Magriel’s Backgammon book

leonardo · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 17

I have been thinking about buying a copy of Paul Magriel’s “Backgammon” for awhile now but I don’t really have a lot of spare money to spend on it and it seems to be very expensive to buy a new copy. Does anyone know where I can get it for cheaper? I found a cheaper version in paperback but it is also co-authored by Renee Magriel. Is this book the same thing?

Aside from that, I am looking for advice on whether or not this book is even worth buying in the first place.

Liss · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 30

I have actually seen the paperback version of the Magriel book and it includes exactly the same content. The differences are only that the pages are narrower and the diagrams are printed in black ink, as opposed to color in the hard cover. This version also has a forward, I think it was around ten pages long, written by Paul Magriel’s wife Renee. This accounts for the co-authorship.

I think that if money is a problem for you the paperback is the way to go, as you will get exactly the same things out of it.

On the question of whether or not the book is worth buying in the first place, it is ABSOLUTELY worth buying. Although some of the “answers” are outdated (as the book was first published in the 70s), it is absolutely priceless for anyone who wants to get anywhere in backgammon. It describes all of the theory and ideas behind the game of backgammon and strategies that are integral in the game. You should definitely get the book.