Mahjong is one of the first English language books to break down classic Chinese Mahjong. Readers learn game setup, rules, common hands, strategy, and scoring through beautiful illustrations and photography, but the book also showcases mahjong culture, past and present, through essays and vignettes on the history, design elements, and communities that have been built around mahjongand how to build your own.
A bonus essay breaks down the mahjong hands in the pivotal scene from the 2018 hit Crazy Rich Asians, and the authors own family history and anecdotes are sprinkled throughout to tell a story of diaspora through mahjong (one thats full of common shared experiences with the clacking of tiles as its soundtrack).
With Mahjong as your guide, date your inherited or thrifted sets, identify the version you learned to play, refresh your memory of the rules or learn them for the first time, and start to write your own house rulesjust dont forget the snacks.
