A Comprehensive Study of the Game of Darts

Rating    out of  

The title really does say it all, this book is a comprehensive study of the game. It's not a self-help "Here's what you throw at when....." type of book. No, it's more along the line of an encyclopedic style of book that goes into great detail about the sport and especially it's components. It is loaded with graphics for those that like 'visual aids'. The book is over 120 page and some of the things it covers includes:

• Dartboards - Goes into their construction, maintenance and types.
• Darts - Covers all the materials a dart is made out of and then goes into the different major brands that are out there, their construction, maintenance & repairs.
• Shafts & Flights - Covers all shapes, sizes and construction materials (even includes a table stating the weight of each type).
• Now for those of you interested in aeronautic engineering, chapters 6-7 cover the subjects of trajectory, entry, and aerodynamics.
• Soft-tip darts (a little outdated, at the time of the writing the weight limit for these darts was 14 grams, but the rest is the same).
• How to properly illuminate your board (to the degree).
• Seven short pages explaining how to stand, grip your dart, and the other nuances of ones throw.
• Rules, not strategies, to 15 popular games.
• A chapter explaining 13 common misconceptions about darts.
• A list of dart terms and jargons.
• And, last but not least, a 3-dart outchart for '01.

Pros:

1. If you want a reference book on darts especially when it comes to the specific details of all it's parts and how they come together, this is it.
2. I like the way it explained the aerodynamics of a dart and how different shafts/flights would effect it.
3. Lots of illustrations!

Cons:

1. A little tedious to read (then again the author does warn the reader right at the beginning that the book makes for some "pretty dry reading").
2. It does give the rules to 15 different games but I wasn't impressed with how they were explained. They could have spent extra effort giving the reader some simple examples.
3. No game strategies.

Recommendation:

Buy it if you're hunting for an outstanding source describing in detail the 'nuts-n-bolts' of darts. If you collect dart books (like me), this is one you'll have to buy.

Don't buy it if you're hunting for a book explaining game strategies. It will explain how to throw, stand, grip the dart, etc. It will not explain what to throw at and why in any given scenario/game. If you're new to the game and just want to learn the basics, this book will be overwhelming. Try out "The ADO Book of Darts" first then come to this later.

You can find this product at