A teacher gave this book to me as a child. Now, many years later, I've started playing again and I STILL love this book. The pieces are difficult enough to be interesting, with some sophisticated sounds, yet there are enough downright easy arrangements (3-4 in the beginning of the book) that you shouldn't get too frustrated. This is not a beginning, learning-to-play book, but you don't need to have any background in the blues. My biggest complaint is that most songs do not have the words, even when I know they exist. Some songs have words, and all songs have chords listed. I only recently looked at the back of the book and realized that there are many more in the Joy series. I've tried a few, and so far they are all interesting and right at my level. Also note that there is a Joy of Boogie and Blues, Book 2.