11 Jan 11
'Pillsbury's chess career,the tragedy of an american genius' is available through Hardinge Simpole.They also have Marshall's 'My 50 years of chess'.
Just a heads up for anyone intrested.I know I've been looking for these books(at a reasonable price) for quite some time so probably others have too.
toet.
11 Jan 11
1 edit
Originally posted by toeternitoehi is the Pillsbury book biographical, with research and incite into his life, or is it a reprinting of an older edition? He was quite a character i believe.
'Pillsbury's chess career,the tragedy of an american genius' is available through Hardinge Simpole.They also have Marshall's 'My 50 years of chess'.
Just a heads up for anyone intrested.I know I've been looking for these books(at a reasonable price) for quite some time so probably others have too.
toet.
11 Jan 11
1 edit
Expensive. Picked up my copy of Pillsbury for about £1 or £2.
This is a good link to show you how good Pillsbury was.
The lad starts of the article with:
"You may print this and show it to others. But this article will eventually
be part of a book that I am writing. So, please do not distribute it widely."
So he sticks it on the internet. Doh!
Pillsbury plays the Glasgow Opening. No Joke, there is such a thing.
http://www.jimloy.com/checkers/pillsbur.htm
11 Jan 11
Originally posted by greenpawn34Yes, I've heard of it. The first move is to head-butt your opponent, I believe!
Expensive. Picked up my copy of Pillsbury for about £1 or £2.
This is a good link to show you how good Pillsbury was.
The lad starts of the article with:
"You may print this and show it to others. But this article will eventually
be part of a book that I am writing. So, please do not distribute it widely."
So he sticks it on the internet. D ...[text shortened]... lasgow Opening. No Joke, there is such a thing.
http://www.jimloy.com/checkers/pillsbur.htm
The object is to batter the Queen. (Tastes better than a battered Mars bar, so I'm told)
11 Jan 11
Originally posted by robbie carrobieCan't say much yet,only got my copy today.What I know:
hi is the Pillsbury book biographical, with research and incite into his life, or is it a reprinting of an older edition? He was quite a character i believe.
It's a reprint of the 1922 original.There's a 9 page 'biography',then early games,international tournament games,match games and exhibition games (blindfold,simul etc).
Read the biography,it's basically a summary of his feats on the chessboard,hardly anything about his life or character.Not worth calling it a biography imo,don't buy the book for that.
The games are in descriptive notation and,judging by a quick browse,mostly with light notes.
toet.
11 Jan 11
2 edits
Originally posted by toeternitoedescriptive notation??? why reprint a book, in the year 2011 and make sure it has descriptive notation? What is that about? Anyhow let us know what you think of the book, I have so many to read, one damned one entitled experts v the Sicilian, which is like practically useless unless you are a super GM or at least 2200, although the chapter on the dragon is rather excellent (not written by a GM i hasten to add) I like books with light notation, will take a wee peek 🙂
Can't say much yet,only got my copy today.What I know:
It's a reprint of the 1922 original.There's a 9 page 'biography',then early games,international tournament games,match games and exhibition games (blindfold,simul etc).
Read the biography,it's basically a summary of his feats on the chessboard,hardly anything about his life or character.Not worth e in descriptive notation and,judging by a quick browse,mostly with light notes.
toet.
11 Jan 11
Originally posted by robbie carrobieAs HS puts it: "To convert all moves and commentaries from the classics produced by HS publishing into algebraic notation would not only alter the flavour of the text but add many pounds to the price of each book."
descriptive notation??? why reprint a book, in the year 2011 and make sure it has descriptive notation? What is that about? Anyhow let us know what you think of the book, I have so many to read, one damned one entitled experts v the Sicilian, which is like practically useless unless you are a super GM or at least 2200, although the chapter on the d ...[text shortened]... (not written by a GM i hasten to add) I like books with light notation, will take a wee peek 🙂
Many,many moons ago my bankaccount told me it prefers descriptive 😉
As for liking it,I have no problem with descriptive nor the,to modern eyes,strange layout.So if I like Pillsbury's games I will like the book but that is a matter of personal taste.
toet.
11 Jan 11
1 edit
Originally posted by toeternitoeyes ok i understand they would need to revise the whole text. Although in retrospect there is an aesthetic quality to older chess diagrams and descriptions, which might be lost if it were updated in too clinical a fashion. I often find myself going through the descriptive notation, loosing my place, getting fed up and going to a database to find the game and print it out in algebraic format. What a lazy bum, i know!
As HS puts it: "To convert all moves and commentaries from the classics produced by HS publishing into algebraic notation would not only alter the flavour of the text but add many pounds to the price of each book."
Many,many moons ago my bankaccount told me it prefers descriptive 😉
As for liking it,I have no problem with descriptive nor the,to mod ...[text shortened]... like Pillsbury's games I will like the book but that is a matter of personal taste.
toet.
11 Jan 11
3 edits
Originally posted by toeternitoeWe seem to have had a lot of bad luck in American chess prodigies turning sour or dying so young. Are there examples like that, Morphy, Pills, Bobby and the like, in other countries?
'Pillsbury's chess career,the tragedy of an american genius' is available through Hardinge Simpole.They also have Marshall's 'My 50 years of chess'.
Just a heads up for anyone intrested.I know I've been looking for these books(at a reasonable price) for quite some time so probably others have too.
toet.
Wiki says Pillsbury died of syphilis, not seeking treatment. In the early 20th and late 19th century, does anyone know if there WAS a useful treatment for syphilis back then?
11 Jan 11
Originally posted by toeternitoeRussell Enterprises has recently converted a handful of classics to algebraic. I guess there's at least one publisher out there that doesn't mind rolling up its sleeves and actually putting some effort into revised classics, rather than just photocopying the originals.
As HS puts it: "To convert all moves and commentaries from the classics produced by HS publishing into algebraic notation would not only alter the flavour of the text but add many pounds to the price of each book."
11 Jan 11
Originally posted by Mad RookTrue.And they did a fine job too!
Russell Enterprises has recently converted a handful of classics to algebraic. I guess there's at least one publisher out there that doesn't mind rolling up its sleeves and actually putting some effort into revised classics, rather than just photocopying the originals.
I have New York 1924.And more to follow 🙂
Still,once you're used to descriptive it reads almost just as well as algebraic.Only a tad slower.
toet.
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11 Jan 11
Originally posted by sonhouseProbably not. Nowadays it's usually treated with antibiotics, and penicillin hadn't been discovered yet. OTOH, it wasn't necessarily lethal; there are many books which have characters suffering from a chronic clap. So he simply may not have expected to die, and preferred to stick with it rather than risk the then prevalent cures, which IIRC involved mercury plasters or something similarly risky and unlikely to succeed.
Wiki says Pillsbury died of syphilis, not seeking treatment. In the early 20th and late 19th century, does anyone know if there WAS a useful treatment for syphilis back then?
Richard
12 Jan 11
Originally posted by sonhouseI think this is especially valuable here, as one could look up the book games on the internet and play through the moves on the computer as you read through the book, making the descriptive irrelevant- all you need to watch for are the move numbers.
Here is a link to the games of Pillsbury:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=10506
The annotations are a different matter, but if you have the games in a database program, you could mouse them in and save them, giving you annotated games going forward.
Personally, I like to set up a board, but there are many ways to slice this onion, and lots of room for varying tastes!