I have two books in front of me:

"The Outline of Contract Bridge" by Louis H. Watson author of Watson
on the Play of the Hand published in 1934

and

"Watson's Classic Book on the Play of the Hand at Bridge" new edition
enlarged and modernized by Sam Fry, Jr.published in 1959

Amazon lists 17 different books by Watson. However, I suspect that
most of them are the same book over and over again, just with the
title slightly restated.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_2?...0Watson&page=2

Does anybody know the answer to this question?

Also, who was Louis H. Watson? When did he die? Is his biography
available anywhere?

Sam Sloan

In article
,
samsloan writes:
Also, who was Louis H. Watson? When did he die? Is his biography
available anywhere?

A brief biography will almost be included in the Official Encyclopaedia
of Bridge, and it may well answer your question about how many distinct
books he wrote too. It would probably be worth your while to buy a copy.
--
John Hall
"If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts;
but if he will be content to begin with doubts,
he shall end in certainties." Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

samsloan wrote:
I have two books in front of me:

"The Outline of Contract Bridge" by Louis H. Watson author of Watson
on the Play of the Hand published in 1934

and

"Watson's Classic Book on the Play of the Hand at Bridge" new edition
enlarged and modernized by Sam Fry, Jr.published in 1959

Amazon lists 17 different books by Watson. However, I suspect that
most of them are the same book over and over again, just with the
title slightly restated.

Does anybody know the answer to this question?

The Library of Congress has 3 titles + 1 revision
1) _The outline of contract bridge_ (New York, Grosset & Dunlap [c1934])
LC Control No.: 34039034
CALL NUMBER: GV1282.3 .W365
2) _Watson on the play of the hand at contract bridge_, foreword by
Oswald Jacoby. (New York : Lewis Copeland Co., 1934.)
LC Control No.: 34012851
CALL NUMBER: GV1282.3 .W37
2a) _Watson’s classic book on the play of the hand at bridge_. edited
and modernized by Sam Fry.(New York, Sterling Pub. Co. [1958])
LC Control No.: 58001847
CALL NUMBER: GV1282.3 .W37 1958
3) _Culbertson system self-teacher_. [Pittsburgh, Contract bridge
publications, c1935]
LC Control No.: 35030520
CALL NUMBER: GV1282.3 .W363

The British Library Integrated Catalog has (1), (2), and (2a) but not (3):

1) _The Outline of Contract Bridge, etc._ (Grosset & Dunlap: New York,
[1934.])
System number: 003864625
Shelfmark: 7916.f.19.

2) _[Watson] on the play of the hand at Contract Bridge_ (New York :
Lewis Copeland, 1934.)
System number: 012171865 and 012172043 and 003864626
Shelfmark: W9/2077 DSC and W81/5397 DSC and 7921.bb.23

2a) _Watson’s Classic Book on the Play of the Hand at Bridge_ ...
Enlarged and modernized by Sam Fry. (Barnes & Noble: New York, 1959)
System number: 003864627
Shelfmark: 7924.aa.40.

Also, who was Louis H. Watson? When did he die? Is his biography
available anywhere?

_The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge_ (1964-1971, Crown Publishers and
1984- ACBL) will answer your questions. He was a first-tier player, a
successful writer, columnist, and editor. He died in 1936.

On Mar 9, 10:53 am, samsloan wrote:


Also, who was Louis H. Watson? When did he die? Is his biography
available anywhere?

Watson wrote the first declarer play manual that was thorough and
error-free. His book is regarded as a classic and is still valuable
for beginning and intermediate bridge players.


Andrew

On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 16:47:29 -0700 (PDT), Andrew
wrote:

Watson wrote the first declarer play manual that was thorough and
error-free.

Riiiiight.

On Mar 10, 5:23 pm, Steve Grant wrote:
On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 16:47:29 -0700 (PDT), Andrew
wrote:

Watson wrote the first declarer play manual that was thorough and
error-free.

Riiiiight.

Would you accept "no howlers". I mean I know I've read a few
"improvement on Watson" articles, but I can't think of any
that correct a huge error.

On Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:51:36 -0700 (PDT), Ron Johnson
wrote:

On Mar 10, 5:23 pm, Steve Grant wrote:
On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 16:47:29 -0700 (PDT), Andrew
wrote:

Watson wrote the first declarer play manual that was thorough and
error-free.

Riiiiight.

Would you accept "no howlers". I mean I know I've read a few
"improvement on Watson" articles, but I can't think of any
that correct a huge error.

All right. "No howlers" is a fair characterization. In any event,
"error-free" represents an impossibly high standard, one which I'm not
sure *any* bridge book has ever attained.

This is a mild hijack, not truly responsive to OP's assertion, but I
confess to a bias against Watson's book. His prose strikes me as
entirely turgid, something I would never inflict on a student.

On Mar 11, 5:18 pm, Steve Grant wrote:

All right. "No howlers" is a fair characterization. In any event,
"error-free" represents an impossibly high standard, one which I'm not
sure *any* bridge book has ever attained.

This is a mild hijack, not truly responsive to OP's assertion, but I
confess to a bias against Watson's book. His prose strikes me as
entirely turgid, something I would never inflict on a student.

Are you Steve Grant, the chess master?

If you are that Steve Grant, you played as my partner in a bridge game
at the Flea House about 40 years ago.

Sam Sloan

On Mar 11, 3:18 pm, Steve Grant wrote:
On Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:51:36 -0700 (PDT), Ron Johnson

wrote:
On Mar 10, 5:23 pm, Steve Grant wrote:
On Sun, 9 Mar 2008 16:47:29 -0700 (PDT), Andrew
wrote:

Watson wrote the first declarer play manual that was thorough and
error-free.

Riiiiight.

Would you accept "no howlers". I mean I know I've read a few
"improvement on Watson" articles, but I can't think of any
that correct a huge error.

All right. "No howlers" is a fair characterization. In any event,
"error-free" represents an impossibly high standard, one which I'm not
sure *any* bridge book has ever attained.

This is a mild hijack, not truly responsive to OP's assertion, but I
confess to a bias against Watson's book. His prose strikes me as
entirely turgid, something I would never inflict on a student.

I agree--the prose is turgid.

The two Watson books were both published in 1934. It is not possible
to determine which was published first because they both cite the
other one.

However, there is a big difference between them. "Watson on the Play
of the Hand at Contract Bridge" is 492 pages, a very dense book. It
only deals with the play of the hand.

"The Outline of Contract Bridge" by Watson in only 348 pages and only
147 of those pages deal with the play of the hand. The rest of the
book is about bidding on the "Honor Tricks" system which is of course
obsolete (I think).

What most have probably read is the updated version of "Watson on the
Play of the Hand at Contract Bridge" updated by Sam Fry in 1958 and
several times thereafter. Sam Fry was often the partner of Watson.

I have both of the 1934 books in hard cover mint condition. I plan to
reprint both of them. I cannot touch the Sam Fry updates because the
copyrights are current on those.

The introduction to "Watson on the Play of the Hand at Contract
Bridge" by Oswald Jacoby states that Watson never made a mistake in
the play of the hand. You heard that right. Watson never made a
mistake. Remarkable. The only other person I ever heard of who never
made a mistake was me.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sam Sloan