Life In 19x19

Does anyone have this magazine archive set? Is it worth $80? I've never even seen an issue of Go World magazine, so I have no idea how good the content was over the years.

I've got volumes 2 & 3. I think it depends on how happy you are with pdfs rather than paper books. There's loads of content, per $ it's great value for money I guess, though I haven't actually studied it much (partially because they're pdf's and partially because I've got too much Go material that I haven't gotten around to them yet). The archive contains several series of essays which became books (well I'm thinking about great joseki debates & can't think of another off the top of my head).

A randomly chosen volume (38) contains:

pages 2-5 Go news
pages 6-39 Game records (with a good amount of comments)
pages 40-41 Tesuji
pages 42-51 3 trick plays
pages 52-57 advanced tesuji
page 58 Fuseki problems
page 59-63 The great Joseki debate

I can't say if that's typical and I think I remember reading here that later volumes have less essays and more game records.

It's a great resource for serious studies. It is over one hundred issues - there's so much study materials that you'll probably need a few years to go through them all.
There is also good glossary index covering all issues in html file (which can open a specific issue on a specific page via just one click on a link, which is quite useful, but even if it does not work for you an index itself is a very good tool to trace some topics)

But what device you'll use to read it on?
If you'll print every issue to work with or if you have a tablet (best option) to read on - you'll be very pleased. Even using an older tablet like iPad1 will be good enough (in such case I suggest to use a GoodReader app for pdf reading/notation). However if you want to use it on a computer then, well, it's not good, it's just inferior experience compared to reading on tablet. It's ok if you can read long and complicated pdf on a computer with a lot of zooming in and out on diagrams and on a text, but tablet vs PC it's heaven and hell in user experience comparison.

There is a free #45 issue on their website - give it a try and you'll decide by yourself if it suits you.

[edited errors]

lobotommy wrote:There is a free #45 issue on their website - give it a try and you'll decide by yourself if it suits you.

There used to be a free #45, but you have to buy it now as they currently sell individual issues with click and buy as a further option to buying the dvds.

tchan001 wrote:

lobotommy wrote:There is a free #45 issue on their website - give it a try and you'll decide by yourself if it suits you.

There used to be a free #45, but you have to buy it now as they currently sell individual issues with click and buy as a further option to buying the dvds.

I found issue #45 here:

http://agfgo.org/downloads/GW045.pdf

If it's no longer available free on Kiseido Digital's website, I have a feeling they probably don't want it freely distributed anymore by other websites.

Kiseido probably isn't even aware of the AGF or its purpose.

Vol. 4, issues 109-129 (the last) is expected to go on sale in May, 2013. Source: Bob Myers, Kiseido Digital.

zslane wrote:Kiseido probably isn't even aware of the AGF or its purpose.

Kiseido is quite familiar with the AGF and the AGA. They donated a lot of surplus issues to be used in membership promotions and tournament prizes. I suspect that the issue 45 in question is one of the donated issues.

logan wrote:Vol. 4, issues 109-129 (the last) is expected to go on sale in May, 2013. Source: Bob Myers, Kiseido Digital.

Thanks for the news. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm pleased to announce that Go World Archive Vol. IV is now available. It contains issues 109-129 (the last) on one DVD.

We've included Jochen Fassbender's fabulously detailed index, with the ability to jump directly to issue and page. It also contains the same full-text search capability as in Vols. I-III.

The purchase link is http://Kunaki.com/Sales.asp?PID=PX00Y5GKPC&PP=1. It's priced at $49.99.

Enjoy.

Bob Myers
Kiseido Digital

I just posted a review of this DVD at:

http://www.go4go.net/go/go_world_archive_review