Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic book for the beginning player
Review: Although the best thing about this book is the author's enthusiasm, it does not lack in other areas. I had tried to learn to play a decent game of Go reading other books, but this one finally got me started. It's easy to read and understand, and it starts with the simplest rules and runs up to a few basic tactics and strategies. Far and away the best beginner Go book I've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: Superlative; the best first book I've seen
Review: Buy it. I've dabbled and screwed around with learning Go a couple of times over the years, but every other introduction I've looked at has left me more confused than enlightened. Not so with this book--clear, concise, thorough, and even humorous, and almost dripping with the authors' infectous excitement for the game. And it even includes a cardboard game set! You can't go wrong. (I'm working on Vol 2 now, and it looks just as good.)
Rating:
Summary: Best Go Series for Beginning to Intermediate Players
Review: By far the best series of Go books for beginning to intermediate players. So much of success at Go, at least of the recreational player who does not have a huge amount of time to devote the game, hinges on mastering some basic ways of thinking about problems and "stances" that help to identify opportunities avoid pitfalls or common mistakes. This, first, first volume in the series focuses on these elements by building a simple and easily understood foundation of "fundamentals" that are then explored through a series of clearly illustrated techniques. This book (and the others in the series) use clear and (unlike many other "introductory" Go books) fully explained and worked-through examples. If you are looking for a place to begin (or begin again) this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Good book for begginers
Review: For me that have never played Go before, this book was very useful. It teached me all the rules and some of the basic techniques. I advanced from 25 kyu to 16 after reading this book (playing against igowin). The book is very easy to read and its format is excellent. It doens't teach strategy but I think that with the information contained in this book any person can start reading more advanced books.
Rating: 
Summary: An easy way to learn to play Go
Review: Having once tried to learn Go in the late 1970's and failed because of confusing instructions and a lack of local players, I recently revived my interest and tried again. This time I chose _Learn to Play Go, Vol. 1, 2nd Edition_ by Janice Kim 1 dan & Jeong Soo-hyun 9 dan as my first guide. It steps through a few simple ideas in a logical sequence, and then follows up with a series of questions and answers for self testing. Also, it contains a tear out Go board with cardboard punch out pieces.This book was published at an opportune time. Recently, a major impediment to the spread of Go playing in the USA was removed: the lack of access to other players. A WWW search reveals several Go servers available for free online play. Most of these are linked from the nonprofit American Go Association's web site. So now, there's never a shortage of Go partners of all skill levels any time of day or night. Even many pre-teens will be able to read and study _Learn to Play Go_ with little or no help. It's an excellent introductory text. My one criticism is that a lengthier coverage of how to count the score would've been helpful, at least for myself. As an absolute beginner, I've found that to be the most difficult part of learning the game, both conceptually and practically.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the beef? - clear, but lacking in content
Review: I don't get the superlative praises which have been lavished on this book. I became interested in Go recently, and if you've played the game at all, you realize very quickly that knowing the rules alone doesn't get you very far in terms of figuring out how to play it! Given that, I was looking for a beginner's book which goes beyond teaching the rules - which are fairly simple anyway, but also imparts enough guidance and insights in terms of strategy and tactics that a beginner would start to feel comfortable about playing it - what to look for, how does one approach different phases of the game, etc. Perhaps this is too much to ask of a single beginner book to Go, but I found this book particularly lacking in that regard relative to others of its kind. I didn't come away after finishing it feeling much more confident about knowing how to play the game as when I started reading it. I've browsed through Iwamoto's(?) "Go for Beginners" and found it to be a more complete introduction and just as straigtforward to follow. Since then, I've started reading the "Graded Go Problems for Beginners" series and found it to be the most helpful in terms of learning the game. Not that the praises for this book is wholly undeserved. This is a very well-exposited introduction to the game. Whatever it covers, this book takes you by the hand and treats in a easy-to-follow manner. Coupled with the easy-on-the-eye layout, this may well be the gentlest introduction to the game that you can find. ("Go for Dummies" may be a more apt title as another reviewer has noted!) In summary, my advice would be to consider this book if you are a complete beginner (ie. with no knowledge of the game) and find other introductions to be overwhelming. If you're attracted to the style of this series but are already familiar with the rules and the most rudimentary concepts like two-eyes, you will find starting with the second book of the series (which recaps and extends on the concepts introduced in this book) more fulfilling. Also consider the alternatives mentioned earlier.
Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: I don't like game stratagy books. I find things like chess problems boring and this type of book tends to kill my enjoyment of a game. But this book is a great way to learn go and this series really opens up your engagement with the game. The basic rules and stratagies are layed down using simple language and examples that are clear but also make you aware of the exciting potential of the game. If you are interested in learning go but don't know where to start, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A good beginner's book
Review: I give this one 5 stars because it is exactly what it is advertised to be. This book explains all the rules very clearly and explains the different terms and rules for the different countries where it is played. I agree with the other reviews that it is a light easy read that can be done in a couple of hours and is "wide and shallow" with a friendly personal style. This makes it a perfect first book of Go. Well done Ms. Kim.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful first book
Review: I give this one 5 stars because it is exactly what it is advertised to be. This book explains all the rules very clearly and explains the different terms and rules for the different countries where it is played. I agree with the other reviews that it is a light easy read that can be done in a couple of hours and is "wide and shallow" with a friendly personal style. This makes it a perfect first book of Go. Well done Ms. Kim.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fantastic for the beginning or new player.
Review: I have other books on the game of Go, but this book is by far the absolute best I have ever read. It has even rekindled my interest to learn and play. It contains very basic examples, and very simple explanations of how and why. It shows what to do and how. My highest recommendation to all who want to learn the game.
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