''Bridge'', or more formally ''

contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. Millions o ...

'', is a

trick-taking A trick-taking game is a card or tile-based game in which play of a ''hand'' centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called ''tricks'', which are each evaluated to determine a winner or ''taker'' of that trick. The object of such g ...

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

skill A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of wo ...

and

chance Chance may refer to: Mathematics and Science * In mathematics, likelihood of something (by way of the Likelihood function and/or Probability density function). * ''Chance'' (statistics magazine) Places * Chance, Kentucky, US * Chance, Mary ...

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 Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play. History Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump'' ...

having been published by

Edmond Hoyle Edmond Hoyle (167229 August 1769) was an English writer best known for his works on the rules and play of card games. The phrase "according to Hoyle" (meaning "strictly according to the rules") came into the language as a reflection of his gene ...

in 1742 or 1743. The timelines in the evolutionary path to modern contract bridge books are generally as follows: * 17th century: the emergence of

from earlier games such as

Ruff and Honours Ruff and Honours, Ruffe and Trump or Slamm was an English trick-taking card game that was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries; it was superseded in the 18th century by Whist. History Ruff and Honours is covered in Charles Cotton's ''The Comple ...

and

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

* 18th and 19th centuries: Whist is widely played with many variants in scoring methods; similar games such as

Vint Vint is a Russian card-game, similar to both bridge and whist and it is sometimes referred to as Russian whist. ''Vint'' means a screw in Russian, and the name is given to the game because the four players, each in turn, propose, bid and overbid e ...

and

Khedive Khedive (, ota, خدیو, hıdiv; ar, خديوي, khudaywī) was an honorific title of Persian origin used for the sultans and grand viziers of the Ottoman Empire, but most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.Adam Mestyan"Kh ...

are also played * 1886: Evidence that Bridge-Whist has emerged with John Collinson's four page pamphlet entitled Biritch, or Russian Whist. (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.) * 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. * 1926–1935: numerous books on bidding are published and compete for status as the 'official system' of choice.

Ely Culbertson Elie Almon Culbertson (July 22, 1891 – December 27, 1955), known as Ely Culbertson, was an American contract bridge entrepreneur and personality dominant during the 1930s. He played a major role in the popularization of the new game and was wide ...

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 Acol is the bridge bidding system that, according to ''The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge'', is "standard in British tournament play and widely used in other parts of the world". It is a natural system using four-card majors and, most commonly, ...

is fashioned by

S. J. Simon Simon Jacoblivitch Skidelsky (russian: Семён Яковлевич Скидельский; 4 July 1904''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 27 July 1948), also known as S. J. "Skid" Simon, Seca Jascha Skidelsky, and Simon Jasha Skidelsky, was ...

and

Jack Marx Jackson Gregory Marx, known as Jack Marx, is an Australian journalist and author. He was born in Maitland, New South Wales. Career Marx moved to Sydney in his late teens to pursue a career in music with the rock band I Spartacus (previous ...

, 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. * 86 pages. / London: Thomas Osborne, 10th Edition, 1750, 224 pages * * * * / 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. * / 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. * Article on the evolution of Whist. * / 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. * * * / 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. * / Brentano's (New York), 5th Edition, 1895, 109 pages * * * * * / 1903, 136 pages / 1907, 136 pages / 1911, 136 pages. * / 6th Edition, Charles Scribner's Sons (New York), 1907, 297 pages. * * * *

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. * * * * * / Prentice-Hall Inc. (Englewood Cliffs N. J.) 1965, 217 pages. * * * / Simon and Schuster (New York), 191 pages. * / Robert Hale (London), 1976, 221 pages, . * * The Bridge Bum by

Alan Sontag Alan M. Sontag (born May 2, 1946) is an American professional bridge player. He won six world championships, including two Bermuda Bowl wins. Sontag is also known for his book ''The Bridge Bum'', a book "on everybody's list of the top ten bridge bo ...

, 1977 * * * * / Granovetter Books (Ballston Lake, N.Y.), 1992, 252 pages, / Netco Press (Little Falls, N.J.), 1994, 252 pages, / Netco Press, (Little Falls, N.J.), 2003, 264 pages, * * * * * * * * * * ;Fictional novels * * * * *

Encyclopedias, dictionaries and almanacs

The following are listed chronologically: * 32 pages. * 477 pages. * 252 pages. * 691 pages. * 674 pages. * 793 pages. * 858 pages. * 922 pages. * 277 pages. * 827 pages (plus 38 page Bibliography) * 826 pages (plus 60 page Bibliography) * 490 pages. * 536 pages. * 423 pages. * 634 pages (plus two CDs: 1. The Encyclopedia and 2. Biographies and Results).

