Bridge, or more formally contract bridge, is a
trick-takingcard game of
skill and
chance played by four players. This article consists of lists of bridge books deemed significant by various authors and organizations.
History
Books on bridge and its predecessor games have spanned centuries with the earliest known popular book on the subject of
Whist having been published by
Edmond Hoyle in 1742[1] or 1743.[2]
The timelines in the evolutionary path to modern contract bridge books are generally as follows:
18th and 19th centuries: Whist is widely played with many variants in scoring methods; similar games such as
Vint and
Khedive are also played
1886: Evidence that Bridge-Whist has emerged with John Collinson's four page pamphlet entitled
Biritch, or Russian Whist.[3] (Earlier, in 1869, Christian Vanderheid, an Austrian writer about card games, published Gründlicher Selbstunterricht zur Erlernung des Jarolasch oder das russische Whist (Extensive Self-teaching of Yeralash (Jarolasch) or Russian Whist). The game described by Vanderheid is almost identical to Collinson's Biritch, with the exception that it is not played with a dummy.[4])
1903–1932: from the first known publication on Auction Bridge (also known as Royal Auction Bridge and simply, Auction) to the last publication of Laws of Auction Bridge by the Portland Club
c. 1915: Bridge Plafond emerges in France and Belgium and is essentially contract bridge without vulnerability
late 1925: a significant new scoring system was proposed by
Harold Vanderbilt introducing the concept of vulnerability, large bonuses for slams and heavy penalties for undertricks. Within two years, "Auction was swept off the tables" in the dawn of modern contract bridge.[5]
1926–1935: numerous books on bidding are published and compete for status as the 'official system' of choice.
Ely Culbertson rises to prominence in the US as a self-promoting bridge player, challenging his English and European counterparts to international matches all the while building a business empire based on his bridge writing and related investments. In the early Thirties,
Acol is fashioned by
S. J. Simon and
Jack Marx, and eventually becomes the most popular bidding system in Britain.
1935: Culbertson publishes the first Encyclopedia of Bridge.
Precursor games
The following are books on the various precursor games to modern contract bridge; the first books on contract bridge appeared in 1927.[6]
Hoyle, Edmond (1761). Mr. Hoyle's Games of Whist, Quadrille, Piquet, Chess and Backgammon Complete. Thomas Osborne, Stanley Crowder and Richard Baldwin (London), 12th Edition, 214 pages.
Payne, William (c. 1770). Maxims for Playing the Game of Whist, with all Necessary Calculations; and the Laws of the Game. T. Payne & Sons (London).
Mattews, Thomas (1804). Advice to the Young Whist Player: Containing Most of the Maxims of the Old School with Author's Observation on Those He Thinks Erroneous... Various editions to 1828. W. Meyler and Son (Bath), 4th Edition, 1810, 68 pages.
Cavendish, pseudonym of
Henry Jones, M.R.C.S. (1862). The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained and its Practice Illustrated on an Original System by Means of Hands Played Completely Through. (Spine title: Cavendish on Whist). Thos. De La Rue & Co. (London), 1st Edition.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) / 8th Edition, 1868, 120 pages; 9th Edition, 1872, 120 pages; 11th Edition, 1876, 268 pages; 12th Edition, 1879, 268 pages; 13th Edition, 1881, 268 pages; 15th Edition, 1885, 272 pages; 20th Edition, 1892, 303 pages; 21st Edition, 1893, 320 pages; 22nd Edition (The Seventy-fifth Thousand), 1895, 306 pages; 23rd Edition (The Eighty-sixth Thousand), 1898, 306 pages; 24th Edition (Containing the New Code of Laws Revised in 1900), 1901, 306 pages. American Editions published by: John Wurtele Lovell (New York), 1880 from the 12th English Edition, 257 pages; John Wurtele Lovell (New York), 1881 from the 12th English Edition, 257 pages; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899 from the 23rd English Edition, 348 pages.
Baldwin, J. L.;
Clay, James (1864). The Laws of Short Whist and a Treatise on the Game (Spine title: Short Whist). Harrison (London). / Second Edition, 1870 / First American Edition: Henry Holt and Company (New York), 1874, 153 pages. / New American edition from the second English Edition, 1880, 163 pages.
Pole, William (January 1871). Quarterly Review. Article on the evolution of Whist.
Pole, William (1874). The Theory of the Modern Scientific Game of Whist... (Cover and spine title: Pole on Whist). Longmans, Green, and Co. (London), 7th Edition, 1874, 112 pages. / G.W. Carleton & Co. Publishers (London) 1879, 144 pages. / Longmans, Green, and Co. (London), 14th Edition, 1883, 112 pages. / G.W. Carleton & Co. Publishers (London) 1884, 114 pages. / Frederick A. Stokes (New York), 1887, 136 pages. / 1889, 128 pages.
Cavendish, pseudonym of
Henry Jones (1883). Whist Developments. Thos. De La Rue & Co. (London), 172 pages.
