Saturday, January 6, 2018

Book Review: The Complete Book on Takeout Doubles by Mike Lawrence



Book: The Complete Book on Takeout Doubles
Author:Mike Lawrence
Year published: 2012
Date finished: January 5, 2018
Genre: Bridge
Rating:9/10

Review: This book lives up to its title: 311 pages on all aspects of negative doubles, from the basics of what a negative double shows in the simplest cases (1 of a suit, double) to responses to that double, doubles when both opponents have bid, doubles of preempts and much more. 

As with all Mike Lawrence books, you get a lot of bridge information for your money. You don't get jokes (a la Eddie Kantar) or funny stories (a la Marty Bergen) and Lawrence's writing style doesn't sparkle the way, say, Terrence Reese's does but all that is secondary to the sheer amount of bridge sense and information that is in the book. In that, Lawrence is second to none.

The audience for this book ranges from low intermediate up to (probably) expert. The chapters are clearly labeled so you can find what you want. I (as an intermediate) will surely forget some of the bidding sequences, but then the book will be useful as a reference.

About the Author: Mike Lawrence is a world-class level bridge player and a prolific author.

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