Like many fans of IM Jeremy Silman's works, I impatiently await the release of his 4th edition of "How to Reassess Your Chess", so I wrote to him and share with you his answer:

"A lot of people are asking me about this, so here’s my “stump” reply:

The 4th edition, which is a TOTAL rewrite (every example thrown out and
everything in it 100% new ... Including
new chapters and ideas) has proved to be extremely complex to write. As you
know, I won’t let a book go to press
unless I feel it offers something new and important. So I’m taking this book
very seriously and won’t rush it. I’m
actually spending up to 12 hours a day on this thing, and have done a lot.
However, I’m still a long way from finishing.
I now hope (best case scenario) to have it out by Dec. 09. Failing that
(since proofing and typesetting takes a long time!),
it will appear no later than March of 2010.

I apologize for its lateness — a lot of people are looking forward to it and
I don’t like to keep people waiting. Rest assured that
I’m working as quickly as possible and hope to present something that you
(and all fans of the other books) will really love.

Feel free to share this information with others who are wondering about
what’s going on.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Silman

PS: I am also hoping to offer a limited hardcover version of this book!"

Thanks for the update. I was going to buy the 3rd edition, literally this week, but now I think I'll wait!

I'd still suggest buying the 3rd edition. It seems the 4th will be quite different, and I'll bet the older one will still pack value.

I've noticed the Barnes & Noble and Amazon have this listed, but not yet available...

Looking forward to the release date.

I believe this forum answers my question about the differences between the 3rd and 4th edition.  However, does anyone know what the main differences were between the 1993 edition and the 1997 edition?

I was unaware of the two "editions" of 1993 and 1997, and bet they were merely just different printings of the 3rd edition, but am willing to be wrong.

Barnes & Noble list them both at 402 pages, but they have different ISBN numbers.

I'm curious to see the 4th, too.

I picked up a hard to find copy of the first (1986) edition of ReAYC in a used book store this past summer. It's pretty funny, it's less than half the size of the third edition!

I'm working through Ludek Pachman's Modern Chess Strategy (the abrigded Dover edition in descriptive notation -- ) and I've got to say: It's so good. Silman's ReAYC is great preparation for Pachman -- you can really see Silman got a lot of his material from Pachman -- to anyone who feels they've learned a lot from Silman (as I feel I did) -- I recommend Pachman's book, Silman's focus on imbalances totally clarifies Pachman's ideas about "equilibrium" and Pachman adds lots of detail about the nitty gritty of piece play and pawn play. 

Here is an update from IM Jeremy Silman on the status of his book:

"Just got off the plane ... Been gone for over a month to Thailand, Laos,
Vietnam, and China. The book is more or less written, but now that I'm back,
I'll put the final touches on my book and do my best to get it out as soon
as possible. 

Of course, the "final touches" include proofing (two proofers), writing the
foreword, getting blurbs for the back cover, helping to create the cover,
fixing the appendices, creating detailed indexes, creating hundreds of
diagrams, reading the whole thing from top to bottom and (perhaps) making
changes, and helping with the very complex problem of typesetting.

One can't expect the book to appear in stores earlier than April or May."

April or May cannot arrive too soon.

Thanks for the update.

Hi there!

I am planning on reading Silman's Amateur's Mind book after I reread Simple Chess by Stean.  Would you recommend reading How To Reassess Your Chess the 3rd edition after Amateur's Mind or are they sort of the same.

Thanks!

Great question!

In an email from Silman to NM Dan Heisman, the author provides the following suggestion:

"My recommended order (though all stand alone):

1) Read Reassess Your Chess through page 52. Then put it away! 
2) Read all of The Amateur's Mind. 
3) Read the rest of How to Reassess Your Chess. 
4) Read The Workbook. 
And yes, you have to start people out with tactics and the basic mates else they will get shredded instantly.”

- IM Jeremy Silman in an e-mail to Dan, 11/16/2001.

 

Reference: http://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Events_Books/General_Book_Guide.htm

I'll resurrect this thread with a question.

Does anyone know when the 4th edition comes out?

In January, Jeremy said April or May, and I have heard nothing updated on that.

Here is an email exchange with Jeremy Silman:

Jeremy,

At the risk of repetitive nagging, can you share the latest update on the

publication of the 4th edition HTRYC, and the availability of a hardback

edition.

Hope you are well!

Timothy Randall

Hey Timothy,

Never hesitate to ask! And don't consider it nagging ... it helps me stay on
course.

The book is written and I'm finishing up the final bit of proofing (going
over the corrections the proofers made). Hopefully the typesetting process
will begin in 2 weeks.

I'll know more about the hardcover edition once the typesetting is done. So
please DO write and ask about it in about 4 weeks.

Jeremy

Any update on this? I've been waiting on this book for 2 years...

Update:

Well, here’s the latest: The book is written and waiting its turn in the typesetting line (my lateness has stuck me in a bit of limbo due to other – on time – books also needing attention). I’ve been told that it will be typeset in June. Then (if the typesetter’s schedule turns into reality) it will be shipped off to the proofer again for a quick run-through. And then, FINALLY, off to the printer. I’m hoping it will go to the printer by mid July. This means that it should be hitting stores mid-August (2010). Even if things somehow bog down, I would think mid-Sept is a worst case date scenario.

It’s out of my hands now ... the wait is frustrating, but we’re getting close. Trust me when I say that it will be worth it (I honestly feel it’s the best thing I’ve ever done). The 4th edition completely blows away all earlier editions.

I’m not updating the Workbook, but am writing a completely new book that’s has some similarities to it.

Sincerely, 
Jeremy Silman"

Yesterday's reply from IM Silman covers much of the same:

The book is written but it's still waiting in line for typesetting.
VERY frustrating, but that's the way it is. I've been told that it will be
typeset in June. Then (if the typesetter's schedule turns into reality) They
will send that version to the proofer again and, hopefully, it will be sent
to the printer in mid July. In this case, it should appear in bookstores
mid-August.

It's driving me crazy, but I've done my part and now I'm just agonizing
about the rest of the process with no power to do anything about it (this
was caused by my lateness, which stuck the book in the middle of other - on
time - titles).

I'll discuss the hardcover details about halfway through the typesetting
process. My impression is that we'll do 1,000 (2,000 max) hardback special
editions. The rest will be in the usual oversize paperback format (like
Silman's Complete Endgame Course).

Better to take your time and get it right.  One of my pet peeves is books that are rushed to publication containing numerous errors, omissions, and typos. Kudos to Mr. Silman.

Does anyone have any more recent info on this?  I was doing some searches for the 4th edition and I can't find it available anywhere.

I think we are still early, as Silman said it was going to the printers July.