Foster, R. F. (1890). Foster's Whist Manual. Mudie and Sons (London), 1st Edition. / Brentano's (New York, Chicago, Washington), 2nd Edition, 1891, 168 pages. Frederick Warne and Co. with Mudie and Sons, (London), 2nd Edition, 1891, 168 pages. Brentano's (New York, Chicago, Washington), 3rd Edition with American Leads, 25th Thousand, 1896, 195 pages. Frederick Warne and Co. with Mudie and Sons, (London), 4th Edition, 1899. Frederick Warne and Co. with Mudie and Sons, (London), 5th Edition, Thirty-fifth Thousand, 1900, 168 pages.
Coffin, Charles Emmet (1893). The Gist of Whist. J. Selwin Tait & Sons. / Brentano's (New York), 5th Edition, 1895, 109 pages
Hamilton, C.D.P. (1894). Modern Scientific Whist. Brentano's (New York), 599 pages.
Doe, John (George Cavendish Benedict) (1900). The Bridge Manual. Mudie and Sons, (London).
Melrose, C.J. (1901). Bridge Whist. Charles Scribner's Sons, (New York).
Elwell, Joseph B. (1902). Bridge: Its Principles and Rules of Play (Cover and spine title: Elwell on Bridge). Charles Scribner's Sons (New York). / 1903, 136 pages / 1907, 136 pages / 1911, 136 pages.
Elwell, Joseph B. (1904). Advanced Bridge: The Higher Principles of the Game Analysed and Explained, and Their Application Illustrated, by Hands Taken from Actual Play (Cover and spine title: Elwell's Advanced Bridge). George Newnes, (London), 277 pages / Charles Scribner's Sons (New York), 277 pages. / 6th Edition, Charles Scribner's Sons (New York), 1907, 297 pages.
Pole, William (1905). Whist. George Bell & Sons (London, New York), 104 pages.
Ames, Fisher (1906).
The Game of Bridge. Little, Brown and Company (Boston), 190 pages.
Valet de Pique (1912). Bridge and Auction Bridge. Eveleigh Nash, (London).
Bergholt, Ernest (c. 1915). Royal Auction Bridge. George Routledge & Sons, (London).
People and culture
The following books provide insights into the people and culture of contract bridge and while they may contain occasional references to certain technical aspects of the game, they are generally not instructional in theme. Fictional novels with a bridge theme are listed separately.
Culbertson, Ely (1940). The Strange Lives of One Man, An Autobiography. Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto: The John C. Winston Company. p. 693.
Ramsey, Guy (1955). Aces All. London: Museum Press Limited. p. 205.
Olsen, Jack (1960). The Mad World of Bridge. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Mackey, Rex (1964). The Walk of the Oysters: An Unholy History of Contract Bridge. London: W.H.Allen. / Prentice-Hall Inc. (Englewood Cliffs N. J.) 1965, 217 pages.
Reese, Terence (1967). Story of an Accusation. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 246.
Mollo, Victor (1968). The Bridge Immortals. New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc. p. 256.
Flint, Jeremy; North, Freddie (1970). Tiger Bridge: The Game at The Top. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 184.
ISBN0-340-12854-2. / Simon and Schuster (New York), 191 pages.
Schenken, Howard (1973). The Education of a Bridge Player. Simon and Schuster. p. 286. / Robert Hale (London), 1976, 221 pages,
ISBN0-7091-5349-X.
Emery, Sue (1977). No Passing Fancy – Fifty Years of Contract Bridge. Memphis: American Contract Bridge League. p. 128.
Russell, Fisher (1933). Dictionary of Contract Bridge: the Webster of Contract. Clinton, MA: Colonial Press Inc. 32 pages.
Culbertson, Ely, Editor (1935). The Encyclopedia of Bridge. New York: The Bridge World, Inc. {{
cite book}}: |first= has generic name (
help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) 477 pages.
Reese, Terence; Dormer, Albert (1959). Bridge Player's Dictionary. New York: Sterling Publishing Company.
OCLC3190513. 252 pages.
Levé, Guy (2007). The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge (First ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Master Point Press.
ISBN978-1-897106-25-9. 423 pages.
Each year since 1982,[7] ABTA has recognized one or more books as contributing significantly to the teaching of contract bridge. The following are the award recipients:[8]
1982 –
Sydnor, Caroline. How To Win More Tricks. Book Three of the Bridge Made Easy Series.
1983 –
Blackwood, Easley (1983). Complete Book of Opening Leads. Devyn Press.
2014 – Beginner: O'Connor, Patrick. A Second Book Of Bridge Problems.
2014 – Intermediate/Advanced: Grant, Audrey (7 October 2013). Improve Your Declarer Play – Five Steps to Simplify the End Game. American Contract Bridge League.
ISBN978-0-939460-38-0.
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (7th edition) recommendations
The 7th edition of the Encyclopedia recommended[15] the following books with the caveat that the "list on this page is by no means definitive. It was influenced to a degree by surveys published in 1994 and 2007 in the Bridge Bulletin", published by the
American Contract Bridge League. Listed alphabetically by first author surname.
The British Bridge Almanack[17] reported on a survey of leading British bridge personalities. The survey presented a chronological list of 16 books by British authors deemed to have made a significant contribution to the development of the game. It asked the personalities to add as many as three titles of their choosing and then to identify their top five. Of the 24 reported respondents, 19 identified one or more titles.
