31 Jan 08
Originally posted by Fat LadyWhen Fischer died, I knew that a lot of old Fischer books would be coming out of the woodwork and finding their way to eBay. I'm guessing that the heightened interest will last for a few more months. The good news is that buyers should see more collectible Fischer book offerings than normal. The bad news for the buyer is that the selling prices should be higher than normal.
Over £50 for a tatty old paperback of games Fischer must have played before he was 16 (the book was written in 1958 and published in 1959):
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350019181867
31 Jan 08
1 edit
I've got several books about or by Fischer - the famous one about the 1972 match is a great read. His 60 memorable games is fantastic book and required reading for all serious chess players! Another good one by Edmar Mednis is called "How to beat Bobby Fischer" (containing all 61 games that Fischer had lost to that point). The one Fischer book which I didn't like was "Bobby Fischer teaches chess". I believe this was outrageously popular in America, but I found it vastly inferior to many other books aimed at beginners.
31 Jan 08
Originally posted by Fat Lady"I've got several books about or by Fischer - the famous one about the 1972 match is a great read."
I've got several books about or by Fischer - the famous one about the 1972 match is a great read. His 60 memorable games is fantastic book and required reading for all serious chess players! Another good one by Edmar Mednis is called "How to beat Bobby Fischer" (containing all 61 games that Fischer had lost to that point). The one Fischer book which I didn' ...[text shortened]... popular in America, but I found it vastly inferior to many other books aimed at beginners.
Which one? There are a slew of books on the '72 match. 🙂
"His 60 memorable games is fantastic book and required reading for all serious chess players!"
I don't know who now has the rights to the 60 Memorable Games book, but wouldn't it be cool if it were to be reprinted? I have no idea if that will ever happen, though.
"The one Fischer book which I didn't like was "Bobby Fischer teaches chess". I believe this was outrageously popular in America, but I found it vastly inferior to many other books aimed at beginners."
Yeah, I think Bobby just allowed his name to be put on BFTC; He didn't actually do anything related to the content. And it's still a big seller here in the states, I'm sure mostly just because of his name on the cover. It's good for learning back-rank mates, but I agree that there are many other beginner books that are a lot better.
By the way, I really enjoyed the recent free ChessFM broadcast of John Watson's interview of Andy Soltis. It's a special tribute to Fischer, and they discuss Soltis' "Bobby Fischer Rediscovered" book and Fischer's "My 60 Memorable Games" book. A highly recommended listen if you have a little extra time. (My only criticism of the broadcast is the poor sound quality of Watson's phone connection with Soltis. Oh well.)
http://webcast.chessclub.com/Watson/01_22_08/Watson_ChessTalk.html
31 Jan 08
Originally posted by Mad RookI meant this one:
"I've got several books about or by Fischer - the famous one about the 1972 match is a great read."
Which one? There are a slew of books on the '72 match. 🙂
http://www.marywardbooks.com/books/140035737.html
Although there are loads of books about the 1972 match, this was the one which everyone owned when I was young. Maybe it's because Alexander was already a very well known author in the UK.
31 Jan 08
There's a complete collection of Fischer's game available on the USCF site for only $19.95 ($18.95 for members). http://uscfsales.com/item.asp?cID=0&PID=250
It's lightly annotated, but an invaluable resource. It also has crosstables of all Fischer's tournaments; you can learn interesting tidbits like at the 1962 Candidates Tournament in Curacao the top Soviets (Petrosian, Keres and Geller) drew all 12 games against each other!
31 Jan 08
1 edit
Originally posted by Fat LadyExcellent! I think I'm going to get a copy of that one. It's not hard to find, not too expensive, and according to IMs Donaldson and Tangborn, it's one of the four best books written on that match. Thanks for the recommendation!
I meant this one:
http://www.marywardbooks.com/books/140035737.html
Although there are loads of books about the 1972 match, this was the one which everyone owned when I was young. Maybe it's because Alexander was already a very well known author in the UK.
13 Feb 08
Originally posted by Fat LadyIf anyone in the UK wants a copy of this book, there's one on eBay at the moment. The auction ends in a few hours:
I meant this one:
http://www.marywardbooks.com/books/140035737.html
Although there are loads of books about the 1972 match, this was the one which everyone owned when I was young. Maybe it's because Alexander was already a very well known author in the UK.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360020172061
It seems a bit pricey to me.