Book of the Year Awards

American Bridge Teachers' Association (ABTA)

Each year since 1982,ACBL Bridge Bulletin, September 2019, page 33. ABTA has recognized one or more books as contributing significantly to the teaching of contract bridge. The following are the award recipients: * 1982 – * 1983 – * 1984 – * 1985 – * 1986 – * 1987 – '' Commonsense Bidding'' by William S. Root * 1988 – * 1989 – * 1990 – * 1991 – Basic Book: * 1991 – Advanced Book: * 1992 – * 1992 – Advanced Book: '' To Bid or Not to Bid, The LAW of Total Tricks'' by

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...

* 1993 – Basic Book: * 1993 – Advanced Book: * 1994 – * 1995 – * 1996 – '' Points Schmoints! Bergen's Winning Bridge Secrets'' by Marty Bergen * 1996 – * 1997 – Advanced Book: * 1997 – Basic Book: * 1998 – Beginner/Student Book: * 1998 – Advanced Book: * 1999 – Basic Book: * 1999 – Advanced Book: * 1999 – Student Book: '' 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know'' by

Barbara Seagram Barbara Seagram (born 1949 in Barbados, West Indies) is a Canadian Registered Nurse and contract bridge writer, teacher, and administrator. She is co-author of thirty-two published bridge books, including co-writing with Marc Smith ''25 Bridge C ...

and Marc Smith * 2000 – Advanced Book: * 2000 – Beginner/Intermediate Book: * 2001 – * 2002 – * 2003 – Beginner/Novice Book: * 2003 – Intermediate/Advanced Book: * 2004 – * 2005 – * 2006 – * 2007 – Beginner Book: * 2007 – Intermediate Book: * 2008 – Intermediate Book: * 2008 – Novice Book: * 2009 – / 176p. * 2010 – Beginner Book: / 231p. * 2010 – Intermediate Book: / 160 pages. * 2011 – * 2012 – Beginner/Intermediate: * 2012 – Intermediate/Advanced: * 2013 – Intermediate/Advanced Book: * 2013 – Beginner Book: * 2014 – Beginner: * 2014 – Intermediate/Advanced: * 2015 – Intermediate/Advanced: * 2015 – Beginner/Intermediate: * 2016 – Beginner/Intermediate: * 2017 – Beginner/Intermediate: * 2017 – Intermediate/Advanced: * 2018 – Newcomer: ACBL Bridge Bulletin, September 2018, page 29. * 2018 – Beginner/Novice: * 2018 – Intermediate/Advanced: * 2019 – Beginner: * 2019 – Intermediate: * 2019 – Advanced: * 2020 – Beginner/Novice: * 2020 – Intermediate/Advanced: * 2020 – Advanced: * 2021 – Beginner/Novice: * 2021 – Intermediate: * 2021 – Advanced:

International Bridge Press Association (IBPA)

Annually since 2004, the IBPA has chosen one bridge-related title of exceptional merit as follows: * 2004 – * 2005 – * 2006 – * 2007 – * 2008 – * 2009 – * 2009 – * 2010 – * 2011 – * 2012 – * 2013 – * 2014 – , 386 pages * 2015 – * 2016 – * 2017 – * 2018 – * 2019 - 240 pages.

American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) surveys

The ACBL has conducted the following surveys:

1994 survey

The ACBL survey of 1994 was a poll of well-known players and writers only and resulted in the following list of the 20 best books of all time: * ''

Why You Lose at Bridge ''Why You Lose at Bridge'' is a book about the game of contract bridge by the Russian-born English bridge player S. J. "Skid" Simon (190448), first published in 1945. It contains practical advice directed mainly towards rubber bridge players ...

'' by

* '' Killing Defence at Bridge'' by

Hugh Kelsey Hugh Walter Kelsey (1926 – 18 March 1995) was a British bridge player and writer, best known for advanced books on the play of the cards. Life Kelsey was born and died in Edinburgh. He was a combatant in World War II, and subsequently lived ...

* ''

Right Through the Pack ''Right Through the Pack: A Bridge Fantasy'' is a 1947 book about the game of contract bridge by Robert Darvas and Norman de Villiers Hart. It includes 52 deals in which each of the 52 cards of the pack plays a significant role, described by an ...

'' by Robert Darvas and Norman de V. Hart * '' Reese on Play: An Introduction to Good Play'' by

Terence Reese John Terence Reese (28 August 1913 – 29 January 1996) was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields. He was born in Epsom, Surrey, England to middle-class parents, and was educated at Bradf ...

* '' Bridge in the Menagerie'' by

Victor Mollo Victor Mollo (17 September 1909 – 24 September 1987) was a British contract bridge player, journalist and author. He is most famous for his "Menagerie" series of bridge books, depicting vivid caricatures of players with animal names and man ...

