Pawn Power In Chess by Hans Kmoch - Algebraic Edition

I just received the American Chess Promotions edition of "Pawn Power In Chess" by Hans Kmoch, and it is in fact in Algebraic notation.  (Search on the ISBN number- i.e., "ISBN 0939298791").  

I have not had a chance to look through it in any detail, but upon casual inspection it looks to be a very well produced book - binding, typography, paper quality etc.  It is apparently out of print (copyright 1990) and so a used copy may be priced at a premium.

https://www.amazon.com/Pawn-power-chess-Hans-Kmoch/dp/0939298791/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489662103&sr=1-1&keywords=0939298791

I will work with it for a while to determine if there are any apparent problems such as errors or typos and report back in this thread when I feel that I have sufficiently examined it (not sure how long that will take).

Here is the Descriptive Notation edition of the book (Dover pub), from which the Algebraic Notation edition was translated.

https://www.amazon.com/Pawn-Power-Chess-Dover/dp/0486264866/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489664336&sr=1-1&keywords=pawn+power+in+chess+by+hans+kmoch

The following is the forum thread which motivated this thread...

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/a-most-unfortunate-chess-book

I had heard that Pawn Power in Chess was/is available in algebraic notation. I searched and followed the forums here and found the ISBN 0-939298-79-1 (American Chess Promotions 1990).

I found the book on Amazon and it came a couple of days ago.

This book, is indeed, in algebraic notation. I do not have an original copy (descriptive notation), so I have not been able to compare the contents. 

I got lucky - I found a copy for less than $22 (total after shipping was added). I see that copies are still available on that site, but are now priced  ~$75.

I had to erase some underlining with pencil in the first two chapters, but otherwise this book is in surprisingly good condition.

I have not delved into the contents, yet.

I originally learned descriptive chess notation in the mid-1990's, so it is not a huge turnoff for me. However, I choose not to deal with it when I don't have to.

I just wanted to add to the testimony that this book can be found in algebraic notation, but you may have to really search and be patient to avoid paying a high price for it.

As I have copies of both the Descriptive and Algebraic notation editions, except for the notation difference, the contents are identical.

At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I think it is safe to say that Kmoch's "Pawn Power In Chess" is not a book that will be easily absorbed or appreciated by the typical beginner-novice.  In my opinion it is more appropriate for the more experienced, intermediate level and above player, i.e., those who have developed a comfort level with the basic concepts and techniques of positional chess.  For suggestions on how to gain proficiency in these areas, you may want to check out the recommendations contained in my blog article...

Chess Books on Pawn Play and Structure - for Beginners and Beyond...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/chess-books-on-pawn-play-and-structure

other, relevant articles in my blog...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/pawn-power-in-chess-by-hans-kmoch

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/introduction-to-positional-chess-planning-strategy

Maybe consider:

Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/amateurs-mind-the-2nd-edition/

Simple Chess by Stean

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104258/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review400.pdf

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486424200.html

I found it used on eBay for $8 incl. shipping.  Haven’t received it yet, but looks like the binding’s a little frayed.  But that shouldn’t be a big problem for me