I dont know what others like but my bible of backgammon is
"501 Essential Backgammon Problems". I keep reading it over and over again.

Its would be intresting to know from Robertie now should he offer different solutions to some problems.

My favorite backgammon book is "Modern Backgammon". It takes the understanding of the game to a new level and it gives us a glimpse of new plans and new concepts we really didn't put that much into before computers.

Backgammon as well as chess has undergone huge changes in understanding and playingstyle since computer programs reached the levels they have nowadays. In chess past champions has been the front runners for playingstyle through out the century. There have been periodes where games had to be beautyful and esthetic. Recent years a more dynamic approach to the game has been shown by Kasparov who wasn't affaid to use computers to find new idears.

Backgammon has undergone some of the same changes. When I started back in the mid 90's everybody was hooked on playing pure, basically putting your checkers where you wanted them to be. As far as I know people before that tended to play much more safe and go for fewer blots and more running games. Now we know a lot more about the game due to computer analysis. As in chess computers understand putting pressure on a position until one of the sides crumble. The best way I can describe this is by calling it dynamic. There are ofc still game plans ect. Very often you are torn between two plays following two different plans and now computers has shown us that the right play can actually be a play that does a little of both. I tell you I have been told many times from strong players back in the days that I needed to find The Plan and move accordingly.

Robertie has dwelled into the way computers play to explain in "human" terms what it tries to achieve. I think he did a really good job talking to a bunch of silicon.

I have Advanced Backgammon Vol 1 and 501 Essential. The layout and discussion is better in Advanced so I prefer that. Plan on getting Modern Backgammon at some point...hopefully soon.