The book’s main themes are the importance of fundamentals, the philosophy of go, and how to study. All the author asks is that the reader not do anything so foolish as to finish it in one day. It should be read deliberately, a chapter a day at the fastest, and a fortnight to finish the whole book. If the reader will then spend another fortnight rereading it and learning from it as he would from a good instructor, I think I can promise that he will surmount the barrier of his present rank.