy for dead in the Sunnydale sewer and shop for clothes in the same night. Buffy find help from an unexpected source and works her way to a final confrontation with Selke in the middle of the Sunnydale Mardi Gras celebration. A final short story tells the story of a sorority initiation that nearly stomps the clock permanently.

These are probably the best three episodes of 'Bad Blood,' both in terms of writing and artwork. Even so the long stretch of the comic book series works against it and it lacks the spark that a shorter series like 'The Blood of Carthage' can produce. It is hardly a failure however. I do suggest that the reader begin at the beginning with the first trade paperback, 'Bad Blood.'

"Your Cheatin' Heart" continues the Selke storyline featured in this trade (issues 17-19 of the series). Buffy has a run-in with the Dark Slayer -- the dark slayer turns out to be a favorite with Cordelia because of her fashion sense, and the Dark Slayer advises the gang to make a clown float for a high school parade (ah, the unspeakable evil). Next is "She's no Lady" where the real Buffy is saved from the sewer by one of the failed versions of the Dark Slayer while the dark slayer herself is pretending to be the real Buffy. Angel investigates the new blood Selke's vamps are using, has someone tampered with it? Then, in "Old Friend" Dru and Spike make another appearance as Buffy must fight the Dark Slayer again. The Scoobies have found out about the imposter but must go on with their clown float. A fun issue. Lastly there is a bonus story "Killing Time" which isn't too interesting, just a few pages long.

This installment of the Selke saga turns the focus from the diva vamp to Buffy and her friends. A clone takes over Buffy's life. But when she bonds with Cordelia, the gang becomes suspicious. The story flows well. The graphics add excitement. I particularly liked the show down between Buffy and her clone. I recommend this book to graphic novel lovers

I enjoyed this book and found some of the detail fascinating although at other times I felt it was skimming the surface and not going deep enough. There are slight errors eg Fletcher Henderson did not write King Porter Stomp he only arranged it and I was surprised to see Bubber Miley's picture included in a set of fifties Ellington men - he must have smelt pretty bad!

On the whole a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the big bands

Like the Best Damn Trumpet Player, Grudens writes with feeling about all his heroes. Reading the interview with band leader Artie Shaw proves his respect for the musicians. Grudens is not a critic. He loves the music of his life and proves to all of us that the music of the era was the best music ever recorded. Where else have you ever read about people like Red Norvo, The Dorsey's the family of Duke Ellington, the great Stan Kenton, with help from Audree Kenton, Les Paul, the great Les Brown etc. You will love this book if you love that music. There is a feature about all the bands of Europe like Syd Lawrence and Ted Heath. The book is just great.There is even a section about the great songwriters, Ervin Drake ( I Believe and It Was a Very Good Year)and Jack Lawrence ( Linda, Tenderly) and others.

Richard, you did a terrfic job, your book is for all music lovers but especially those of us who love big bands and great singers. And you know I love ANN JILLIAN'S SINGING! Count me in man. Best of luck Richard. Andy

This book is definetly for an avid fan! Christopher Golden is a great author with fantastic ideas. The graphics of this novel were outstanding, and the plot terrific. A must have for any Buffy collector

Set in the third and fourth seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this is a medley of eight stories buy a variety of authors and illustrators. The keynote tale is the two part 'Food Chain,' which traces the fate of a young juvenile delinquent who first runs afoul of a high school student/very bad demoness, and then, when that doesn't work out, invokes a demon who likes murdering all his friends. Buffy, of course, to the rescue.

Other tales include 'The Latest Craze,' the story of what happens when owning miniature demons becomes a fad for the rich and snooty, and 'Double Cross' about a demon who resembles the Alien on steroids and has a knack for being in two places at once. Then there is 'One Small Promise,' a Buffy/Riley tidbit and 'City of Despair,' an interesting story that pits Buffy and Angel against each other in a final confrontation in yet another dimension. The remaining two tales are 'Bad Dog,' in which Oz is freed to so that a geek with low self-esteem can drain Willow's power, and 'Punish Me with Kisses,' a ghost story that is a bit too cute.

On top of offering a set of interesting, well conceived stories, 'Food Chain' has a stellar cast of illustrators. Both the stories and the full page artwork offer a far greater variety than the regular Dark Horse productions, which gives the reader a chance to appreciate different styles and better understand the arcane art of comic book production. If you aren't normally drawn to the graphic novel format, but want something that offers a representative sample of its potential this is the one to own.

This is a classic set of books, and greatly improved from the original version. But if you're looking for the old Volume 1, this book will disappoint. The second edition of Winning Ways is split into 4 separately published books. So THIS Volume 1 is just half of the old Volume 1. Be prepared.

This book is dazzling. It can be pretty tough going but it is
well worth the effort. You can always tell the work of a genius because it illuminates the landscape and shows us things we have never seen before. I design games for a living and this book rocks! Hackenbush, Nimbers, games with 1/2 move advantage. Well illustrated. ONLY PROBLEM: Where are volumes 2-4?

This is the most difficult collection of puns that I have ever read. Of course, that has something to do with the fact that they are surrounded by some of the most complex mathematical analyses of games that you will find. The types of games that are examined are processes that have the following general structure:

1) There are two players.
2) There are many different positions, with one singled out as the starting position.
3) Players move according to very specific rules.
4) The players move alternately.
5) Both players have complete information.
6) There is no chance element to the play. For example, dice are not involved.
7) The first player unable to move loses the game.
8) The game will always move to a state where a player cannot move, which is an ending condition.

The hardest part of the material is the notation, it is unusual and absolutely necessary to understand the treatment of nearly all the games. However, once you get over that, something that took me a couple of passes, the games become interesting. Some of them turn out to be trivial, although at first reading, that would not be your conclusion.
I also would caution you that this is not recreational mathematics in its base form. These games and problems are nontrivial and most require some serious thought, even when the result is simple. As I read through these games and the mathematical examination of the consequences of playing them, I was struck by two semi-profound thoughts.

1) The human mind can create a game out of just about anything. Some of these games are nothing more than colored marks on paper.
2) Even simple rules can generate complex results. However, mathematical analysis gives us powerful tools that inform us how to win, or as the case may be, how not to lose, or to lose as slowly as possible.

Berklekamp and company have created a classic work that is a must read if you want to understand game-like behavior. While not easy, it is some of the most worthwhile material that you will ever read. I read the first edition several years ago and found the going just as interesting the second time.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.