"Lying in hospital, her life hanging in the balance, Tig plays her cat Jacoby's game. Frustrated and confused by her own life, she can now explore other places, other times. Like dreaming in history, she moves backwards through the centuries to see how they compare to the present. But Jacoby has devised a cat's cradle of a game, and as she plays it to the end Tig makes some unexpected discoveries." --COVER.

Baseball, first dubbed the “national pastime” in print in 1856, is the country’s most tradition-bound sport. Despite remaining popular and profitable into the twenty-first century, the game is losing young fans, among African Americans and women as well as white men. Furthermore, baseball’s greatest charm—a clockless suspension of time—is also its greatest liability in a culture of digital distraction. These paradoxes are explored by the historian and passionate baseball fan Susan Jacoby in a book that is both a love letter to the game and a tough-minded analysis of the current challenges to its special position—in reality and myth—in American culture. The concise but wide-ranging analysis moves from the Civil War—when many soldiers played ball in northern and southern prisoner-of-war camps—to interviews with top baseball officials and young men who prefer playing online “fantasy baseball” to attending real games. Revisiting her youthful days of watching televised baseball in her grandfather’s bar, the author links her love of the game with the informal education she received in everything from baseball’s history of racial segregation to pitch location. Jacoby argues forcefully that the major challenge to baseball today is a shortened attention span at odds with a long game in which great hitters fail two out of three times. Without sanitizing this basic problem, Why Baseball Matters remind us that the game has retained its grip on our hearts precisely because it has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to reinvent itself in times of immense social change.

An in-depth look at the philosophical issues behind HBO's Game of Thrones television series and the books that inspired it George R.R. Martin's New York Times bestselling epic fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and the HBO television show adapted from it, have earned critical acclaim and inspired fanatic devotion. This book delves into the many philosophical questions that arise in this complex, character-driven series, including: Is it right for a "good" king to usurp the throne of a "bad" one and murder his family? How far should you go to protect your family and its secrets? In a fantasy universe with medieval mores and ethics, can female characters reflect modern feminist ideals? Timed for the premiere of the second season of the HBO Game of Thrones series Gives new perspectives on the characters, storylines, and themes of Game of Thrones Draws on great philosophers from ancient Greece to modern America to explore intriguing topics such as the strange creatures of Westeros, the incestuous relationship of Jaime and Cersei Lannister, and what the kings of Westeros can show us about virtue and honor (or the lack thereof) as they play their game of thrones Essential reading for fans, Game of Thrones and Philosophy will enrich your experience of your favorite medieval fantasy series.

This guide for beginners is part of three books dedicated to the gambling, the other two being ”Poker Games Guide - Texas Poker” and ”Gaming Guide for Beginners - Gambling in Europe”. It is an introduction in the theory of games, general gambling strategies, casino rules, and a short description and rules of the major gambling games, including sport games and sports betting. For sponsorship opportunities please contact me.

With this handy little book, you can - Learn a new convention, or extend your knowledge of it - Learn and practice by yourself using the unique quiz format - Practice with your partner using the specially selected example hands, and compare your results with the recommended auctions Barbara Seagram is a master bridge teacher who owns and runs one of North America's largest bridge schools, in Toronto, Canada. Her previous books include the bestselling 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know (with Marc Smith). Linda Lee is an expert bridge player and a bridge journalist whose previous work includes You Have to See This (with Andrew Diosy).

From James McManus, author of the bestselling Positively Fifth Street, comes the definitive story of the game that, more than any other, reflects who we are and how we operate. Cowboys Full is the story of poker, from its roots in China, the Middle East, and Europe to its ascent as a global—but especially an American—phenomenon. It describes how early Americans took a French parlor game and, with a few extra cards and an entrepreneurial spirit, turned it into a national craze by the time of the Civil War. From the kitchen-table games of ordinary citizens to its influence on generals and diplomats, poker has gone hand in hand with our national experience. Presidents from Abraham Lincoln to Barack Obama have deployed poker and its strategies to explain policy, to relax with friends, to negotiate treaties and crises, and as a political networking tool. The ways we all do battle and business are echoed by poker tactics: cheating and thwarting cheaters, leveraging uncertainty, bluffing and sussing out bluffers, managing risk and reward. Cowboys Full shows how what was once accurately called the cheater's game has become amostly honest contest of cunning, mathematical precision, and luck. It explains how poker, formerly dominated by cardsharps, is now the most popular card game in Europe, East Asia, Australia, South America, and cyberspace, as well as on television. It combines colorful history with firsthand experience from today's professional tour. And it examines poker's remarkable hold on American culture, from paintings by Frederic Remington to countless poker novels, movies, and plays. Braiding the thrill of individual hands with new ways of seeing poker's relevance to our military, diplomatic, business, and personal affairs, Cowboys Full is sure to become the classic account of America's favorite pastime.

This book was written for Canasta players of all sorts, from beginners to experts. You can learn to play Canasta by reading the beginner's section; you can learn to play well by reading the intermediate section; and you can learn a complete system of expert play from the advanced section. A must-have for anyone with an interest in the game, this antique text makes for a great addition to collections of gaming literature and is not to be missed by the discerning Canasta enthusiast. The chapters of this book include: 'Introduction', 'Review for Beginners', 'New Strategy for Advanced Players', 'Fine Points for Experts', 'Canasta for Two Players', 'Canasta for Three Players', 'Canasta for Six Players', 'Three-Deck Canasta', 'Parties and Tournaments', 'Questions and Answers', and 'The Laws of Canasta'. We are proud to republish this antique text here complete with a new introduction on card games.