Mark Horton

For generations, coastal fishermen, working at the very fringe between land and sea, have fished salmon and herring using methods passed down from father to son. Some of these ancient traditions have been traced back as far as the days when the men from Scandinavia colonised these lands in the eighth and ninth centuries; others are simply nineteenth century in origin. Sadly, in recent years stocks have dwindled and regulations limit local fishing practices. Today, some surviving methods, such as haaf-netting, are in danger of dying out, whilst other traditional fisheries now lie abandoned. Though herring stocks have recovered from their late twentieth-century decline, the Atlantic salmon is now under immense threat and more danger of extinction than ever before. Tracing and describing his own journey from North Devon, through Wales and up to the top of Scotland, along with interviews with many fishermen, both retired and working, Mike Smylie explores the social history of these indigenous fishing traditions and communities, presenting a picture of their lives, past, present and future.

In 2007, Mark Horton wrote Misplay These Hands with Me, (Master Point Press, ISBN 9781897106280, now out of print) a deliberate homage to Reese's classic Play These Hands with Me. The difference was that the declarer in Horton's book always made an error, sometimes obvious, sometimes not so much. This successful book was the basis of a long-running column in the American Contract Bridge League’s Bridge Bulletin, a sequel in 2019: Misplay More Hands With Me (published by Honors ISBN 9781771402019). Now the same author turns to the topic of defence, and once again gives the reader a chance to learn from someone else's mistakes. All the deals are taken from top-level play.

This is the sequel to Misplay These Hands With Me (Master Point Press, 2009), which is based on Horton's popular series of articles in the ACBL Bulletin. In an over-the-shoulder style, the author offers an account of a plausible line of play on each example hand, always without success, then gently points out how the contract could and should have been made with just a little more thought. Perfect for improving players.

Runner-up in the beginner/novice category of the American Bridge Teachers Association 2020 Book of the Year Awards. Bridge is a hugely popular pastime enjoyed by millions, and yet whole books have been written about single aspects of the game, and learning the seemingly complex rules and language can be a daunting idea. So this is the essential guide to beginning your journey and getting in on the fun, covering everything you need to know to get started and progress, from bridge basics, language and no-trump declarer play to analysing hands and working with trump suits. Defence play is then covered before going into bidding essentials and further bidding techniques and conventions. Keeping score and advice on taking things further rounds off this invaluable guide for the beginner. Clear explanations and examples make learning easy, and fresh writing from seasoned expert Mark Horton keeps things interesting, while a glossary of terms is a handy at-a-glance reminder of the meaning of key words and phrases. Suitable for standard playing methods used worldwide.

Over 100 years of bridge history, it is not surprising that one can find many matches and events that came down to the last board, or even the last card, played. And of course, there is an added poignancy in these situations that derives from the fact that bridge is a unique sport in one aspect -- the players do not know the score. In this book, the author has collected dozens of fascinating deals, each of which is that last board -- the one that decided a world title or represented an individual triumph or tragedy.

Built around real-life deals featuring the bridge-playing rabbi, Leonard Helman, this book contains a wealth of tips on bidding and play for the advancing player. Even experts will learn from some of the bidding ideas, drawn from Eric Kokish's encyclopaedic coaching files.

This is the most important technical bridge book published since Larry Cohen's To Bid or Not to Bid (60,000 copies in English alone), and may well reach an even bigger audience. There are two aspects to this book, both unique. First, Rodwell describes and explains a host of innovative ideas in cardplay, strategems that can be used as declarer or defender. Second, under the heading 'Common Mistakes', Rodwell talks about the mental side of the game: areas that mark the key differences between an average player and a successful one. The first draft of this book has been in existence for more than fifteen years, but it is only now that Rodwell is prepared to allow his 'secrets' to become public knowledge.

Why aren't you an expert bridge player? What makes a bridge expert, and why does he or she always come out on top compared to the average club player? No, it's not the ability to execute esoteric squeezes and endplays - they simply don't come up enough to account for the way the experts consistently win against weaker opposition. It's much more basic than that. This book contains a collection of deals that illustrate the difference between the expert player and the would-be expert. These illustrate the kinds of decisions that will come up in every club game, situations in bidding, play and defense where the amateur will often go wrong, but the expert never will. A study of the concepts in this book will take the reader a long way from amateur status towards actually becoming an expert player.

If you're like most beginning bridge players, you want to know more about bidding systems, and especially conventions. Even if you just play socially, it can't hurt to add a few choice gadgets to your bidding arsenal. This book describes and explains 25 basic conventions that you can easily assimilate into your own bidding. Each one is clearly and simply explained, and you'll see how it fits in the ACOL system if you decide to use it. Each chapter includes a helpful summary of key points and a quiz with full explanations of all the answers.

A fascinating collection of the 'best of the best', selected by one of the world's top bridge writers. Taken from nearly a hundred years of bridge history, these deals will provide any bridge player with hours of fascinating reading. Each of them has its own unique point of interest, sometimes deriving from a brilliant maneuver in the play or bidding, sometimes from the historical circumstances surrounding the deal or its consequences. Some of these deals decided a world title, some were important only to those who took part, and at least one ended in murder.

This wide-ranging volume integrates documentary sources and contemporary archaeological evidence to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date account of Swahili history, anthropology, language and culture.

Brian Senior and Mark Horton are experienced international players, and also two of the world's top bridge journalists. In one or the other capacity they have attended every World Championship and major international tournament in the last twenty years, and in this book they share their unique knowledge and experience, as well as the stories only they can tell. The reader will share the excitement of the key hands and plays that made the difference between winning and losing -- the successes and the disasters. In addition, the authors afford us a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a bridge journalist, as we see them following the top players around the world in search of stories and adventure. Do they do it for love or money -- or is it something else? Read the book and find out! The illustrations draw on the authors' personal collection of candid photographs.