THE GAMES TREASURY by Merilyn Simonds...

THE GAMES TREASURY by Merilyn Simonds Mohr (Chapters: $19.95; 351 pp., illustrated, paperback original). Mohr lists the rules and basic strategies for 300 games in the handy compendium. Obviously it’s impossible to explain the subtleties of chess, bridge or Go in a few paragraphs, but she provides enough information to get a beginner started. Bringing this book and a deck of cards to a family gathering could help kill a holiday afternoon that threatens to stretch into an eternity.