Several encyclopedias on the subject of bridge have provided bibliographies of bridge related publications.
The Encyclopedia of Bridge
The Encyclopedia of Bridge of 1935 acknowledges certain authors' publications in their brief biographies but no summary tabulation or categorization of bridge literature or evaluative commentary is provided.
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (OEB) is a publication of the American Contract Bridge League first published in 1964 with the 7th edition published in 2011. Up to the 6th, each OEB edition contains a bibliography of bridge related publications grouped by subject (history, bidding, play, reference, etc.) and rates selected publications as:
(a) having made a significant contribution to the technical development of the game;
(b) being mandatory for inclusion in a modern technical library;
(c) being optional for inclusion in a modern technical library; or (d) none of the foregoing. Subject categories and ratings for a publication may vary between editions of the OEB. The 1st edition bibliography spans 8 pages and lists about 400 titles; the 6th edition bibliography, prepared by
Tim Bourke, spans 60 pages and lists approximately 4,100 titles;
Up to the 6th, each edition of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge contains a bibliography of bridge and bridge related books; the following is a summary of their contents.
OEB Edition
Year
Page Range
Number of Pages
Number of Categories
Number of Entries
1
1964
684-691
8
15
2
1971
783-793
11
15
3
1976
849-858
10
15
4
1984
902-922
21
17
5
1994
Not numbered
38
6
2001
Not numbered
60
29
4096
7
2011
Not included
NA
NA
NA
The Bridge Players' Encyclopedia
The Bridge Players Encyclopedia (BPE) was published in 1967 by Paul Hamlyn (London) and is an International Edition based on The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge of 1964 but geared to the needs of British and European players. The edition modified American spellings, "translated" bidding structures to the more widely used Acol system, omitted biographical notes on some lesser known Americans and added biographical notes on some British and European players. Although content differs from the 1964 OEB, the publication contains a 9-page bibliography of approximately 500 titles with subject categorization and rating schemes similar to those of the previous OEB editions.[clarification needed]
Bourke, Tim; Sugden, John (2010). Bridge Books in English from 1886-2010: an annotated bibliography. Cheltenham, England: Bridge Book Buffs.
ISBN978-0-9566576-0-2.
Bibliography
Following are details about books referenced in preceding sections, listed by first named author's surname beginning with: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
- A -
Andersen, Ron; Zenkel, Sabine (1993). Preempts from A-Z. Stamford, Conn.: Magnus Books.
ISBN978-0-9637533-0-4.
LCCN93-079256. 290 pages.
Cohen, Larry (1992). To Bid or Not to Bid: The LAW of Total Tricks (9th printing, 1997, revised and expanded ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Natco Press.
ISBN0-9634715-0-3.
LCCN92-80759. 286 pages.
Crowhurst, Eric; Kambites, Andrew (1992). Understanding Acol. The Good Bidding Guide. Master Bridge Series. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN0-575-05253-8. 157 pages.
- D -
Darvas, Robert; Lukacs, Paul (1960). Spotlight on Card Play (1st ed.). London: Nicholas Kaye Limited.
Hayden, Dorothy. Bid Better, Play Better. (1966-1986). First edition 1966: Harper & Row (New York), 196p. / 1966: Award Books (New York), 254p. / 1967: Universal (New York), 254p. / 1967: Award Books (New York), Tandem (London), 254p. / 1970: Award Books (New York), Tandem (London), 254p. / 1981: Pinnacle Books (New York), 235p. / 1986: Perennial Library (New York), 235p.
ISBN0-06-091351-7
Play of the Hand Complete. Eddie Kantar. 1965. 108 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1968). Introduction to Declarer's Play. Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 142p.,
ISBN978-0-87980-401-5 / Prentice Hall (Endlewood Cliffs, NJ), 147p. / Muller (London), 1971,
ISBN978-0-584-10393-9, 147p
Kantar, Eddie (1968). Introduction to Defender's Play. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall. Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 153p. / Prentice Hall (Endlewood Cliffs, NJ), 153p. / Muller (London), 1971,
ISBN978-0-584-10394-6, 153p / Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 1977,
ISBN978-0-87980-322-3, 153p
Kantar, Eddie (1977).
Bridge Humor. Melvin Powers Self-improvement Library. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Book Company.
ISBN978-0-87980-342-1. 151 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1983). Kantar for the Defense, Volume 1. Melvin Powers Self-improvement Library. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Book Co.
ISBN978-0-87980-400-8. 200 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1984). Kantar for the Defense, Volume 2. Melvin Powers Self-improvement Library. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Book Co.
ISBN978-0-87980-409-1. 200 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1989). The Best of Eddie Kantar: Funny Stories from the Bridge Table. Granovetter Books.
ISBN978-0-940257-03-0. 214 pages.
Koelman, Johannes M.V.A. A New Losing-Trick Count. The Bridge World, May 2003, Vol 74, Issue 8, p. 26.
- L -
Lawrence, Mike (1973). How to Read Your Opponents Cards. First Edition: Prentice-Hall, Inc., (Englwood Cliffs, NJ), 175p. / Second Edition: Devyn Press Inc., (Louisville, KY), 1986, 175p.
