Spending money

[PennySalem]

My team has some spending money, and we'd like to know what sorts of books we should get. We're also looking for cheap yet good atlases to study Geography with- our team is weak in the subject.
Any suggestions?

[Irreligion in Bangladesh]

The internet is awesome enough and free enough that you'll probably be better off banking that money for a trip to an expensive tournament, be it nationals, a few collegiate tourneys, or a far-away super-competitive regular season tournament (a la Prison Bowl in NYC attracting Dorman, LASA, etc.).

[Rufous-capped Thornbill]

The internet is awesome enough and free enough that you'll probably be better off banking that money for a trip to an expensive tournament, be it nationals, a few collegiate tourneys, or a far-away super-competitive regular season tournament (a la Prison Bowl in NYC attracting Dorman, LASA, etc.).

This. Don't spend money on stuff that you can easily find on the internet or in a library.

[David Riley]

Penny--I endorse Brad and Jarret UNLESS you need to spend your money by the end of the fiscal year (July 1?) or lose it. If you have to spend it, and can't "bank" it for next year, then try you're local Barnes and Noble or Borders to get the best bang for your buck.

[centralhs]

Some of my players have used the DK "Eyewitness Companion" series of books and found them to be very useful. This series contains books on Art, Music, Opera, Architecture, and Film, among others. They provide a good overview of the topic at hand and contain interesting tidbits of information that might come up in questions.

I also have a book called The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics that is very helpful and I have seen players on several other teams carrying the same book around at tournaments. Of course, it would be better to actually read the 100 classic books but, until you have time to do that, this book can help you become familiar with plots and characters. Yes, you can find information about classic books on Spark Notes or similar sites but this book is handy in that it provides all of that information in one place and you can bring it to tournaments and look over it between rounds.