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The Red Dragon & The West Wind: The Winning Guide to Official Chinese & American Mah-Jongg |  | Author: Tom Sloper
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $9.65
as of 11/22/2009 00:59 CST details
You Save: $6.30 (39%)
New (3) Used (3) from $9.45
Seller: mantra-media
Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 598207
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.7
Dewey Decimal Number: 795.34
ASIN: B002N2XFSC
Publication Date: June 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Red Dragon & The West Wind is the perfect introduction to this ancient game of strategy and subterfuge, covering all aspects of the two most common varieties, American and Chinese, along with an overview of other global approaches. The book begins with the history and origin and moves on to the rules of play and ways to win and avoid essential errors as well as the etiquette to follow. With everything from clear instructions on dealing, building, and distributing tiles to a look at the history and future of the game, this is the essential book for anyone who wants to have fun–and win–while playing mah–jongg.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 best book so far on Mah Jongg ! September 9, 2009
Nina Katrina (Maryland)
The Red Dragon and the West Wind.
This is a mah jongg book every player should have. It is comprehensive, readable,well-researched, and as a result chock full of really fascinating and educational material. Mah jongg is no longer "just a game" for me;it's a cultural experience. Highly recommended.
 Not for the beginner January 24, 2009
K. Helms (Alabama)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
This book, while claiming to be written for beginners, is inundated with what comes across as the authors arrogance and preference for advanced players as well as the importance of strictly adhered to rules over the relationships of friends seated at the table. While this may be appropriate for a Mah-Jongg player who wishes to increase his/her skill and advance into tournament play, it is not written for family and friends who play on the weekends as a social event. The writing is technical and dry and filled with an abundance of nit-picky information best left to someone who already has a basic understanding of the game. For example I can't imagine inviting family or friends over to my house to play only to force them to follow these stipulations:
"Declaring a pung more than 3 seconds after a tile was discarded is penalized first by a warning; a second occurrence penalized by loss of 5 points." p.143
"If you find yourself struggling with a jumble of disassociated tiles...others will start to cough, Roll their eyes, and drum their fingernails impatiently. If this happens pass any three tiles. Just try not to let any more fingernails drum, eyes roll, any more throats to tighten into subtle coughs...The beginner who tries to win may win a few times, but they won't be invited back to play again" p.110.
"Do not carry on a conversation while playing. Don't fidget. Don't be the slowest playing at the table. Pay attention and act when you are supposed to act" p.202
I give this book two stars because it is appropriate as a rule book in the event that a question arises during play, but that is all. Learning to play with this book would only lead the beginner to feel frustrated and ultimately unwelcome at the table of those who already know how to play.
Instead, I highly recommend "A Beginner's Guide to American Mah Jongg" by Elaine Sandberg. This is an excellent book for learning and her style of teaching/writing is not so arrogant but is focused on teaching the game through an easy to read/understand conversational style.
Sloper Book December 16, 2008
John P. Kemp Jr.
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Excellent book on the subject. Will probably be the authority for a long time.
JOHN KEMP
 Must have mah jongg book September 15, 2008
Diana S. Carrera
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is great! Easy to understand, answers lot of question people might have. A great reference book as well.
Excellent Book March 11, 2008
A. Purviance (Oregon, USA)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
I bought this book after purchasing a Mah Jongg set with a very slim rule manual. Mah Jongg is a very complex game, but after thoroughly reading through Tom Sloper's book I feel ready and excited to begin playing. This book is well laid out, with in-depth instructions as well as a section with brief descriptions to be used to quickly look up a rule while playing. It's obvious that he is an expert in Mah Jongg, fortunately for us novices he also possesses the rare talent to be able to break instructions down in a way that a novice can understand and retain.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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