Rating: 
Summary: Do not buy the book because of the title
Review: I reserved my detailed comments on the book. I should not have bought the book because of the attractive title. There is really no better way of achieving good sight reading by repeat practice using different pieces. Yes. Practice, practice and practice. There is no shortcut.
Rating: 
Summary: From the perspective of a novice
Review: The best thing about the book that I found is that it presents the ideas and drills in bite-sized chunks. The general idea is "just do it and see" rather than long-winded abstract statements which leave one feeling that one needs to be a genius in order to sight-read. Unlike some other books with titles involving "super secrets", this book never presumes to show a "short-cut to success" that needs no practice. But, rather, it teaches a very efficient way to practice.
Rating: 
Summary: All the right things, just not very neat
Review: The exercises are indeed step-by-step and progress simply and effectively. I think they represent the "right" way to learn sight reading. However, as a book, it's somewhat lacking: the organization, as other reveiwers have noted, could be clearer, there are typos, and there's not a lot of prose. Think of it as a book of progressive exercises, and you won't be disappointed. It also includes a lot of basics like music notation, which probably could be gained elsewhere; but it does mean that it should work for any level.
Rating:
Summary: All the right things, just not very neat
Review: The exercises are indeed step-by-step and progress simply and effectively. I think they represent the "right" way to learn sight reading. However, as a book, it's somewhat lacking: the organization, as other reveiwers have noted, could be clearer, there are typos, and there's not a lot of prose. Think of it as a book of progressive exercises, and you won't be disappointed. It also includes a lot of basics like music notation, which probably could be gained elsewhere; but it does mean that it should work for any level.
Rating:
Summary: Good Exercise - Poor Layout
Review: The exercises in this book are very good, I find them very helpful, my sight reading has improved since I started using the book.Unfortunately the layout of the book is poor,it is necessary to go back and forth between different pages plus it is not easy to understand which exercises go with some of the music shown in the book.
I would still recommend the book but advise the user to read through the book carefully and tie together the instructions,exercises and music. Good Luck!
Rating: 
Summary: Praise from Experts
Review: The following comments were sent to the publisher. They are signed and remain on file. "Thank you for providing piano educators with a most useful tool." -Jeanine M. Jacobson, Assistant Professor, Piano proficiency class for piano majors, California State University, Northridge "Richman has gone a long way toward de-mythologizing the process of sight-reading. Highly recommended" -American Music Teacher Magazine, September/October, 1988 "All pianists can benefit and some will experience the transformation into 1st-class sight-readers - something they may have thought was an impossibility." -Leonid Hambro, Concert Pianist/Teacher, Los Angeles "His ingenious exercises cannot fail to help people become better sight-readers." -The California Music Teacher, Vol 10, Number 2 "A pianist's main asset is to be a good reader. This book will be an invaluable asset toward that goal." -Delores Stevens, Pianist/Artist-Teacher "It is elegantly simple yet comprehensive." -Todd Winkler, Professor of Music Theory and Solfege, California Institute of the Arts "I've used it in the studio, on tour, and in playing classical music." -Vonda Shepard, Recording Artist (Reprise Records)
Rating: 
Summary: Not very good
Review: This "book" is more like a short document you could download off the internet. There are hardly any exercises in the book. The author asks you to exercise on other artists works using various methods. The whole book could be summarized on one page if you ask me. Also, half the book is dedicated to teaching you how to read music. Having played piano for 20 years, this half of the book was just wasted paper.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly executed and misleading.
Review: This book has a gimmicky title and a cheap price, but it fails deplorably on several fronts. For one, the lay-out and print quality are absolutely embarrassing considering the times we live in. One of the few musical examples actually looks as though it were rendered by a dot-matrix printer. Further, the unrealistic exercises are ambiguously described and seldom illustrated. They are also a complete waste of time since one is better off sightreading real compositions. That's why it's better to invest in sheet music/ etudes that suit one's tastes. The Musician's Institute Sightreading for Keyboard book is far more helpful and complete at a comparable price, offering several chapters of exercises and etudes without making ludicrous promises--very professional indeed. There is really no substitute for practice; forget the nonsense of "secrets" and invest elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A special Book indeed
Review: This book has helped me (and continually does) with sightreading. I have a rock/jazz background - with little classical training unfortunately. Although he is a classical pianist and teacher, his exercises are just as effective for contemporary music. One small gripe I have is with the layout of the book - a little disjointed I thought - but it's not enough of a problem to detract from the full 5 stars. The exercises are very direct and one is inclined to keep at it as they don't take up hours on end. Just make sure you practise regularly - like anything of course. The exercises do work. I can read a lot better than I have ever done. Another good book for rock/pop players is Larry Steelman's 'Music Reading for Keyboard'.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad book.......
Review: This book has its good points and bad. The first part of the book is redundant for intermediate and up pianists, and the latter part will be inaccessible to beginners, so you probably won't use the whole book no matter who you are. But, for the average pianist, there are some good exercises to jump-start your reading. The author bases his exercises on two important premises, which he calls "Keyboard Orientation" and "Visual Perception" drills. They are designed to help develop familiarity with the keyboard, which is essential to good reading. The drills devised by Richman can be an effective tool, but despite the snappy title, they are no magic scroll. If you do not put in the time and effort to follow the drills regularly, this book will be useless. But for those who really have the desire to better their playing, this book might be what your looking for. Besides, it's pretty cheap!
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