The Chess Players by Frances Parkinson Keyes - 1960

New York, NY : Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1960 Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, New York. 1960. Hardcover. Book Club Edition. Book is tight, square, and unmarked. Book Condition: Very Good; light bumping to head, tail, and tips. DJ: Very Good; suntanned spine with scattered moisture spots; light bumping to head, tail, and tips. Light blue grained boards and spine with dark blue lettering on the spine. Tinted text block top. Pictorial endpapers. 508 pp 8vo. This is a historical novel set in New Orleans before the Civil War based on the life of Paul Morphy, who is considered to have been the world chess champion and possibly the greatest chess player in the history of the game. However, this is not a book about the game of chess. There are no chess diagrams in this book, no moves, no positions, no opening traps or tricks on how to catch an unwary opponent. Rather, this book is about the players, the people who play chess. Charles Morphy was born on June 22, 1837 in New Orleans Louisiana. He learned the moves of chess simply by watching his uncle and father play. Nobody taught him the rules. By age 9 he was regarded as the best player in New Orleans. By age 21 he was regarded as the best chess player in the world. But then he quit chess and never played a serious game again. Ever since, players have wondered what ever happened to Paul Morphy. This book by Frances Parkinson Keyes is historical fiction. However, she went to great lengths to research her subject matter and ensure the historical, geographical, linguistic and even scientific accuracy of her writings. A clean very presentable copy in a Brodart mylar jacket.