The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge (OEB) presents comprehensive information on the card game contract bridge with limited information on related games and on playing cards. It is "official" in reference to the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) which authorized its production and whose staff prepared and/or supervised its various editions.
The first edition of the Encyclopedia was published in 1964 with Richard Frey as Editor-in-Chief; it was the only one with an edition revised for an overseas market (The Bridge Players' Encyclopedia, 1967). The seventh and latest edition was published in 2011 following intermediate editions in 1971, 1976, 1984, 1994 and 2001. The Executive Editor for the first six was Alan Truscott, bridge editor of The New York Times. For the fourth through sixth editions, Henry Francis succeeded Frey as Editor-in-Chief. Frey and Francis were also successive editors of the ACBL monthly membership magazine. Numerous contributing editors to the Encyclopedia were listed in each edition as were members of Editorial Advisory Boards.
The redesigned seventh edition, in preparation since 2006, was released in November 2011. Editor was Brent Manley, with primary assistance from Mark Horton, Barry Rigal, and Tracey Yarbro. This is the first edition to depart from the traditional alphabetical listing of individual entries and present a compilation of entries grouped into chapters, such as Bidding, Conventions and Card Play. Numerous photographs are included, together with two CDs; one containing the full printed version of the Encyclopedia and the other with biographies and tournament results.
Each year since 1982, the American Bridge Teachers' Association (ABTA) has "recognized one or more books as contributing significantly to the teaching of contract bridge". In 1984 the Encyclopedia received a "Special Award", with all other candidates being deferred until the following year for consideration.
In 1994 the ACBL commissioned a poll of well-known players and writers, who chose the Encyclopedia as one of the 20 best bridge books of all time.
The article on bridge in The Canadian Encyclopedia, published in 2006 and last edited in 2013, lists the Official Encyclopedia as further reading, the only book specified.
The first edition is described in the bibliography of bridge books compiled by Tim Bourke and John Sugden as follows: "A massive work that is an essential reference for any Bridge player. The work derives some of its structure from both The Whist Reference Book by William Mill Butler, and Ely Culbertson's, The Encyclopedia of Bridge. A wonderful work from any angle."
In 2011, Philip Alder writing in the New York Times described the seventh edition as a "must-buy".
First edition – 1964 The first edition set the ground work for the goals and scope of the Encyclopedia. In its forward, Editor-in-Chief Richard L. Frey observed that: The only previous Encyclopedia of Bridge was edited by Ely Culbertson and published in 1935 ... The ambitious goal set for this Official Encyclopedia of Bridge was simple to state: "To provide an official and authoritative answer to any question a reader might ask about the game of contract bridge and its leading players."Foreword to the 1st edition.
On its dust jacket, the first edition states: This encyclopedia is the most complete and authoritative book of information, guidance, and instruction for bridge players, ever published. It covers every aspect of bridge in all bridge-playing countries of the world; it contains complete and lucid definitions of every term; it describes and illustrates every standard bid, every recognized convention, and every type of play.Front inside panel of the dust jacket to the 1st edition
The first edition is divided into two main parts: Main listings: The Introduction Introduction to the 1st edition. indicates that the entries in the main listings fall into five main categories (technical, historical, procedural, biographical and geographical, and terminological) and are presented alphabetically over 683 pages with entries frequently ending with cross-references to other entries on related category topics. Over 50 bridge-playing countries are listed and brief biographies of over 1,500 American and over 400 other players are recorded. Bibliography: The main listings are followed by an eight-page bibliography.
The Harvard University online catalogHarvard Hollis catalog entry for First Edition entry for the first edition includes a note that "A great majority of the unsigned technical entries are by Alan Truscott."