ISBN0-910791-48-1.
Levé, Guy (2007). The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge. Toronto: Master Point Press.
ISBN978-1-897106-25-9. 423 pages.
Love, Clyde E. (1959). Bridge Squeezes Complete or Winning End Play Strategy (1st ed.). Long Island City, NY: Barclay Bridge Supplies, Sterling Publishing Company Inc.
LCCN59014249.
Mould, Alan (1997). Step by Step Pre-empts. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd.
ISBN0-7134-8163-3. 143 pages.
- N -
- O -
Ottlik, Géza;
Kelsey, Hugh (1979). Adventures in Card Play. London: Victor Gallancz Ltd. in association with Peter Crawley. Also, Adventures in Card Play. (2005) London: Cassell in association with Peter Crawley, 7th Impression. 14 July 2005.
ISBN0-304-36807-5.
Reese, Terence (1964). Bridge for Bright Beginners. Sterling Publishing Co. (New York). 151 pages. / Dover Publications (New York), 151 pages. / Oak Tree Press (London), 151 pages. / Oak Tree Press (London), 1965, 151 pages. / Cornerstone Library (New York), 1968 and 1969, 144 pages. / Dover Publications (New York), 1973,
ISBN978-0-486-22942-3, 151 pages.
Reese, Terence;
Bird, David (1989). Bridge: Tricks of the Trade. Master Bridge Series. Victor Gollancz (London) in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN978-0-575-04504-0. 144 pages. / 1991,
ISBN978-0-575-05024-2, 144 pages.
Reese, Terence; Pottage, Julian (1985). Positive Defence. Master Bridge Series. Victor Gollancz (London) in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN978-0-575-03562-1.ISBN978-0-575-03612-3, 128 pages. / Master Point Press (Toronto) 2005,
ISBN978-1-894154-93-2, 160 pages.
Reese, Terence;
Trézel, Roger (1984). The Mistakes You Make at Bridge. Master Bridge Series. Gollancz (London) in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN978-0-575-03424-2. 1989,
ISBN978-0-575-03409-9, 168 pages. / Reprint: Houghton Mifflin (Boston) in association with Peter Crawley, 1992,
ISBN978-0-395-62891-1 / New Edition: Gollancz (London), 1994,
ISBN978-0-575-05785-2, 168 pages. / Revised Edition by Ron Klinger: Cassell (London) in association with Peter Crawley, 2006,
ISBN978-0-304-36811-2, 160 pages.
Senior, Brian (1998). Hand Evaluation in Bridge. London: B.T. Batsford. p. 141.
ISBN978-0-7134-8294-2.
Senior, Brian (2015). Simply the Best - 20 of the Greatest Bridge Players of all Time. Self-published.
Sheinwold, Alfred (1987). 5 Weeks to Winning Bridge. Pocket Books.
ISBN9780671687700. (1960-1987). First copyright 1959. / First printing 1960: Pocket Books (New York), Permabook M7514, 548 pages. / 1960: Pocket Books (New York), 548 pages,
ISBN0-671-78141-3 / 1960: Pocket Books (New York), Permabook M5015 / 1962: Trident Press, Simon & Schuster (New York), 528 pages. / 1964: Pocket Books (New York), 549 pages. / 1964: Revised and enlarged, Trident Press, Simon & Schuster (New York), 548 pages. / 1973: Pocket Books (New York), 547 pages. / 1975: Pocket Books (New York), 547 pages. / 1987: Pocket Books (New York). 548 pages,
ISBN0-671-42287-1
Watson, Louis H (1934). Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge. New York: Lewis Copeland Company. p. 492. — (1958) Enlarged and modernized by Sam Fry, Jr.
Wei, C.C.; Andersen, Ron (1992). Profits from Preempts. Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc.
ISBN0-910791-37-6. 162 pages.
Woolsey, Kit (1982). Matchpoints. Shelbyville, KY: Devyn Press Inc. p. 343.
ISBN978-0-910791-00-7.
OCLC13491401. — (reprinted 1988 and 1992) Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc., pp. 343, OCLC 477153995.
Woolsey, Kit (1980). Partnership Defense in Bridge. Shelbyville, KY: Devyn Press Inc. p. 303.
OCLC7498214. — (reprinted 1991), pp. 303,
ISBN978-0-910791-68-7.
Woolsey, Kit (1981). Modern Defensive Signalling in Contract Bridge. Port Chester, NY: Barclay Bridge Supplies Inc. p. 64. — (reprinted 1992) Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc., pp. 64,
ISBN0-910791-40-6.
^Goren, Charles (1961). The Sports Illustrated Book of Contract Bridge. Chancellor Hall, Ltd. p. 14. LOC 61-17743. 518 pages.
^Bourke, Tim; Sugden, John (2010). An Annotated Bibliography of Bridge Books in English 1886-2010. Cheltenham, England: Bridge Book Buffs. p. vii.
ISBN978-0-9566576-0-2. 711 pages plus supplement.
^
abcdACBL Bridge Bulletin, September 2019, page 33.
Bridge, or more formally contract bridge, is a
trick-takingcard game of
skill and
chance played by four players. This article consists of lists of bridge books deemed significant by various authors and organizations.
