When I first saw this book, I was really excited for it. When I really looked through it in depth, I was somewhat disappointed.
First of all, this is an educational read. Now, saying that something is an "educational read" is surely one of the fastest ways to get it stuck on a shelf collecting dust until the end of time. In this case, however, the education aspect involves enthralling history on a very fun game, and information on how valuable cards for the game are. I liken "Magic: The Gathering Cards" to a kind of treasure map, leading a reader through an inspection of cards - some of which they may have had for decades - and finding out how much buried treasure they have. It's very exciting for collectors.
The truth is, the vast majority of people today are always on the lookout for ways to earn money while doing something they really enjoy. "Magic: The Gathering Cards" is a truly easy read. The colors are so vibrant - giving the reader an excellent feel for how beautiful the cards themselves are, and allowing for easy differentiation between cards. The writing style of the author is very approachable. A person who has played MTG for years will love this book, and will appreciate the level of knowledge the author has about the game.
There primary drawback of this book is that it is not an effective tool for those who are not very familiar with the game or the cards. This was disappointing to me, as I feel that it would have been a very easy fix in the book. The problem is that a novice to MTG who stumbled across a card or was gifted a card and who wanted to determine its value using this book would have to flip, page by page, and try to identify various markings on the card and match it to not-always-the-same markings in the book. There are no simple search functions that allow for easy identification.
I did exactly this. I borrowed a few MTG cards and attempted to identify the value of these cards using this book. This mission was absolutely nothing short of a exercise in frustration. Admittedly, I have never placed Magic: The Gathering, and am completely ignorant of the cards, the markings, the symbols, and so forth. It took me upwards of 20 minutes to find a single card's value.
Next, I asked my husband to locate a card's listed value in the book. He is the Magic player and the cards are his. He's very familiar with the game, the cards, and all the things that I'm not familiar with. He also struggled to locate a specific card in order to ascertain its value.
What's missing from this book is an index, or even a set of indices. Being able to look up the name of the card alphabetically, or locate the expansion symbol, or things of that nature. That would have allowed for quick and easy identification of the value of a specific card.
Despite that difficulty, this book is still usable, and is brilliantly written. One missing function - even an invaluably helpful one - does not diminish that this is a very good guide. The writing is informative and approachable. This is a solid collector's guide and reference.
First of all, this is an educational read. Now, saying that something is an "educational read" is surely one of the fastest ways to get it stuck on a shelf collecting dust until the end of time. In this case, however, the education aspect involves enthralling history on a very fun game, and information on how valuable cards for the game are. I liken "Magic: The Gathering Cards" to a kind of treasure map, leading a reader through an inspection of cards - some of which they may have had for decades - and finding out how much buried treasure they have. It's very exciting for collectors.
The truth is, the vast majority of people today are always on the lookout for ways to earn money while doing something they really enjoy. "Magic: The Gathering Cards" is a truly easy read. The colors are so vibrant - giving the reader an excellent feel for how beautiful the cards themselves are, and allowing for easy differentiation between cards. The writing style of the author is very approachable. A person who has played MTG for years will love this book, and will appreciate the level of knowledge the author has about the game.
There primary drawback of this book is that it is not an effective tool for those who are not very familiar with the game or the cards. This was disappointing to me, as I feel that it would have been a very easy fix in the book. The problem is that a novice to MTG who stumbled across a card or was gifted a card and who wanted to determine its value using this book would have to flip, page by page, and try to identify various markings on the card and match it to not-always-the-same markings in the book. There are no simple search functions that allow for easy identification.
I did exactly this. I borrowed a few MTG cards and attempted to identify the value of these cards using this book. This mission was absolutely nothing short of a exercise in frustration. Admittedly, I have never placed Magic: The Gathering, and am completely ignorant of the cards, the markings, the symbols, and so forth. It took me upwards of 20 minutes to find a single card's value.
Next, I asked my husband to locate a card's listed value in the book. He is the Magic player and the cards are his. He's very familiar with the game, the cards, and all the things that I'm not familiar with. He also struggled to locate a specific card in order to ascertain its value.
What's missing from this book is an index, or even a set of indices. Being able to look up the name of the card alphabetically, or locate the expansion symbol, or things of that nature. That would have allowed for quick and easy identification of the value of a specific card.
Despite that difficulty, this book is still usable, and is brilliantly written. One missing function - even an invaluably helpful one - does not diminish that this is a very good guide. The writing is informative and approachable. This is a solid collector's guide and reference.