Review by Tim Bourke:
This was very much a "Bridge Complete" in its scope. In the first four editions Hellespont surveys the main methods or systems of playing bridge before recommending a style. In the fifth and sixth editions, he does away with that concession and expands on his preferred methods. In many ways, this is the best book on Bridge Whist. It has lots of examples at relevant points in the text; the author expands on points as the series developed and includes many tables of expected results in various situations. The effect may have been to overwhelm the readers of the time - the tables prepared on probable outcomes prepared by William H Whitfeld (the esteemed whist mathematician) are a case in point - but it certainly impresses. The final edition in 1910 is one of the last books published on Bridge Whist as the early form of Auction Bridge had all but supplanted it. However, it is the most scientific of all. Finally, the appendix in each of the fourth through sixth edition is worth reading. The author vents his spleen against other authorities - particularly against William Dalton and "Badsworth" in the sixth edition and few punches are pulled. The cover and spine titles are "Hellespont on Bridge".