History
Books on bridge and its predecessor games have spanned centuries with the earliest known popular book on the subject of
Whist having been published by
Edmond Hoyle in 1742[1] or 1743.[2]
The timelines in the evolutionary path to modern contract bridge books are generally as follows:
18th and 19th centuries: Whist is widely played with many variants in scoring methods; similar games such as
Vint and
Khedive are also played
1886: Evidence that Bridge-Whist has emerged with John Collinson's four page pamphlet entitled
Biritch, or Russian Whist.[3] (Earlier, in 1869, Christian Vanderheid, an Austrian writer about card games, published Gründlicher Selbstunterricht zur Erlernung des Jarolasch oder das russische Whist (Extensive Self-teaching of Yeralash (Jarolasch) or Russian Whist). The game described by Vanderheid is almost identical to Collinson's Biritch, with the exception that it is not played with a dummy.[4])
1903–1932: from the first known publication on Auction Bridge (also known as Royal Auction Bridge and simply, Auction) to the last publication of Laws of Auction Bridge by the Portland Club
c. 1915: Bridge Plafond emerges in France and Belgium and is essentially contract bridge without vulnerability
late 1925: a significant new scoring system was proposed by
Harold Vanderbilt introducing the concept of vulnerability, large bonuses for slams and heavy penalties for undertricks. Within two years, "Auction was swept off the tables" in the dawn of modern contract bridge.[5]
1926–1935: numerous books on bidding are published and compete for status as the 'official system' of choice.
Ely Culbertson rises to prominence in the US as a self-promoting bridge player, challenging his English and European counterparts to international matches all the while building a business empire based on his bridge writing and related investments. In the early Thirties,
Acol is fashioned by
S. J. Simon and
Jack Marx, and eventually becomes the most popular bidding system in Britain.
1935: Culbertson publishes the first Encyclopedia of Bridge.
Precursor games
The following are books on the various precursor games to modern contract bridge; the first books on contract bridge appeared in 1927.[6]
Hoyle, Edmond (1761). Mr. Hoyle's Games of Whist, Quadrille, Piquet, Chess and Backgammon Complete. Thomas Osborne, Stanley Crowder and Richard Baldwin (London), 12th Edition, 214 pages.
Payne, William (c. 1770). Maxims for Playing the Game of Whist, with all Necessary Calculations; and the Laws of the Game. T. Payne & Sons (London).
Mattews, Thomas (1804). Advice to the Young Whist Player: Containing Most of the Maxims of the Old School with Author's Observation on Those He Thinks Erroneous... Various editions to 1828. W. Meyler and Son (Bath), 4th Edition, 1810, 68 pages.
Cavendish, pseudonym of
Henry Jones, M.R.C.S. (1862). The Laws and Principles of Whist Stated and Explained and its Practice Illustrated on an Original System by Means of Hands Played Completely Through. (Spine title: Cavendish on Whist). Thos. De La Rue & Co. (London), 1st Edition.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) / 8th Edition, 1868, 120 pages; 9th Edition, 1872, 120 pages; 11th Edition, 1876, 268 pages; 12th Edition, 1879, 268 pages; 13th Edition, 1881, 268 pages; 15th Edition, 1885, 272 pages; 20th Edition, 1892, 303 pages; 21st Edition, 1893, 320 pages; 22nd Edition (The Seventy-fifth Thousand), 1895, 306 pages; 23rd Edition (The Eighty-sixth Thousand), 1898, 306 pages; 24th Edition (Containing the New Code of Laws Revised in 1900), 1901, 306 pages. American Editions published by: John Wurtele Lovell (New York), 1880 from the 12th English Edition, 257 pages; John Wurtele Lovell (New York), 1881 from the 12th English Edition, 257 pages; Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899 from the 23rd English Edition, 348 pages.
Baldwin, J. L.;
Clay, James (1864). The Laws of Short Whist and a Treatise on the Game (Spine title: Short Whist). Harrison (London). / Second Edition, 1870 / First American Edition: Henry Holt and Company (New York), 1874, 153 pages. / New American edition from the second English Edition, 1880, 163 pages.
Pole, William (January 1871). Quarterly Review. Article on the evolution of Whist.
Pole, William (1874). The Theory of the Modern Scientific Game of Whist... (Cover and spine title: Pole on Whist). Longmans, Green, and Co. (London), 7th Edition, 1874, 112 pages. / G.W. Carleton & Co. Publishers (London) 1879, 144 pages. / Longmans, Green, and Co. (London), 14th Edition, 1883, 112 pages. / G.W. Carleton & Co. Publishers (London) 1884, 114 pages. / Frederick A. Stokes (New York), 1887, 136 pages. / 1889, 128 pages.
Cavendish, pseudonym of
Henry Jones (1883). Whist Developments. Thos. De La Rue & Co. (London), 172 pages.