* '' To Bid or Not to Bid'' by Larry N. Cohen * '' Adventures in Card Play'' by

Géza Ottlik Géza Ottlik (9 May 1912 – 9 October 1990) was a Hungarian writer, translator, mathematician, and bridge theorist. According to an American obituary bridge column, he was known in Hungary as "the ultimate authority on Hungarian prose". Bi ...

and Hugh Kelsey * '' The Expert Game'' by Terence Reese * '' Defensive Bridge Play Complete'' by Eddie Kantar * '' Play Bridge with Reese'' by Terence Reese * '' How to Read Your Opponents Cards'' by Mike Lawrence * '' Card Play Technique or the Art of Being Lucky'' by

and

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

* '' Five Weeks to Winning Bridge'' by

Alfred Sheinwold Alfred (Freddy) Sheinwold (January 26, 1912 – March 8, 1997) was an American bridge player, administrator, international team captain, and prolific writer. He and Edgar Kaplan developed the Kaplan–Sheinwold bidding system. Among other administr ...

* '' Bid Better, Play Better'' by

Dorothy Hayden Dorothy Hayden Truscott (November 3, 1925 – July 4, 2006) was an American bridge player, winner of four world championships and the top-ranked woman for many years. In the late 1960s, she authored two books on the game and later co-authored two ...

* ''

Bridge Squeezes Complete ''Bridge Squeezes Complete'' is a book on contract bridge Contract bridge, or simply bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. In its basic format, it is played by four players in two competing partnerships, with ...

'' by Clyde E. Love * '' Matchpoints'' by

Kit Woolsey Kit Woolsey (born Christopher Robin Woolsey in 1943) is an American bridge and backgammon player. He was inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2005. Personal life Woolsey was born in Washington, DC. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1964 and ...

* '' Bridge With the Blue Team'' by

Pietro Forquet Pietro Forquet (2 July 1925 – 27 January 2023) was an Italian bridge player, one of the most famous in bridge history. He won 15 World championship titles with the Blue Team, playing with Eugenio Chiaradia, Guglielmo Siniscalco and, for the ...

* ''

The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge ''The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge'' (OEB) presents comprehensive information on the card game contract bridge with limited information on related games and on playing cards. It is "official" in reference to the American Contract Bridge League ...

'' by Henry Francis ''et al.'' * ''All 52 Cards'' by Marshall Miles * '' Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge'' by

Louis H. Watson Louis Henry Watson (September 27, 1906 – February 14, 1936) was a highly ranked American contract bridge player and writer who rose to prominence in the 1930s. A popular personality and one of the most brilliant of the younger generation of cont ...

2007 survey

The ACBL survey of 2007 resulted in two lists of favourite books as follows: ;Top 10 books as rated by ''Experts'' – in descending order * '' The Expert Game'' by

* ''

'' by

* '' Adventures in Card Play'' by

and

* '' Killing Defence at Bridge'' by Hugh Kelsey * '' Bridge in the Menagerie'' by

* ''

'' by Robert Darvas and Norman de V. Hart * '' Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge'' by

* '' Card Play Technique or the Art of Being Lucky'' by

and

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

* '' Bridge With the Blue Team'' by

* '' Reese on Play: An Introduction to Good Play'' by Terence Reese ;Top 10 books as rated by ''Other Readers'' – in descending order * '' Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge'' by

* '' Points Schmoints! Bergen's Winning Bridge Secrets'' by Marty Bergen * '' How to Read Your Opponents Cards'' by Mike Lawrence * ''

'' by

* '' Killing Defence at Bridge'' by

* '' 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know'' by

and Marc Smith * '' Card Play Technique or the Art of Being Lucky'' by

and

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

* '' Adventures in Card Play'' by

and Hugh Kelsey * '' Standard Bridge Bidding for the 21st Century'' by Max Hardy * '' The Secrets of Winning Bridge'' by

Jeff Rubens Jeff Rubens (born 1941) is an American bridge player, editor, and writer of books including ''Secrets of Winning Bridge'' and ''Expert Bridge Simplified''. He is best known for long association with ''The Bridge World'' monthly magazine, as co-edit ...

The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (7th edition) recommendations

The 7th edition of the Encyclopedia recommended 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 The American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) is a governing body for contract bridge in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. It is the largest such organization in North America having the stated mission ''"to promote, grow and sustain th ...

