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Chess Reprints, Lavender and Old Chess
February 20, 2016
There are companies, which profitably reprint chess magazines and books of the last two centuries, because they are in the public domain.
Because they print hundreds of these and they go from library scan to computer to printer to binder, without any editing, there may not be the quality control we have come to expect in books published today.
Two examples - both are presently up for auction on eBay.
Wikipedia gives this for H.E. Bird:
Henry Edward Bird (Portsea in Hampshire, 14 July 1830 – 11 April 1908) was an English chess player, and also an outstanding author and accountant. He wrote a book titled Chess History and Reminiscences, and another titled An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom.
Tim Harding devotes a chapter of Eminent Victorian Chess Players to Henry Bird – his life, work and legacy, saying:
From the mid-1870s, Bird began writing chess books, perhaps to make money since his accountancy career was probably in decline. (Four of) these are Chess Masterpieces (London 1875), The Chess Openings (1875), Chess Practice (London 1882) and Modern Chess (London 1887/8), in six parts. Afterwards he wrote Chess History and Reminiscences (1893), available online, and Chess Novelties (1895) which surveyed the historical development of some openings.
________
If you were to search for Chess History and Reminiscences on eBay today, you would find nine books listed with that title. Four of them by Myrtle Reed and five by Henry Bird. The price range is between $18 and $65 US.
For Myrtle Reed, Wikipedia says: Myrtle Reed (September 27, 1874 – August 17, 1911) was an American author, poet, journalist, and philanthropist. She wrote a number of bestsellers and even published a series of cookbooks under the pseudonym Olive Green.
She is best known for her novel Lavender and Old Lace (1902).
I should very much like to have a look at her One Thousand Salads (1909) issued under the pseudonym of Olive Green.
In any case, whether she knew how to play chess or not, she is not the author of a 660 page book entitled Chess History and Reminiscences.
If you were to buy the book on eBay you would find her name on the cover and Bird’s book inside or her name on the cover and a completely different book inside. I have two copies, which I keep for curiosity sake. If I recall correctly, the second book inside is something like English Plays of the Thirteenth Century and Before.
_______
Cecil John Seddon Purdy (27 March 1906, Port Said, Egypt – 6 November 1979, Sydney, Australia) was an Australian chess International Master (IM), writer, and inaugural World Correspondence Chess champion. Purdy earned the Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess title in 1953. He was also an influential chess magazine writer, editor, and publisher.
He was editor of Chess World (1946-1967), an Australian chess magazine and a very desirable acquisition by collectors today.
The problem here is that there have been many magazines published with the name (The) Chess World. One from 1893 from the States, The Chess World by Koltanowski (1932-33) and The Chess World (London, 1865-1869).
As you saw above, without any editor or quality control you hardly know what you will get if you buy online.
So, this ad looks enticing:
Chess World, Volume 3
Paperback, Cecil John Seddon Purdy (Author)
Hardcover, $29.75
However, this review by one purchaser would bring you back down to earth:
WARNING: this magazine was not written or edited by the Australian CJS Purdy (despite what is shown on the front cover of this book). It instead is a reprint of an English magazine from the 1860s. The main event covered is the Andersen (sic)- Steinitz match. If you have an interest in this time period in chess history or in chess problems from this era I can recommend this compilation of magazine issues into a single volume.
February 20, 2016
There are companies, which profitably reprint chess magazines and books of the last two centuries, because they are in the public domain.
Because they print hundreds of these and they go from library scan to computer to printer to binder, without any editing, there may not be the quality control we have come to expect in books published today.
Two examples - both are presently up for auction on eBay.
Wikipedia gives this for H.E. Bird:
Henry Edward Bird (Portsea in Hampshire, 14 July 1830 – 11 April 1908) was an English chess player, and also an outstanding author and accountant. He wrote a book titled Chess History and Reminiscences, and another titled An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom.
Tim Harding devotes a chapter of Eminent Victorian Chess Players to Henry Bird – his life, work and legacy, saying:
From the mid-1870s, Bird began writing chess books, perhaps to make money since his accountancy career was probably in decline. (Four of) these are Chess Masterpieces (London 1875), The Chess Openings (1875), Chess Practice (London 1882) and Modern Chess (London 1887/8), in six parts. Afterwards he wrote Chess History and Reminiscences (1893), available online, and Chess Novelties (1895) which surveyed the historical development of some openings.
________
If you were to search for Chess History and Reminiscences on eBay today, you would find nine books listed with that title. Four of them by Myrtle Reed and five by Henry Bird. The price range is between $18 and $65 US.
For Myrtle Reed, Wikipedia says: Myrtle Reed (September 27, 1874 – August 17, 1911) was an American author, poet, journalist, and philanthropist. She wrote a number of bestsellers and even published a series of cookbooks under the pseudonym Olive Green.
She is best known for her novel Lavender and Old Lace (1902).
I should very much like to have a look at her One Thousand Salads (1909) issued under the pseudonym of Olive Green.
In any case, whether she knew how to play chess or not, she is not the author of a 660 page book entitled Chess History and Reminiscences.
If you were to buy the book on eBay you would find her name on the cover and Bird’s book inside or her name on the cover and a completely different book inside. I have two copies, which I keep for curiosity sake. If I recall correctly, the second book inside is something like English Plays of the Thirteenth Century and Before.
_______
Cecil John Seddon Purdy (27 March 1906, Port Said, Egypt – 6 November 1979, Sydney, Australia) was an Australian chess International Master (IM), writer, and inaugural World Correspondence Chess champion. Purdy earned the Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess title in 1953. He was also an influential chess magazine writer, editor, and publisher.
He was editor of Chess World (1946-1967), an Australian chess magazine and a very desirable acquisition by collectors today.
The problem here is that there have been many magazines published with the name (The) Chess World. One from 1893 from the States, The Chess World by Koltanowski (1932-33) and The Chess World (London, 1865-1869).
As you saw above, without any editor or quality control you hardly know what you will get if you buy online.
So, this ad looks enticing:
Chess World, Volume 3
Paperback, Cecil John Seddon Purdy (Author)
Hardcover, $29.75
However, this review by one purchaser would bring you back down to earth:
WARNING: this magazine was not written or edited by the Australian CJS Purdy (despite what is shown on the front cover of this book). It instead is a reprint of an English magazine from the 1860s. The main event covered is the Andersen (sic)- Steinitz match. If you have an interest in this time period in chess history or in chess problems from this era I can recommend this compilation of magazine issues into a single volume.