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A Short History of Chess
Among the papers left by the late H. J. R. Murray was the typeset of A Short History of Chess which he wrote in 1917. This was not an abridgment of the standard work he had published some years earlier but a new and original brief history of the game from its beginnings until 1866. It has been brought up to date by Mr. B. Goulding Brown and Mr. Harry Golombek.
166 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2015
12 people want to read
About the author
H.J.R. Murray
8 books2 followersHarold James Ruthven Murray
Author of A History of Chess, widely regarded as the most authoritative and most comprehensive history of the game.
He was the eldest son of Sir James Murray, the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and was responsible for over 27,000 quotations that later appeared in the OED.
Author of A History of Chess, widely regarded as the most authoritative and most comprehensive history of the game.
He was the eldest son of Sir James Murray, the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and was responsible for over 27,000 quotations that later appeared in the OED.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 27, 2020
Savor the main body of this book, but rip out the introduction and burn it.
Most of "A Short History of Chess" is absolutely excellent. The bulk of it was compiled by the incomparable Harold Murray, and delivers exactly what is promised: a meticulously-researched history of the royal game, from its earliest origins, to how the rules evolved toward their present form, along with an introduction to the champion players and how they have left their mark on the way chess is played at the elite level. The chapters by Brown and Golombek are similarly top-notch. Five stars for these.
But then there is the infuriating introductory material, tacked on by a man named Sam Sloan. It appears that Sloan, through an associated company called "Ishi Press", has acquired the rights to this book, and feels bold enough to add some thoughts of his own. At one point, he writes: "The two worst books ever inflicted on the history of chess were 'A Histoy of Chess' and 'A Short History of Chess', both by H.J.R. Murray."
Excuse me. For this one remark alone, I am deducting two stars. One of the two "worst ever" books of which he speaks is, of course, the very one the reader holds in their hands. The other is widely regarded as the most thorough and comprehensive history of chess ever written, running to over 900 pages.
Sloan's behavior is analogous to a publisher calling "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin the worst book ever inflicted on the science of evolution, and then adding their own amateur analysis. The temerity of it! Whether Sloan finds legitimate fault in Murray's work is beside the point - Murray's are the shoulders upon which all modern chess historians stand, and it does not behoove a man like Sloan to pollute the work of one of the all-time greats.
On the one hand, a three star rating isn't fair to the original authors, because this book deserves far more than that. On the other, pests like Sam Sloan need to be called out and discouraged from this sort of impudence.
Most of "A Short History of Chess" is absolutely excellent. The bulk of it was compiled by the incomparable Harold Murray, and delivers exactly what is promised: a meticulously-researched history of the royal game, from its earliest origins, to how the rules evolved toward their present form, along with an introduction to the champion players and how they have left their mark on the way chess is played at the elite level. The chapters by Brown and Golombek are similarly top-notch. Five stars for these.
But then there is the infuriating introductory material, tacked on by a man named Sam Sloan. It appears that Sloan, through an associated company called "Ishi Press", has acquired the rights to this book, and feels bold enough to add some thoughts of his own. At one point, he writes: "The two worst books ever inflicted on the history of chess were 'A Histoy of Chess' and 'A Short History of Chess', both by H.J.R. Murray."
Excuse me. For this one remark alone, I am deducting two stars. One of the two "worst ever" books of which he speaks is, of course, the very one the reader holds in their hands. The other is widely regarded as the most thorough and comprehensive history of chess ever written, running to over 900 pages.
Sloan's behavior is analogous to a publisher calling "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin the worst book ever inflicted on the science of evolution, and then adding their own amateur analysis. The temerity of it! Whether Sloan finds legitimate fault in Murray's work is beside the point - Murray's are the shoulders upon which all modern chess historians stand, and it does not behoove a man like Sloan to pollute the work of one of the all-time greats.
On the one hand, a three star rating isn't fair to the original authors, because this book deserves far more than that. On the other, pests like Sam Sloan need to be called out and discouraged from this sort of impudence.
Displaying 1 of 1 review