Mahjong is For the Birds written by Gregg Swain and Susan West, Graphic Design by Woody Swain, spiral bound full-color guide

Mahjong collectors Gregg Swain and Susan West have teamed up with Woody Swain, a graphic designer (and Gregg’s husband), to produce the first-ever guidebook for vintage Mahjong sets made of Bakelite, Catalin, Lucite, Chinese Bakelite, French Ivory, and Pyralin.

Every day, very costly mistakes are made by buyers and sellers who have no idea of a set’s value. Mahjong is For the Birds will change all that. It will help Mahjong owners determine what kind of set they have, and begin to ascertain its value.  

Although there are no prices in the guide – the market is very fluid and much depends on the condition of the tiles and accessories – it will instruct people on the relative rarity, and thus desirability of the sets, without going out of date.

Given that sets can sell from between $75 to several thousand dollars, this guide is a must-have for anyone with an interest in identifying the sets that they own and buying, selling, collecting, or appraising vintage sets made of materials like Bakelite.

This is a  large over 120-page full-color, laser-printed guidebook with a coil spine and measures 11" x 9".