Found at a book sale....

[Hugh Brodie]

I was at the annual McGill book sale today, and was browsing randomly in the area assigned to hardcovers with no dust jackets - mostly 30s, 40s, and earlier. My eyes came upon a bound volume of the 1960 "Canadian Chess Chat" for $10. I might have just left it there, since I have the 1960 issues already, but what attracted me were the names.

On the cover is embossed "D.A. MacAdam". For those of you unfamiliar with the name, here is what David Cohen (via the late Lynn Stringer) posted on his Canadian chess history site for him:

• "2000 Canadian Chess Hall of Fame
• 1985 Achieved his ambition of living to age 100; in his lifetime, was the longest lived Canadian chess player (died at 100 years, 5 months, 16 days)
• 1977 Received Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for contributions in the field of chess
• 1967-75 Chair, Chess Foundation of Canada
• Raised funds for Canadian chess through the Chess Foundation of Canada
• 1962 Compiled Directory of Chess Players in Canada
• Founder and editor 1947-56 of Canadian Chess Chat (originally Maritime Chess News, later Maritime Chess Chat)
• Express messenger for Canadian Pacific Railway
• 1889 Arrived in Canada (born St. Paul, Minnesota, USA)

Source: Bulletin 2, 1974.01-02, Chess Federation of Canada, p. 13.

Contributor: Lynn Stringer".

Allegedly - the James Bond movie "From Russia with Love" took a version of his name (MacAdams, from Canada) to play chess against the villain Kronsteen (a play on the name Bronstein who actually played the acted-out ending against Spassky (USSR championship, Leningrad, 1960)).

Inside the front cover is hand-written:

Feb. 1, 1961
With our complements

[signed] Nathan J. Divinsky
Elod Macskasy

[Brad Thomson]

That is fantastic Hugh, finding older books with actual autographs. I have a book on Vincent Massey that I found in the used book room at the Ottawa library that is signed by Lawren Harris, the son, and it notes that he received the book from his sister mentioning her name. Also, I found a book on Louis St.Laurent by a civil servant named Pickersgill and it is signed by the author himself. Amazing things like post cards, old phone bills and the like can also be found in used books and magazines. These great artifacts have their own hidden histories that elude us for the most part, so these signatures and the like add life to the objects. You made an incredible find!