Foster, R. F. (1890). Foster's Whist Manual. Mudie and Sons (London), 1st Edition. / Brentano's (New York, Chicago, Washington), 2nd Edition, 1891, 168 pages. Frederick Warne and Co. with Mudie and Sons, (London), 2nd Edition, 1891, 168 pages. Brentano's (New York, Chicago, Washington), 3rd Edition with American Leads, 25th Thousand, 1896, 195 pages. Frederick Warne and Co. with Mudie and Sons, (London), 4th Edition, 1899. Frederick Warne and Co. with Mudie and Sons, (London), 5th Edition, Thirty-fifth Thousand, 1900, 168 pages.
Coffin, Charles Emmet (1893). The Gist of Whist. J. Selwin Tait & Sons. / Brentano's (New York), 5th Edition, 1895, 109 pages
Hamilton, C.D.P. (1894). Modern Scientific Whist. Brentano's (New York), 599 pages.
Doe, John (George Cavendish Benedict) (1900). The Bridge Manual. Mudie and Sons, (London).
Melrose, C.J. (1901). Bridge Whist. Charles Scribner's Sons, (New York).
Elwell, Joseph B. (1902). Bridge: Its Principles and Rules of Play (Cover and spine title: Elwell on Bridge). Charles Scribner's Sons (New York). / 1903, 136 pages / 1907, 136 pages / 1911, 136 pages.
Elwell, Joseph B. (1904). Advanced Bridge: The Higher Principles of the Game Analysed and Explained, and Their Application Illustrated, by Hands Taken from Actual Play (Cover and spine title: Elwell's Advanced Bridge). George Newnes, (London), 277 pages / Charles Scribner's Sons (New York), 277 pages. / 6th Edition, Charles Scribner's Sons (New York), 1907, 297 pages.
Pole, William (1905). Whist. George Bell & Sons (London, New York), 104 pages.
Ames, Fisher (1906).
The Game of Bridge. Little, Brown and Company (Boston), 190 pages.
Valet de Pique (1912). Bridge and Auction Bridge. Eveleigh Nash, (London).
Bergholt, Ernest (c. 1915). Royal Auction Bridge. George Routledge & Sons, (London).
People and culture
The following books provide insights into the people and culture of contract bridge and while they may contain occasional references to certain technical aspects of the game, they are generally not instructional in theme. Fictional novels with a bridge theme are listed separately.
Culbertson, Ely (1940). The Strange Lives of One Man, An Autobiography. Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto: The John C. Winston Company. p. 693.
Ramsey, Guy (1955). Aces All. London: Museum Press Limited. p. 205.
Olsen, Jack (1960). The Mad World of Bridge. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Mackey, Rex (1964). The Walk of the Oysters: An Unholy History of Contract Bridge. London: W.H.Allen. / Prentice-Hall Inc. (Englewood Cliffs N. J.) 1965, 217 pages.
Reese, Terence (1967). Story of an Accusation. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 246.
Mollo, Victor (1968). The Bridge Immortals. New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc. p. 256.
Flint, Jeremy; North, Freddie (1970). Tiger Bridge: The Game at The Top. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 184.
ISBN0-340-12854-2. / Simon and Schuster (New York), 191 pages.
Schenken, Howard (1973). The Education of a Bridge Player. Simon and Schuster. p. 286. / Robert Hale (London), 1976, 221 pages,
ISBN0-7091-5349-X.
Emery, Sue (1977). No Passing Fancy – Fifty Years of Contract Bridge. Memphis: American Contract Bridge League. p. 128.
Russell, Fisher (1933). Dictionary of Contract Bridge: the Webster of Contract. Clinton, MA: Colonial Press Inc. 32 pages.
Culbertson, Ely, Editor (1935). The Encyclopedia of Bridge. New York: The Bridge World, Inc. {{
cite book}}: |first= has generic name (
help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link) 477 pages.
Reese, Terence; Dormer, Albert (1959). Bridge Player's Dictionary. New York: Sterling Publishing Company.
OCLC3190513. 252 pages.
Levé, Guy (2007). The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge (First ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Master Point Press.
ISBN978-1-897106-25-9. 423 pages.
Each year since 1982,[7] ABTA has recognized one or more books as contributing significantly to the teaching of contract bridge. The following are the award recipients:[8]
1982 –
Sydnor, Caroline. How To Win More Tricks. Book Three of the Bridge Made Easy Series.
1983 –
Blackwood, Easley (1983). Complete Book of Opening Leads. Devyn Press.
2014 – Beginner: O'Connor, Patrick. A Second Book Of Bridge Problems.
2014 – Intermediate/Advanced: Grant, Audrey (7 October 2013). Improve Your Declarer Play – Five Steps to Simplify the End Game. American Contract Bridge League.
ISBN978-0-939460-38-0.
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (7th edition) recommendations
The 7th edition of the Encyclopedia recommended[15] the following books with the caveat that the "list on this page is by no means definitive. It was influenced to a degree by surveys published in 1994 and 2007 in the Bridge Bulletin", published by the
American Contract Bridge League. Listed alphabetically by first author surname.
The British Bridge Almanack[17] reported on a survey of leading British bridge personalities. The survey presented a chronological list of 16 books by British authors deemed to have made a significant contribution to the development of the game. It asked the personalities to add as many as three titles of their choosing and then to identify their top five. Of the 24 reported respondents, 19 identified one or more titles.
Several encyclopedias on the subject of bridge have provided bibliographies of bridge related publications.
