Advice on Picking Chess Books

Hi,

I'm looking for a good book on Endgames, one on Tactics, and possibly one on the Middlegame.  Also, are books on traps any good?  Does anyone have suggestions as to which books I should pick?

I'm thinking about getting Silman's Complete Endgame Course and the Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice.

the more writing in the book the better. Meaning the less algebraic notation and the more words in the book the better it is usually.

Here are two really great tactic books, not puzzle books.  They explain many tactical ideas:

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Chess-Tactics-Martin-Weteschnik/dp/9197524425/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267236107&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Tactics-Kids-Murray-Chandler/dp/1901983994/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267236171&sr=1-2

The Chandler book should be renamed...it isn't just for kids, it is great stuff!

Endgame books:  You can't go wrong with the Silman book!  Also, John Nunn is writing a multi-volume set on the endgame.  He says he started an introduction as to what a player should already know before they use his set on the endgame..then he realized that the intro should be a separate book.  It is really good.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Chess-Endgames-John-Nunn/dp/1906454116/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267236339&sr=1-1

If you go to chesscafe.com, they have a lot of book reviews:

http://www.chesscafe.com/archives/reviews.htm

Also, on Jeremy Silman's website, there are a lot of book reviews:

http://www.jeremysilman.com/book_reviews/book_reviews.html

Happy hunting!

Oh, you said middlegame, too.  I just got this book and started going through it.  It seems to be quite excellent:

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Strategy-Players-Herman-Grooten/dp/9056912682/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Thank you very much for the suggestions.  I'll be sure to check them out before I decide what to get!

I have Silman's end game book- very helpful. Also his book "The Amateur's Mind: Turning Chess Misconceptions Into Chess Mastery" is great for middle game analysis, especially for pawnpushers like myself. Love his not-so-subtle putdowns

Avoid books on traps like the plague.

You need to develop an analytical side to your chess and sense/calculate out forcing moves leading to danger, not book up positions that involve it. 

Besides, once you develop an opening repertoire, you'll automatically be aware of the where the minefields are.

You mean like War and Peace?

--Cystem 

or Lord of the Rings 3 vol.