. Listed alphabetically by first author surname. *'' Points Schmoints! Bergen's Winning Bridge Secrets'' by Marty Bergen *Declarer Play the Bergen Way by Marty Bergen *52 Great Tips on Declarer Play by David Bird *Another 52 Great Bridge Tips by David Bird *Matchpoints Versus IMPs by August Boehm *To Bid or Not to Bid: The Law of Total Tricks by Larry N. Cohen *Right Through the Pack by Robert Darvas and Norman de V. Hart *Bridge with the Blue Team by

*Commonly Used Conventions in the 21st Century by Audrey Grant *How the Experts Win at Bridge by Burt and Rose Hall *Two Over One Game Force (Revised and Expanded) by Max Hardy *The Mysterious Multi by Mark Horton and Jan van Cleeff *Canada's Bridge Warriors: Eric Murray and Sami Kehela by Roy Hughes *Roman Keycard Blackwood: The Final Word by Eddie Kantar *Take All Your Tricks by Eddie Kantar *Modern Bridge Defense by Eddie Kantar *Advanced Bridge Defense by Eddie Kantar *Test Your Play II by Eddie Kantar *Topics in Declarer Play by Eddie Kantar *Killing Defense at Bridge by

*Adventures in Card Play by Hugh Kelsey with

*Guide to Better Duplicate Bridge by

Ron Klinger Ron Klinger (born 8 November 1941) is an Australian contract bridge player and a leading English-language bridge writer, the author of more than 70 books on the game. He is an Australian Grand Master and a World Bridge Federation International ...

*Modern Losing Trick Count by Ron Klinger *A Bridge to Simple Squeezes by Julian Laderman *A Bridge to Inspired Declarer Play by Julian Laderman *How to Read Your Opponents' Cards by Mike Lawrence *Judgment at Bridge by Mike Lawrence *The Complete Book on Balancing by Mike Lawrence *The Complete Book of Overcalls by Mike Lawrence *Play Bridge with Mike Lawrence by Mike Lawrence *Bridge Squeezes Complete by Clyde E. Love *Winning Endplay Strategy by Clyde Love *All 52 Cards by Marshall Miles *Bridge in the Menagerie by

*Card Play Technique by Victor Mollo and

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

*The Devil's Ticket: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand and a New American Age by

Gary Pomerantz Gary M. Pomerantz (born November 17, 1960) is an American journalist and author who lectures in the graduate program in journalism at Stanford University. His books include ''Where Peachtree Meets Sweet Auburn'' (1996 ''New York Times'' Notabl ...

*A Great Deal of Bridge Problems by

Julian Pottage Julian Y. Pottage (born 1962) is a British contract bridge player, writer, and teacher, who studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge.Terence Reese John Terence Reese (28 August 1913 – 29 January 1996) was a British bridge player and writer, regarded as one of the finest of all time in both fields. He was born in Epsom, Surrey, England to middle-class parents, and was educated at Bradf ...

*Master Play by Terence Reese *Play These Hands with Me by Terence Reese *The Expert Game by Terence Reese *The Rodwell Files by

Eric Rodwell Eric Victor Rodwell (born May 1, 1957) is an American professional bridge player. He has won the Bermuda Bowl representing the United States five times and is one of ten players who have won the triple crown of bridge: the Bermuda Bowl, the Wor ...

and Mark Horton *Commonsense Bidding by William Root *The Secrets of Winning Bridge by

*'' 5 Weeks to Winning Bridge'' by

*''

'' by

*Frank Stewart's Bridge Club by Frank Stewart *The Great Bridge Scandal by

Alan Truscott Alan Fraser Truscott (16 April 1925 – 4 September 2005) was a British-American bridge player, writer, and editor. He wrote the daily bridge column for ''The New York Times'' for 41 years, from 1964 to 2005, and served as Executive Editor for th ...

*Watson's Play of the Hand at Bridge by Louis Watson *The Lone Wolff by

Bobby Wolff Robert S. (Bobby) Wolff (born October 14, 1932, San Antonio, Texas) is an American bridge player, writer, and administrator. He is the only person to win world championships in five different categories. He is a graduate of Trinity University. ...

*Matchpoints by

Mark Horton's recommendations

In his 1999 book, ''The Mammoth Book of Bridge'', Mark Horton lists his recommendations for "Bridge Books You Should Read", grouped as follows:

Classics

General * '' Five Weeks to Winning Bridge'' by

* '' Bid Better, Play Better'' by

* '' Matchpoints'' by

Bidding * '' Commonsense Bidding'' by William S. Root * '' To Bid or Not to Bid, The Law of Total Tricks'' by Larry N. Cohen * '' Bridge Conventions Complete'' by Amalya Kearse * '' The Complete Book of Hand Evaluation'' by Mike Lawrence * '' The Complete Book of Overcalls'' by Mike Lawrence Declarer Play * '' Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge'' by

