They say to write what you know, so I wrote a book about Minecraft. Well, part of a book about Minecraft. Saying you know all of Minecraft is pretty presumptuous.

The Visual Guide to Minecraft by James H. Clark, Cori Dusmann and me is a straightforward, easy-to-digest instruction manual that covers everything from beginning Minecraft — how to get and install the game and survive your first day — to advanced topics like redstone, multiplayer, mods and more. This book has over 200 pages of tips, hints and tricks and early reviews have been nothing but positive (these are actual quotes):

“Wow!” said two of my son’s friends who I gave free copies of the book to.

“Excuse me! I loved that book you co-wrote!” raved a kid whose name I don’t know who goes to my son’s school and must have looked at one of the copies I gave my son’s friends.

Admittedly, those are the only reviews I’ve heard so far, but… pretty good, right? I’m thinking this book would make a great holiday present for kids or adults looking to figure out what the heck this thing is their kids are playing for hours. Unless you don’t love your family or something. I mean, I guess that’s possible. I’ve heard it happens. Sad, really.

Peachpit, the publisher, has a great deal on the book: $21.59 buys you the hardcopy version as well as the ebook in EPUB, MOBI, and PDF formats. It’s also available on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Apple iBooks.

If you feel like you don’t need the whole book, each section also comes separately in ebook form. My section is Getting Started With Minecraft. What does it cover? How to get started… with Minecraft. Spoiler alert. The others are the Minecraft Mini-Encyclopedia, Fantastic Minecraft Structural Designs, Farms, and Furnishings and Minecraft Redstone Essentials and Must-Do Projects (those are the Peachpit links but they’re also available on Kindle, B&N and iBooks).

If you haven’t played Minecraft, it’s a great game for kids and adults and this book is a terrific introduction for all ages.

The Visual Guide to Minecraft by James H. Clark, Cori Dusmann and John Moltz.