Go and Go Moku

Rating:
Summary: Examples difficult to follow, dry reading
Review: As a beginner just learning the game, this is not the way to go (sorry). Lasker was world chess champion for 27 years, losing it in 1921. This book is written from that rarified perspective.He will jump into a complex series of moves for a couple of pages, totally losing the reader on the logic and reasons for the progression, and then after another page say the explanation is probably not appropriate for beginners and/or there are many exceptions to what he just wrote. The diagrams are generally hard to follow, and aren't particularly clarified by the accompanying text. There is one complete game recorded move by move between masters Karigane and Honinbo played in 1926 which is instructive. But if this is the first book on go one is exposed to, it might do more to discourage than to help one experience the enjoyment the game can provide.

Rating:
Summary: Very informitave. Very hardcore.
Review: As the other reviews say, the bulk of this book is raw lists of moves, with explinations, and complicated variations. You absolutely need a board to follow along. Also, this isn't for the rank beginner.

Some things are hard to follow, and it takes time, and it takes patience, and even some thought, but it's worth it. When you force yourself to think about the examples in this book, and really understand them all, you'll find that you have actually learned quite a bit.

Rating:
Summary: No longer a good book
Review: This pioneering book was written when go was less well-known in the west, and Lasker's access to strong players and to the centuries-old tradition of go teaching was limited. Because present-day authors do not suffer from these disadvantages, recent English-language books tend to be clearer and better organized for beginners. _Go and Go Moku_ also betrays its age by its occasionally nonstandard terminology, which alone is sufficient reason for beginners to avoid this book.

Of the many excellent English-language introductions to go, my favorite is Kaoru Iwamoto's _Go For Beginners_.

Rating:
Summary: No longer a good book
Review: This pioneering book was written when go was less well-known in the west, and Lasker's access to strong players and to the centuries-old tradition of go teaching was limited. Because present-day authors do not suffer from these disadvantages, recent English-language books tend to be clearer and better organized for beginners. _Go and Go Moku_ also betrays its age by its occasionally nonstandard terminology, which alone is sufficient reason for beginners to avoid this book.

Of the many excellent English-language introductions to go, my favorite is Kaoru Iwamoto's _Go For Beginners_.