Thanks Anthea!

Nice.

Thank you.

I'm a beginner at chess. This posting was extremely helpful. Thanks a lot! I bought "Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess"

and "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" on your recommendation.

Yes, Tactics Time and Tactics Time II are worthwhile, but for systematic exposure to board visualization, mating patterns and tactics I suggest the following:

For improving board visualization:
Chess Mazes and Chess Mazes 2

For learning mating patterns and tactics:
The Art of Checkmate
Learn Chess Tactics
Improve Your Chess Tactics: 700 Practical Lessons & Exercises

For beginning strategy
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev

Before any of these, however, I would read Dan Heisman's Novice Nook columns here.

Very good!....thanks.....

Yes.  "Pandolfini's Ultimate Guide to Chess" and "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" are excellent books for the beginner to start with....

For the beginner I also highly recommend....

Jeff Coakley's "Winning Chess Strategy for Kids"  (see my list) - an introductory chess course covering lots of instructive material...a good follow-on to the Pandolfini chess course....it is very good for ANY beginner, not just for kids....

Chess on!

Thanks Bob.  Dan Heisman's Novice Nook columns are a gold mine of instruction!

http://www.danheisman.com/Articles/Novice_Nook_Links.htm

Or here, for NNs through 2012:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130709172313/http://home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Articles/Novice_Nook_Links.htm

Hello RussBell:

I thought I had read your initial post that began this topic, but apparently I didn't.  I only read page 2 and slimedog.  If I had read your long, thorough explication I wouldn't have bothered as you pretty much covered it all and better except for the direct link to Mr. Heisman's Novice Nook columns now that ChessCafe has more or less rolled up the carpet.

Of course, my sentimental favorite is Edward Lasker's Chess for Fun and Chess for Blood because it was my first chess book at the age of 10.  You can read my Amazon review here.

By the way, I began a post at Chess.com based on two games found in this book.  I titled it What is your favorite master or grandmaster game?  Though it has received more than a few looks, no one has posted to it.  I'm surprised how poor the chess culture is nowadays; it appears the current generation knows Komodo and Stockfish but not what has come before.  Where is the aesthetic appreciation for the great games of the past?

Best,
Bob

Thank you!

Some people find it helpful to look at some of the advice in A Guide to Chess Improvement by Dan Heisman (2010).

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708105628/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review781.pdf

Yes, RussBell mentioned that book in his initial posting, but a link to the review is a good addition.  I understand the book has three addtional columns that had not been posted to Chesscafe, or so I've read.

This is my favorite article ever written on chess.com and I highly recommend you at least scan over it. I took note that many books reappear on multiple lists.

http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-chess-books-ever

Bar none, the best list of chess books at Chess.com, and recommended by eminent players no less, but hardly for beginners.

I find a fly in every ointment, including this erudite list.  I don't care for the pseudo-intellectual vaporings found in Rowson's The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (see Taylor Kingston's review here), and Silman has made a career out of rewriting the same book four times, namely How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition (see the admittedly very negative Amazon review here).  Don't get me wrong, the book is very instructive, but he never gives proper attribution for concepts and examples that did not originate with him but with Aaron Nimzovich and others.  I prefer the originals.

Everyone has their opinion.

I agree that multiple editions of the same book can be a deterent for reading them. It all depends on what you're wanting to get out of reading the books. Some emphasize chess history, world championship matches, opening theory, tactics, etc. I also agree that reading the Amazon reviews for a book is a good idea, but keep in mind that those writing the reviews are various skill levels and experience. :)

Some of the books mentioned in the article can be purchased used at very good prices on eBay as well.

That's for sure, I own over 1,000 chess books and I'd say that nearly half came from eBay.  Of course, I'm picky and only go for those in Very Good to Like New condition, so I pay more.

    The Amateurs Mind by Jeremy Silman is an excellent chess book if you want to improve, plus it is interesting and fun.

I did not enjoy Weapons of Chess: An Omnibus of Chess Strategies 

I did not find it particularly instructive.  as far as a beginners course in positional chess.  Seirawin "winning chess strategy" was much more Engaging and insightful. imho.

Is the book <<Judging and Planning in chess>> by Dr. Max EUWE good book and deserved to read? Thanks.

It's one of the classics of chess, joenapoleon. But as one IM said, the best chess books are the ones you read. If you invest the time and energy it deserves, it will help you improve dramatically.