* '' How to Read Your Opponents Cards'' by Mike Lawrence * '' Card Play Technique or the Art of Being Lucky'' by

and

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

* '' Reese on Play: An Introduction to Good Play'' by

* '' The Expert Game'' by Terence Reese * '' Play these Hands with Me'' by Terence Reese * ''

'' by Clyde E. Love * '' The Dictionary of Suit Combinations'' by Jean-Marc Roudinescu * '' Adventures in Card Play'' by

and

Defender's Play * '' Killing Defence at Bridge'' by Hugh Kelsey * '' Opening Leads'' by Robert Ewen Entertainment * ''

'' by

* ''

'' by Robert Darvas and Norman de V. Hart * '' Bridge Humor'' by Eddie Kantar * '' The Best of Eddie Kantar: Funny Stories from the Bridge Table'' by Eddie Kantar * '' Bridge in the Menagerie'' by

* '' Miracles of Card Play'' by David Bird and

* '' Bridge with the Blue Team'' by

* '' The Bridge Bum'' by

For beginners

General * '' Bridge for Dummies'' by Eddie Kantar * '' Win at Bridge in 30 Days'' by David Bird * '' Bridge for Bright Beginners'' by

* '' Bridge Basics'' by

* '' Teach Me to Play – A First Book of Bridge'' by Jude Goodwin and Don Ellison * '' Bridge for Beginners'' by Audrey Grant and

Zia Mahmood Mir Zia Mahmood (born 7 January 1946) is a Pakistani-American professional bridge player. He is a World Bridge Federation and American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master. As of April 2011 he was the 10th-ranked World Grand Master. Biograp ...

* '' Bridge for Beginners'' by

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

and

* '' Beginning Bridge'' by Alan Hiron and Maureen Hiron Bidding * '' Teach Yourself Basic Bidding'' by

and

* '' Basic Acol'' by Ben Cohen and Rhoda Barrow * '' Really Easy Bidding'' by the English Bridge Union Teachers' Association ( EBUTA) Declarer Play * '' Introduction to Declarer's Play'' by Eddie Kantar Defender's Play * '' Introduction to Defender's Play'' by Eddie Kantar

For advancing players

General * '' Winning Contract Bridge Complete'' by

Edgar Kaplan Edgar Kaplan (April 18, 1925 – September 7, 1997) was an American bridge player and one of the principal contributors to the game. His career spanned six decades and covered every aspect of bridge. He was a teacher, author, editor, administrator, ...

* '' The Complete Book of Bridge'' by Terence Reese and Albert Dormer * '' The Mistakes You Make at Bridge'' by

and

Roger Trézel Roger Trézel (11 May 1918 – 3 November 1986)Brasil, Cartões de Imigração, 1900-1965'. Arquivo Nacional, Rio de Janeiro. was a French bridge player and writer. He and his long-time regular partner Pierre Jaïs were the first two of ten players ...

Bidding * '' Points Schmoints! Bergen's Winning Bridge Secrets'' by Marty Bergen * '' 25 Bridge Conventions You Should Know'' by

and Marc Smith * '' Modern Bridge Conventions'' by Bill Root and

Richard Pavlicek Richard Pavlicek (born 1945) is an American bridge player, teacher, and writer from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States. Career Pavlicek began to play bridge in 1964 at the age of 18 while stationed in Stuttgart, West Germany, with the US Arm ...

* '' Judgement in Bridge'' by Mike Lawrence * '' Hand Evaluation in Bridge'' by Brian Senior * '' Preempts from A-Z'' by Ron Andersen and Sabine Zenkel * '' Raising Partner'' by Brian Senior * '' Precision Bidding in Acol'' by Eric Crowhurst * '' Acol in Competition'' by Eric Crowhurst * '' Washington Standard'' by Steve Robinson Declarer Play * '' Countdown to Winning Bridge'' by

Tim Bourke Tim Bourke is an Australian bridge player and writer. He is internationally renowned as a collector and composer of bridge hands, or , having composed most of those in David Bird's "Abbot" series since 1996. He also put together the world' ...

and Marc Smith * '' The Basic Elements of Play and Defence'' by G. C. H. Fox * '' Play of the Hand Complete'' by Eddie Kantar * '' Guide to Better Card Play'' by

Defender's Play * '' Kantar for the Defense, Volume 1'' by Eddie Kantar * '' Kantar for the Defense, Volume 2'' by Eddie Kantar * '' Opening Leads'' by Mike Lawrence * '' Step-by-Step Signalling'' by Mark Horton * '' Eddie Kantar Teaches Advanced Bridge Defense'' by Eddie Kantar

For experienced players

General * '' The Complete Book of BOLS Tips'' by Sally Brock * '' The Secrets of Winning Bridge'' by