Editors Richard L. Frey, Editor-in-Chief Alan F. Truscott, Executive Editor
Editorial advisory board
Albert H. Morehead, Chairman B. Jay Becker Geoffrey L. Butler Carlos Cabanne S. Carini-Mazzaccara Robert de Nexon
Charles H. Goren Alfred M. Gruenther Ranik Halle Johannes Hammerich Ernst Heldring Oswald Jacoby
Eric Jannersten Alvin Landy Alphonse Moyse, Jr. Carlo Alberto Perroux David R. Pigot Leon Sapire
Alfred Sheinwold Charles J. Solomon Michael J. Sullivan Severo A. Tuason Harold Vanderbilt Waldemar von Zedtwitz
Contributing editors
Russell Baldwin Jean Besse George W. Beynon Easley Blackwood Jens Boeck George S. Coffin Eric Crowhurst Victor R. Daly Albert Dormer Albert Field Harry Fishbein Mrs. A.L. Fleming Sam Fry, Jr. Richard Goldberg Harry Goldwater
M. Harrison-Gray Mrs. Dorothy Hayden Lee Hazen Don Horwitz Monroe Ingberman Arturo Jaques Edwin B. Kantar Edgar Kaplan Sammy Kehela Jack Kelly Edwart Kempson José Le Dentu A. Littman-Lemaitre Paul Lukacs
Arthur Marks Mrs. Rixi Markus Philip Merry Marshall L. Miles Victor Mollo Florence Osborn George Partos Harry Polunsky R. Anthony Priday Terence Reese William S. Root Federico Rosa Dr. George Rosenkranz Lawrence Rosler
Ernest Rovere Jeff Rubens Howard Schenken Jerome Scheuer William Seamon Ramon Skoroupo Al Sobel Norman Squire Sam Stayman Roy G. Telfer Alec Traub Robert Wakeman Charlton Wallace Robert W. Wilson
International Edition In 1967 an edition revised for the needs of a British and European audience was published by Paul Hamlyn (London) under the title The Bridge Players' Encyclopedia. It was described as an International Edition based on The Official Encyclopedia of Bridge of 1964. The edition modified American spellings, 'translated' bidding structures to the more widely used Acol system, omitted biographical notes on some lesser known Americans and added biographical notes on British and European players resulting in coverage of over 50 countries and over 500 players.Foreword to the International Edition, 1967. The editors were Ben Cohen and Rhoda Barrow.
Second edition – 1971 Richard Frey writesForeword to the 2nd edition. that since the first edition of 1964, ... bridge has attracted new adherents throughout the world, systems and conventions have been more and more influenced by "science" and "artificiality" ...
The second edition is divided into four main parts:Introduction to the 2nd edition. Main listings: technical bidding and play, historical, procedural (tournament organization, laws, etc.), geographical, and terminological. As in the first edition, entries frequently end with cross-references to other entries on related topics. Biographies of leading personalities: The biographies include over 2,000 Americans and over 500 players from elsewhere. Tournament results: American Bridge Association National Championships, All-American Regional Championships, and European, Far East and South American Championships. World Championships and USBA Grand Nationals are in the main listings Bibliography: listed according to subject matter.