The Encyclopedia of Bridge
The Encyclopedia of Bridge of 1935 acknowledges certain authors' publications in their brief biographies but no summary tabulation or categorization of bridge literature or evaluative commentary is provided.
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge
The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (OEB) is a publication of the American Contract Bridge League first published in 1964 with the 7th edition published in 2011. Up to the 6th, each OEB edition contains a bibliography of bridge related publications grouped by subject (history, bidding, play, reference, etc.) and rates selected publications as:
(a) having made a significant contribution to the technical development of the game;
(b) being mandatory for inclusion in a modern technical library;
(c) being optional for inclusion in a modern technical library; or (d) none of the foregoing. Subject categories and ratings for a publication may vary between editions of the OEB. The 1st edition bibliography spans 8 pages and lists about 400 titles; the 6th edition bibliography, prepared by
Tim Bourke, spans 60 pages and lists approximately 4,100 titles;
Up to the 6th, each edition of The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge contains a bibliography of bridge and bridge related books; the following is a summary of their contents.
OEB Edition
Year
Page Range
Number of Pages
Number of Categories
Number of Entries
1
1964
684-691
8
15
2
1971
783-793
11
15
3
1976
849-858
10
15
4
1984
902-922
21
17
5
1994
Not numbered
38
6
2001
Not numbered
60
29
4096
7
2011
Not included
NA
NA
NA
The Bridge Players' Encyclopedia
The Bridge Players Encyclopedia (BPE) was published in 1967 by Paul Hamlyn (London) and is an International Edition based on The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge of 1964 but geared to the needs of British and European players. The edition modified American spellings, "translated" bidding structures to the more widely used Acol system, omitted biographical notes on some lesser known Americans and added biographical notes on some British and European players. Although content differs from the 1964 OEB, the publication contains a 9-page bibliography of approximately 500 titles with subject categorization and rating schemes similar to those of the previous OEB editions.[clarification needed]
Bourke, Tim; Sugden, John (2010). Bridge Books in English from 1886-2010: an annotated bibliography. Cheltenham, England: Bridge Book Buffs.
ISBN978-0-9566576-0-2.
Bibliography
Following are details about books referenced in preceding sections, listed by first named author's surname beginning with: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
- A -
Andersen, Ron; Zenkel, Sabine (1993). Preempts from A-Z. Stamford, Conn.: Magnus Books.
ISBN978-0-9637533-0-4.
LCCN93-079256. 290 pages.
Cohen, Larry (1992). To Bid or Not to Bid: The LAW of Total Tricks (9th printing, 1997, revised and expanded ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Natco Press.
ISBN0-9634715-0-3.
LCCN92-80759. 286 pages.
Crowhurst, Eric; Kambites, Andrew (1992). Understanding Acol. The Good Bidding Guide. Master Bridge Series. London: Victor Gollancz Ltd in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN0-575-05253-8. 157 pages.
- D -
Darvas, Robert; Lukacs, Paul (1960). Spotlight on Card Play (1st ed.). London: Nicholas Kaye Limited.
Hayden, Dorothy. Bid Better, Play Better. (1966-1986). First edition 1966: Harper & Row (New York), 196p. / 1966: Award Books (New York), 254p. / 1967: Universal (New York), 254p. / 1967: Award Books (New York), Tandem (London), 254p. / 1970: Award Books (New York), Tandem (London), 254p. / 1981: Pinnacle Books (New York), 235p. / 1986: Perennial Library (New York), 235p.
ISBN0-06-091351-7
Play of the Hand Complete. Eddie Kantar. 1965. 108 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1968). Introduction to Declarer's Play. Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 142p.,
ISBN978-0-87980-401-5 / Prentice Hall (Endlewood Cliffs, NJ), 147p. / Muller (London), 1971,
ISBN978-0-584-10393-9, 147p
Kantar, Eddie (1968). Introduction to Defender's Play. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall. Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 153p. / Prentice Hall (Endlewood Cliffs, NJ), 153p. / Muller (London), 1971,
ISBN978-0-584-10394-6, 153p / Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 1977,
ISBN978-0-87980-322-3, 153p
Kantar, Eddie (1977).
Bridge Humor. Melvin Powers Self-improvement Library. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Book Company.
ISBN978-0-87980-342-1. 151 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1983). Kantar for the Defense, Volume 1. Melvin Powers Self-improvement Library. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Book Co.
ISBN978-0-87980-400-8. 200 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1984). Kantar for the Defense, Volume 2. Melvin Powers Self-improvement Library. North Hollywood, CA: Wilshire Book Co.
ISBN978-0-87980-409-1. 200 pages.
Kantar, Eddie (1989). The Best of Eddie Kantar: Funny Stories from the Bridge Table. Granovetter Books.
ISBN978-0-940257-03-0. 214 pages.
Koelman, Johannes M.V.A. A New Losing-Trick Count. The Bridge World, May 2003, Vol 74, Issue 8, p. 26.
- L -
Lawrence, Mike (1973). How to Read Your Opponents Cards. First Edition: Prentice-Hall, Inc., (Englwood Cliffs, NJ), 175p. / Second Edition: Devyn Press Inc., (Louisville, KY), 1986, 175p.