* '' For Experts Only'' by Matthew Granovetter * '' Matchpoint Bridge'' by

* '' Hoffman on Pairs Play'' by

Martin Hoffman Martin L. Hoffman was an American psychologist and a professor emeritus of clinical psychology, clinical and developmental psychology at New York University.Expert Tuition for Tournament Players'' by Raymond Brock and Sally Brock Bidding * '' Partnership Bidding'' by

Andrew Robson Andrew Michael Robson Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 1964) is an English professional Contract bridge, bridge player, writer and teacher. He is a British and English international. Robson is the bridge columnist for ''The Times'' and ...

and Oliver Segal * '' The Modern Losing Trick Count'' by Ron Klinger * '' Better Bridge with Bergen, Volumes 1 & 2'' by Marty Bergen * '' Precision and Super Precision Bidding'' by

Giorgio Belladonna Giorgio Belladonna (7 June 1923 – 12 May 1995) was an Italian bridge player, one of the greatest of all time. He won 16 world championship titles with the Blue Team, playing with Walter Avarelli from 1956 to 1969 and later with Benito Garozzo. ...

and Benito Garozzo * '' Powerhouse Hands'' by Albert Dormer * '' Aces Scientific'' by Bobby Goldman Declarer Play * '' Step-by-Step: Deceptive Declarer Play'' by

Barry Rigal Barry Rigal (born 1958) is a bridge player, author, commentator and journalist. Born in England, he was married to world champion Sue Picus and lives in New York. Rigal has represented England in the Camrose Trophy Home International series five ...

* '' Advanced Play at Bridge'' by

* '' Secrets of Expert Card Play'' by David Bird and Tony Forrester * '' Simple Squeezes'' by Hugh Kelsey * '' Positive Declarer's Play'' by Terence Reese and

Julian Pottage Julian Y. Pottage (born 1962) is a British contract bridge player, writer, and teacher, who studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge.#BridgeTricks, Bridge: Tricks of the Trade'' by Terence Reese and David Bird Defender's Play * '' Dynamic Defense'' by Mike Lawrence * '' Secrets of Expert Defence'' by David Bird and Tony Forrester * '' Step-by-Step: Deception in Defence'' by

* '' Partnership Defense in Bridge'' by

* '' Positive Defence'' by Terence Reese and

Julian Pottage Julian Y. Pottage (born 1962) is a British contract bridge player, writer, and teacher, who studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge.Richard Lederer (bridge), Richard Lederer, 1934 * ''The Acol System of Contract Bridge'' by Ben Cohen and

, 1938 * ''Why You Lose at Bridge'' by

, 1945 * ''Reese on Play'' by Terence Reese, 1947 * ''Card Play Technique'' by

and

Nico Gardener Nico Gardener (né Goldinger, 27 January 1906 – 10 December 1989) was a British international bridge player and a leading bridge teacher in London and on cruise ships.

, 1955 * ''The Theory of Bidding'' by Norman Squire, 1957 * ''Winning Points at Match-Point Bridge'' by Norman Squire and

Maurice Harrison-Gray Maurice Harrison-Gray (13 November 1899 – 24 November 1968), known always as 'Gray', was an English professional contract bridge player. For about thirty years from the mid-thirties to the mid-sixties he was one of the top players. As a member o ...

, 1959 * ''Play Bridge with Reese'' by Terence Reese, 1960 * ''The Expert Game'' by Terence Reese, 1960 * ''The Acol System Today'' by Terence Reese and Albert Dormer, 1961 * ''Develop Your Bidding Judgement'' by Terence Reese, 1962 * ''Killing Defence at Bridge'' by

, 1966 * ''The Play of the Cards'' by Terence Reese and Albert Dormer, 1967 * ''Advanced Play at Bridge'' by Hugh Kelsey, 1968 * ''Hoffman on Pairs Play'' by

Martin Hoffman Martin L. Hoffman was an American psychologist and a professor emeritus of clinical psychology, clinical and developmental psychology at New York University.Andrew Robson Andrew Michael Robson Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 1964) is an English professional Contract bridge, bridge player, writer and teacher. He is a British and English international. Robson is the bridge columnist for ''The Times'' and ...

and Oliver Segal, 1993

Added titles

These additional titles were nominated by respondents. * ''Bridge is an Easy Game'' by

Iain Macleod Iain Norman Macleod (11 November 1913 – 20 July 1970) was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister. A playboy and professional bridge player in his twenties, after war service Macleod worked for the Conservative Researc ...

