Great Mahjong Book: History, Lore, and Play

By Jelte Rep

Book Overview

Master the game of Mahjong while learning about its legends and history with this entertaining and useful guide.

An excellent way to learn Mahjong or "Mah Jongg"--The Great Mahjong Book is the perfect resource for beginner or experienced mahjong players. Richly illustrated and easy to follow with detailed instructions and clear examples, it can help all players improve their game. Mahjong beginners get a solid introduction to the rules and equipment they need to get started, while better players will find invaluable tips for mastering the game.

The Great Mahjong Book also includes the entire history of Mahjong as it spread around the globe, the equipment and accessories used in the game, basic rules, how and where the game first developed and all the international variants of Mahjong--including China, the U.S., Holland, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Hong Kong. Filled with hints, fun facts and numerous illustrations of memorabilia and artifacts, this authoritative and thoroughly enjoyable book is a perfect gift for anyone interested in this ancient and beguiling game.

Mahjong players love the game because it's colorful, exotic, and fun! Whether you're a first time player or a pro, The Great Mahjong Book is a perfect companion to the wide world of Mahjong.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804837198
• ISBN13: 9780804837194
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Mahjong Expectations

Great Mahjong Book. History, quirks and variants of the game with clear explanations of the many variants of the game. I use as a reference even after reading it through. I play Mahjong every Saturday with the Portland(Oregon) Mahjong Society. The book was recommended by others in our group.

Mahjong explained..

I like this book and have given it as a gift to mahjong enthusiasts who have also liked and enjoyed it. Its a good explanation to just about everyone of the different rules and the different meanings of the tiles. No one I know thats seen this book hasnt learned something! This comes from a white woman married to a Chinese man and has friends of every Asian background!

A great mahjong book, indeed

Jelte Rep's Great Mahjong Book, originally published in Dutch, is an interesting tour of mahjong around the world. It starts from the history of the game - not thousands years like many sources like to claim, but actually more like 150 years. Then he takes a look at how the game is played in the US, Japan, China, other Asian countries and several European countries. The local variations are described, not always in great detail, but detailed enough so you can try them out if you wish. If you want to learn a particular style well, get a book or a web site focused on that variant, but for a general overview, Rep's book is excellent. Add to that a sleek, stylish layout and plenty of good pictures, and you get a rather fine book on a rather fine game. This book will serve both newbies and enthusiasts.

Enthusiastically recommended

Written by globe-trotting mahjong enthusiast Jelte Rep, The Great Mahjong Book: History, Lore, and Play is a thorough guide to the history and play of mahjong world wide - illustrated throughout in full color, which is particularly helpful when it displays sample mahjong tile groups. The straightforward text covers both basic and advanced mahjong rules for gamers of all skill and experience levels, and an index allows for quick and easy reference. Anyone seeking to learn mahjong, improve their skills, or especially, play the game while visiting another nation, is enthusiastically recommended to immediately add a copy of The Great Mahjong Book to their personal library.