Contract Bride, Blue Book Magazine

# Catalog Note: Contract Bridge Blue Book of 1933

This is Ely Culbertson's comprehensive instructional guide to Contract Bridge, serving as an authoritative reference for the game's bidding system and strategy. The volume contains four interconnected books addressing Bidding Valuation, Partnership Language, Distribution and Higher Strategy, and Bridge Psychology. Culbertson details his Approach-Forcing System, presented as the scientific foundation for expert play. The preface emphasizes that previous editions sold 700,000 copies and that the system has been translated into European languages with a Japanese edition in preparation. The author's introduction outlines 1933 improvements motivated by new International Code scoring laws, including refined analyses of Plastic Valuation, expanded biddable suit requirements, and rebiddable trump suits. Culbertson acknowledges contributions from master players including Theodore Lightner and Oswald Jacoby, and credits his wife Josephine as an essential collaborator in developing the system's theoretical foundations.