, 1952 * ''Country Life Book of Bridge'' by

, 1972 * ''Adventures in Card-Play'' by

and Hugh Kelsey, 1979 * ''The Bidding Dictionary'' by

, 1996 * ''The Big Game: Rubber Bridge in a London club'' by Richard Sheehan, 1999

Most mentioned

These were the leaders by number of selections (as many as five per respondent). * 17 mentions: ''The Expert Game'' by Terence Reese, 1960 * 14 mentions: ''Why You Lose at Bridge'' by S. J. Simon, 1945 * 12 mentions: ''Killing Defence at Bridge'' by Hugh Kelsey, 1966 * 11 mentions: ''Reese on Play'' by Terence Reese, 1947 * 8 mentions: ''Play Bridge with Reese'' by Terence Reese, 1960 * 7 mentions: ''Card Play Technique'' by Victor Mollo and Nico Gardener, 1955 No other title received more than three mentions.

Biographies

* 314 pages. * 256 pages. * 240 pages. * 287 pages.

Bibliographies

Encyclopedic bibliographies

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 ''The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge'' (OEB) presents comprehensive information on the card game contract bridge with limited information on related games and on playing cards. It is "official" in reference to the American Contract Bridge League ...

'' (''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

, 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. ''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.

Bibliographies in Wikipedia articles

By subject

Bridge conventions A bridge convention is an agreement about an artificial or a set of related artificial calls. Calls made during the auction phase of a contract bridge game convey information about the player's card holdings. Calls may be "natural" (that is, are b ...

Hand evaluation In contract bridge, various bidding systems have been devised to enable partners to describe their hands to each other so that they may reach the optimum contract. Key to this process is that players evaluate and re-evaluate the trick-taking pote ...

Losing-Trick Count In the card game contract bridge, the Losing-Trick Count (LTC) is a method of hand evaluation that is generally only considered suitable to be used in situations where a trump suit has been established and when shape and fit are more significant th ...

* Odds, Probabilities * Opening leads * Preemptive bidding *

Signalling In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

* Squeeze plays *

Suit combinations In the card game contract bridge, a suit combination is a specific subset of the cards of one suit held respectively in declarer's and dummy's hands at the onset of play. While the ranks of the remaining cards held by the defenders can be deduce ...

By author

Pierre Albarran Pierre Albarran (18 May 1893 – 24 February 1960) was a French auction and contract bridge player and theorist, and a tennis player. It has been reported that he was born in the West Indies, and also in Chaville, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He d ...

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

Michelle Brunner Michelle Brunner (31 December 1953 – 24 June 2011) was a British bridge player, writer and teacher. She was a member of the British team that won the 1985 Venice Cup, the biennial world championship for women national teams. She also finished ...

Walter Buller Sir Walter Lawry Buller (9 October 1838 – 19 July 1906) was a New Zealand lawyer and naturalist who was a dominant figure in New Zealand ornithology. His book, ''A History of the Birds of New Zealand'', first published in 1873, was publishe ...

* Ben Cohen *

* Joseph Elwell *

Jeremy Flint Jeremy M. Flint (30 August 1928 – 15 November 1989) was an English contract bridge writer and one of the world's leading professional players. He was also a horse racing enthusiast. Flint was born in Leeds but lived in London. Life and bridge ...

* Robert Frederick Foster *

Charles Goren Charles Henry Goren (March 4, 1901 – April 3, 1991) was an American bridge player and writer who significantly developed and popularized the game. He was the leading American bridge personality in the 1950s and 1960s – or 1940s and 1950s, as " ...

* Mark Horton *

Oswald Jacoby Oswald "Ozzie", "Jake" Jacoby (December 8, 1902 – June 27, 1984) was an American contract bridge player and author, considered one of the greatest bridge players of all time and a key innovator in the game, having helped popularize widely used bi ...

* Eddie Kantar *

Harry Lampert Harry Lampert (November 3, 1916 – November 13, 2004) was an American cartoonist and bridge teacher and writer. Biography Born in New York City, Lampert began cartooning when he was sixteen years old, and worked for the legendary Max Fleische ...

* Michael Lawrence *

Rixi Markus "Rixi" Markus MBE (27 June 1910 – 4 April 1992) was an Austrian and British international contract bridge player. She won five world titles, and was the first woman to become a World Grand Master within the World Bridge Federation.

Jeff Meckstroth Jeffrey John (Jeff) Meckstroth (born May 15, 1956) is an American professional contract bridge player. He is a multiple world champion, winning the Bermuda Bowl on USA teams five times. He is one of only ten players who have won the so-called trip ...

* Marshall Miles *

Hubert Phillips Hubert Phillips (13 December 1891 – 9 January 1964) was a British economist, journalist, broadcaster, bridge player and organiser, composer of puzzles and quizzes, and the author of some 70 books. Life Education and early career Phil ...