ISBN0-910791-48-1.
Levé, Guy (2007). The Encyclopedia of Card Play Techniques at Bridge. Toronto: Master Point Press.
ISBN978-1-897106-25-9. 423 pages.
Love, Clyde E. (1959). Bridge Squeezes Complete or Winning End Play Strategy (1st ed.). Long Island City, NY: Barclay Bridge Supplies, Sterling Publishing Company Inc.
LCCN59014249.
Mould, Alan (1997). Step by Step Pre-empts. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd.
ISBN0-7134-8163-3. 143 pages.
- N -
- O -
Ottlik, Géza;
Kelsey, Hugh (1979). Adventures in Card Play. London: Victor Gallancz Ltd. in association with Peter Crawley. Also, Adventures in Card Play. (2005) London: Cassell in association with Peter Crawley, 7th Impression. 14 July 2005.
ISBN0-304-36807-5.
Reese, Terence (1964). Bridge for Bright Beginners. Sterling Publishing Co. (New York). 151 pages. / Dover Publications (New York), 151 pages. / Oak Tree Press (London), 151 pages. / Oak Tree Press (London), 1965, 151 pages. / Cornerstone Library (New York), 1968 and 1969, 144 pages. / Dover Publications (New York), 1973,
ISBN978-0-486-22942-3, 151 pages.
Reese, Terence;
Bird, David (1989). Bridge: Tricks of the Trade. Master Bridge Series. Victor Gollancz (London) in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN978-0-575-04504-0. 144 pages. / 1991,
ISBN978-0-575-05024-2, 144 pages.
Reese, Terence; Pottage, Julian (1985). Positive Defence. Master Bridge Series. Victor Gollancz (London) in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN978-0-575-03562-1.ISBN978-0-575-03612-3, 128 pages. / Master Point Press (Toronto) 2005,
ISBN978-1-894154-93-2, 160 pages.
Reese, Terence;
Trézel, Roger (1984). The Mistakes You Make at Bridge. Master Bridge Series. Gollancz (London) in association with Peter Crawley.
ISBN978-0-575-03424-2. 1989,
ISBN978-0-575-03409-9, 168 pages. / Reprint: Houghton Mifflin (Boston) in association with Peter Crawley, 1992,
ISBN978-0-395-62891-1 / New Edition: Gollancz (London), 1994,
ISBN978-0-575-05785-2, 168 pages. / Revised Edition by Ron Klinger: Cassell (London) in association with Peter Crawley, 2006,
ISBN978-0-304-36811-2, 160 pages.
Senior, Brian (1998). Hand Evaluation in Bridge. London: B.T. Batsford. p. 141.
ISBN978-0-7134-8294-2.
Senior, Brian (2015). Simply the Best - 20 of the Greatest Bridge Players of all Time. Self-published.
Sheinwold, Alfred (1987). 5 Weeks to Winning Bridge. Pocket Books.
ISBN9780671687700. (1960-1987). First copyright 1959. / First printing 1960: Pocket Books (New York), Permabook M7514, 548 pages. / 1960: Pocket Books (New York), 548 pages,
ISBN0-671-78141-3 / 1960: Pocket Books (New York), Permabook M5015 / 1962: Trident Press, Simon & Schuster (New York), 528 pages. / 1964: Pocket Books (New York), 549 pages. / 1964: Revised and enlarged, Trident Press, Simon & Schuster (New York), 548 pages. / 1973: Pocket Books (New York), 547 pages. / 1975: Pocket Books (New York), 547 pages. / 1987: Pocket Books (New York). 548 pages,
ISBN0-671-42287-1
Watson, Louis H (1934). Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge. New York: Lewis Copeland Company. p. 492. — (1958) Enlarged and modernized by Sam Fry, Jr.
Wei, C.C.; Andersen, Ron (1992). Profits from Preempts. Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc.
ISBN0-910791-37-6. 162 pages.
Woolsey, Kit (1982). Matchpoints. Shelbyville, KY: Devyn Press Inc. p. 343.
ISBN978-0-910791-00-7.
OCLC13491401. — (reprinted 1988 and 1992) Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc., pp. 343, OCLC 477153995.
Woolsey, Kit (1980). Partnership Defense in Bridge. Shelbyville, KY: Devyn Press Inc. p. 303.
OCLC7498214. — (reprinted 1991), pp. 303,
ISBN978-0-910791-68-7.
Woolsey, Kit (1981). Modern Defensive Signalling in Contract Bridge. Port Chester, NY: Barclay Bridge Supplies Inc. p. 64. — (reprinted 1992) Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc., pp. 64,
ISBN0-910791-40-6.
^Goren, Charles (1961). The Sports Illustrated Book of Contract Bridge. Chancellor Hall, Ltd. p. 14. LOC 61-17743. 518 pages.
^Bourke, Tim; Sugden, John (2010). An Annotated Bibliography of Bridge Books in English 1886-2010. Cheltenham, England: Bridge Book Buffs. p. vii.
ISBN978-0-9566576-0-2. 711 pages plus supplement.
^
abcdACBL Bridge Bulletin, September 2019, page 33.