Old...but not forgotten: "Rate Your Endgame" by Mednis & Crouch

 From Mednis' "Foreword":

"It was not long after its US publication in 1978 that Practical Endgame Lessons had already become recognised as the most helpful book on the endgame for the practical player. Listen to what IM Mark Dvoretsky, the most famous chess trainer in the Soviet Union, said about PEL in an interview in a 1990 issue of New In Chess magazine: "There is a very good American book by Mednis, Practical  Endgame Lessons. A very clever book I think.The good thing about Mednis' book is that he explains a lot in words...it is not about endgame theory, but about endgame technique. Paul Keres' Practical 

Endgames I do not like. I first saw it some years ago when I was at a tournament in the West. I had heard about this book. and wanted to buy it. But next to it was Mednis' book with the same title. I flicked through both books. and bought the book by Mednis. Keres contentrates on theoretical endgames and those books I already had. (...)"  This new "book consists of the best  of the original PEL, additional endgame material by me written in the style of PEL, and some particularly instructive  endgames selected and annotated by D. Crouch. It has been my pleasure to work with Colin to make an excellent Practical Endgame Lessons into an even better Rate Your Endgame".

In an interview to IM Welling contained in UON 21,  http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess-Unorthodox-UON/    I asked him:  "As a chess player which books have been most helpful to increase your understanding of the game?"

He answered what follows: "There is one book in particular that sticks in my mind, and that is Edmar Mednis' Practical Endgame Lessons. Many players do not give attention to the endgame. And I can assure you, you can not "escape" the endgame. Trying to sidestep that stage of the game harms the general level and the playing strength. Besides, when I understood that I
discovered a whole new world of chess beauty (...)".

This is a superb endgame book still available in used book bookstores at a moderate price. See for instance http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk/

At Amazon's the book is not available, but there are 4 good reviews of it and a nice preview http://www.amazon.com/Rate-Your-Endgame-Edmar-Mednis/dp/1857441745/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300554185&sr=8-1