Now, after devouring ten volumes of a children's manga series called Hikaru no Go, I find myself inspired. Maybe it's time to dust off those books and see if, at my age, I'm not too old to become a middling player before I bid farewell to middle age.
Anyway, this particular book is the first in a series by Janice Kim, translated from Korean. As the title suggests, it is a starter book designed specifically for beginners. It patiently teaches the basics of Go (or baduk, as it is known in Korea), beginning with the fundamental rules and gradually progressing to elementary strategies. By the time you reach the end, so the author claims, you should be ready to play at around the 15-kyu level (essentially, a beginner who has a basic understanding of how to play but not much more). I wouldn't know for sure since I have never been ranked, but it was a great review for me since I haven't actually played in years. I did read this book in its entirety about ten years ago and found it quite helpful. Now, perhaps I'm ready to take on a not-too-smart computer program or other beginners over the Internet. I'll be sure to keep you updated as I move on to book 2.
I would highly recommend this as an excellent beginner's book. It not only imparts the rules but also provides a plethora of teaching examples for those very simple situations that a beginner absolutely needs to know (i.e., how to avoid making those "DUH!" moves that only a novice would make). I'm not awarding it 5 stars simply because I haven't actually read that many Go books, so I can't accurately compare it to other books targeted at a similar level of novice.
Okay, I'm feeling confident and ready to take on Hikaru Shindo! Let the games begin!