Julian Pottage Julian Y. Pottage (born 1962) is a British contract bridge player, writer, and teacher, who studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge.Terence Reese bibliography, Terence Reese *

* William S. (Bill) Root *

George Rosenkranz George Rosenkranz (born György Rosenkranz; 20 August 1916 – 23 June 2019) was a pioneering Mexican scientist in the field of steroid chemistry, who used native Mexican plant sources as raw materials. He was born in Hungary, studied in Switzerl ...

* Marc Smith *

Paul Stern Paul Stern (4 April 1892 – 12 June 1948) was an Austrian international bridge player and lawyer, who fled to London in 1938. He was a bidding theorist and administrator who contributed to the early growth of the game. He founded the Austrian Br ...

Other bibliographies

Bibliography

Following are details about books referenced in preceding sections, listed by first named author's surname beginning with:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

- A -

* 290 pages.

- B -

* * * * * * * * * *

- C -

* * 674 pages. * * 286 pages. * * 240 pages. (1983) London: Pelham. . 256 pages. * 383 pages. * 157 pages.

- D -

* * * *

- E -

* * 226 pages. * 162 pages. Also: (1976) London: Robert Hale Books. . 162 pages.

- F -

* Revised 1973, further revised 1991. * * *

- G -

* * * * / 190 pages. * *

- H -

* * * * * (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. * * *

- I -

- J -

* *

- K -

* Kantar, Eddie (Edwin): For a complete listing of Eddie Kantar books, see Edwin Kantar bibliography. * 108 pages. * Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 142p., / Prentice Hall (Endlewood Cliffs, NJ), 147p. / Muller (London), 1971, , 147p * Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 153p. / Prentice Hall (Endlewood Cliffs, NJ), 153p. / Muller (London), 1971, , 153p / Wilshire Book Company (North Hollywood, CA), 1977, , 153p * * 151 pages. * 200 pages. * 200 pages. * 214 pages. * IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1997, , 382p. / Second Edition: Wiley Publishing Inc., (Hoboken, NJ), 2006, , 388p. / Large Print Edition: Thorndike Press (Waterville, Me), 2008, , 563p * 240 pages. * * 1121 pages. * 191 pages. * 192 pages. * 120 pages. * * 217 pages. * 146 pages. * * * * — (2009) ''The Modern Losing Trick Count: Bidding to Win at Contract Bridge'' (13th impression). London: by Cassell in association with Peter Crawley, pp. 143. . *

- L -

* * * * * * * * * * 423 pages. *

- M -

* * 59 pages. * * * * * * 381 pages. * * 143 pages.

- N -

- O -

* Also,

- P -

- Q -

- R -

* Reese, Terence: For a complete listing of Terence Reese books, see Terence Reese bibliography. * 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, , 151 pages. * 144 pages. / 1991, , 144 pages. * 485 pages. (1985), Faber, , 469 pages. * , 128 pages. * , 128 pages. / Master Point Press (Toronto) 2005, , 160 pages. * 1989, , 168 pages. / Reprint: Houghton Mifflin (Boston) in association with Peter Crawley, 1992, / New Edition: Gollancz (London), 1994, , 168 pages. / Revised Edition by Ron Klinger: Cassell (London) in association with Peter Crawley, 2006, , 160 pages. * * * 300 pages. * * 244 pages; Three Rivers Press (New York), , 244 pages; 1992, Crown Publishers Inc., Crown Trade Paperbacks (New York), , 244 pages. * (hardcover), (softcover), 216 pages; 1995, Three Rivers Press (New York), , 216 pages. * * * (hardcover), (softcover)

- S -

* , * * 140 pages; London: Batsford. . 127 pages. * * * (1960-1987). First copyright 1959. / First printing 1960: Pocket Books (New York), Permabook M7514, 548 pages. / 1960: Pocket Books (New York), 548 pages, / 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, * * *

- T -

- U -

- V -

- W -

* — (1958) Enlarged and modernized by Sam Fry, Jr. * 162 pages. * 287 pages. * — (reprinted 1988 and 1992) Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc., pp. 343, OCLC 477153995. * — (reprinted 1991), pp. 303, . * — (reprinted 1992) Louisville, KY: Devyn Press Inc., pp. 64, .

- X -

- Y -

- Z -

References

External links

* ''

The Bridge World ''The Bridge World'' (TBW), the oldest continuously published magazine about contract bridge, was founded in 1929 by Ely Culbertson. It has since been regarded as the game's principal journal, publicizing technical advances in bidding and the pla ...

'' recommende
books for beginners
* ''The Bridge World'' recommende
books for intermediates
* ''The Bridge World'' recommende
books for advanced players

The Bridge Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Bridge Books

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Biographies

Bibliographies

Encyclopedic bibliographies

Bibliographies in Wikipedia articles

By subject

By author

Other bibliographies

Bibliography

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