Small Steps to Giant Improvements - Master Pawn Play by Sam Shankland

From the very first pages I liked this book a lot. Here's what I wrote in Amazon review:

"I am a 1700 ELO club player. I have purchased this book by a GM Sam Shankland as an e-book for Forward Chess app. After reading through the first chapter I should say it's a true masterpiece about pawn play. I still have to work through the rest of the book but already enjoy it a lot, especially the fine balance between text comments and variations. I think it's a good candidate for chess book of the year."

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/7804.pdf

Since he wrote this book before wining the US Championship which had 3 of the top 10 players in the world my guess is the first run will be sold out and fast. Just saying. 

I know more or less all the books that you've mentioned except for Sokolov. I am not really qualified to specify the rating range for them. I can only say that for my 1700 OTB all of them are useful. However if I compare fun to study there are big differences. Ranking them from best to worst regarding fun to study criteria here is my list:

1. Shankland - excellent

2. Marovic, Hickl - very good

3. Rios Flores - probably very good, but I have to invest more time into it

4. Soltis - I liked other books by Soltis but this one is not my cup of tea

5. Kmoch - unreadable.

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9052.pdf

Thanks!  I am actually enjoying Kmoch as I try to learn his jargon, but knowing that these other titles are fun is also great... with Kmoch, I am reading in parallel the similarly titled chapters in Hickl.  

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

check the reader reviews....

https://www.amazon.com/Pawn-Power-Chess-Dover/dp/0486264866/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529299213&sr=1-1&keywords=pawn+power+in+chess+hans+kmoch

I am just sharing my experience with Kmoch.

I've seen your blog and Amazon reviews, I am glad that there are people who like the book and find it useful. After all we're all different.

I've made at least 4 attempts to start it and had to put it away each time so big was my irritation. And then at some point I've said to myself: this book has never been translated into Russian which means the Soviet chess school somehow managed to survive without it - I'll be fine too.

One can see a sample at:

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486264866.html

"... Hans Kmoch’s Pawn Power in Chess is considered a classic by many. Nonetheless, most people found it daunting and confusing, given its weird terminology. Also the scope the book was more theoretical than practical; not an easy book to read and study with. ..."

https://web.archive.org/web/20140708110136/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review249.pdf

This sounds like what most people would have to say about my college electrical engineering and especially mathematics text books. It's a good thing I ignored the viewpoint of most people, else I would probably never have achieved my engineering degree...  

If you let most people determine your path in life, you might never achieve your potential...

I am not aware of a widespread belief that Kmoch is essential in order to achieve one's chess potential. It seems to me that the best thing for anyone is to go to the Dover site and come to one's own conclusion.

I didn't say one had to study Kmoch's book to achieve one's potential.  Only that if you let most people determine your course of action in life for you, (especially when it comes to avoiding that which they consider to be difficult) then you might not achieve your potential...

I agree that checking out the Dover Publishing webpage for Kmoch's book might be helpful....especially noting the following comments...

"One of the few books…which, at a glance, one can recognize as an immortal." — Chess.

“We consider it the best publication on chess strategy since the end of World War II.” — Die Welt.

"... Hans Kmoch’s Pawn Power in Chess is considered a classic by many. Nonetheless, ..."

I have never seen a mathematics text book with weird terminology - they all use a standard one.

Judging by reviews most people think that Kmoch's book is good. So I just follow your advice and don't let most people's opinion to determine my path.

The following is representative of the kind of mathematics to be found in university level advanced engineering and physics text books.  What would most people think about it?  weird? incomprehensible? jibberish?  Of course, if one has an advanced degree in any of these subjects, then for them it would simply be standard mathematics terminology...

http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/DE/PeriodicOrthogonal.aspx

The point being the level of sophistication of the student with regard to the knowledge base required to understand the material in question.  If one hasn't attained a prerequisite knowledge base, one is likely to have significant difficulties when studying and understanding the more advanced material of a technical subject.  So it is with the more advanced chess books.

@uri65 -

By the way.  I meant to thank you for alerting us to Sam Shankland's new book on pawn play.  It looks good.  I have ordered a copy!

So, before buying Kmoch, it would make sense to look at the online sample. Some people like the book and some don't. What more is there to say?