Editors Richard L. Frey, Editor-in-Chief Alan F. Truscott, Executive Editor Thomas S. Smith, Managing Editor
Editorial Advisory Board
B. Jay Becker Geoffrey L. Butler Carlos Cabanne S. Carini-Mazzaccara Charles H. Goren
Alfred M. Gruenther Ranik Halle Johannes Hammerich Ernst Heldring Oswald Jacoby
Eric Jannersten Edgar Kaplan Alphonse Moyse, Jr. Carlo Alberto Perroux Leon Sapire
Alfred Sheinwold Charles J. Solomon Michael J. Sullivan Severo A. Tuason Waldemar von Zedtwitz
Contributing Editors
Mrs. Rhoda Barrow Jean Besse Easley Blackwood Jens Boeck George S. Coffin Eric Crowhurst Victor R. Daly Albert Dormer Albert Field Mrs. A.L. Fleming Sam Fry, Jr. Richard Goldberg Harry Goldwater M. Harrison-Gray*
Mrs. Dorothy Hayden Lee Hazen Don Horwitz Monroe Ingberman Arturo Jaques Edwin B. Kantar Fred Karpin Sammy Kehela Jack Kelly* Edwart Kempson* José Le Dentu A. Littman-Lemaitre Paul Lukacs Arthur Marks*
Mrs. Rixi Markus Philip Merry Marshall L. Miles Victor Mollo George Partos Harry Polunsky R. Anthony Priday Terence Reese William S. Root Federico Rosa Dr. George Rosenkranz Lawrence Rosler Ernest Rovere
Jeff Rubens Howard Schenken Jerome Scheuer William Seamon Ramon Skoroupo* Terry Smith Al Sobel Sam Stayman Roy G. Telfer Alec Traub Robert Wakeman Charlton Wallace Robert W. Wilson*
Third edition – 1976 Richard Frey comments on several themes in the foreword to the third edition: We have seen rapid and radical developments in bidding systems; explosions of new cheating scandals and employment of devices to prevent them; the creation of techniques for warning opponents about bids that have unusual meanings ... ... the newly uncovered evidence that bridge was known and played before the earliest previous accreditation (to Russia) of its origin and its name.Foreword to the 3rd edition
The third edition is organized into the same four parts as the second. There are again over 2,500 biographies but newer and stricter criteria were applied and many previous entries have been superseded by new ones; successes in competitions remain in the appropriate event listings.How to use this Encyclopedia, 3rd edition
Editors Richard L. Frey, Editor-in-Chief Alan F. Truscott, Executive Editor Amalya L. Kearse, Editor, Third Edition
Editorial Advisory Board
B. Jay Becker Geoffrey L. Butler Carlos Cabanne S. Carini-Mazzaccara Herman Filarski Richard L. Goldberg
Charles Goren Alfred M. Gruenther Ranik Halle Johannes Hammerich Ernst Heldring Oswald Jacoby
Eric Jannersten Edgar Kaplan José Le Dentu A. Littman-Lemaitre Carlo Alberto Perroux
Julius Rosenblum George Rosenkranz Leon Sapire Alfred Sheinwold Waldemar von Zedtwitz
Contributing Editors
Jean Besse Easley Blackwood Jens Boeck George S. Coffin Ralph Cohen Eric Crowhurst Victor R. Daly Albert Dormer Robert Ewen Albert Field Mrs. A.L. Fleming Henry G. Francis Harold Franklin
Sam Fry, Jr. Richard Goldberg Harry Goldwater Lee Hazen Don Horwitz Monroe Ingberman Arturo Jaques Edwin B. Kantar Fred Karpin Sammy Kehela Ron Klinger Rhoda Barrow Lederer Paul Lukacs
Rixi Markus Philip Merry Marshall L. Miles Victor Mollo George Partos R. Anthony Priday Terence Reese William S. Root Lawrence Rosler Ernest Rovere Jeff Rubens Howard Schenken
William Seamon Edith Simon Terry Smith Thomas M. Smith Sam Stayman Roy G. Telfer Alec Traub Robert True Dorothy Hayden Truscott Jo Van Den Borre Robert Wakeman Charlton Wallace
Fourth edition – 1984 The fourth edition contains 922 pages — the most of any edition. Again, the pace of change in bridge is great as Richard Frey, now Editor Emeritus having been succeeded as Editor-in-Chief by Henry Francis, notes in the Foreword, ... a quantum leap in the technical material ... many new and intriguing methods and ideas have made their appearance in the past seven years, and some have been widely adopted.Foreword to the 4th edition.
The organization of the fourth edition follows that of the third and second.
Editors Henry G. Francis, Editor-in-Chief Alan F. Truscott, Executive Editor Richard L. Frey, Editor Emeritus Diane Hayward, Editor, Fourth Edition
Editorial Advisory Board
B. Jay Becker Geoffrey L. Butler Carlos Cabanne S. Carini-Mazzaccara Benno Gimkiewicz
Richard L. Goldberg Charles Goren Ranik Halle Johannes Hammerich Denis Howard
Oswald Jacoby Edgar Kaplan José Le Dentu