A few enterprising chess book publishers have thoughtfully adorned their works with attractive chess related endpapers. Some examples follow:
Chess Pieces An Anthology in Prose and Verse by Norman Knight, published by Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd., London 1949.
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| Title page |
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| Endpapers |
The Chess Apprentice by R. Bott & S. Morrison, published by Collins, London
1960.
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| Front cover |
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| Endpapers |
A Short History of Chess by Henry A. Davidson, published by David McKay
Company, Inc., New York 1968.
The first edition was published simultaneously by Greenberg, New York and Ambassador Books, Toronto 1949. The illustrations below are from the David McKay edition.
The first edition was published simultaneously by Greenberg, New York and Ambassador Books, Toronto 1949. The illustrations below are from the David McKay edition.
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| Dust jacket |
The endpapers depict The March of Chess from its origin in Northern India circa 600 A.D. and the approximate dates that the game reached various countries across Europe, Asia and Africa. The Americas are not shown and some of the claimed dates are questionable.
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| Endpapers |
A Book of Chess by C.H.O'D.Alexander, published by Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., London 1973
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| Dust Jacket |
The endpapers "Metamorphose" are by M.C.Escher.
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| Endpapers |
Chessmen by A.E.J. Mackett-Beeson, published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London 1968.
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| Front cover |
The endpapers show an engraving from Jean Meissonier's painting Les Jouers d'échecs (1835).
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| Endpapers |
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| A print of Messonier's painting |
Some publishers have even gone to the trouble of embellishing their works with different endpapers at front and rear. For example:
Grandmasters of Chess by Harold C. Schonberg, published by Davis-Poynter Limited, London 1974.
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| Dust jacket |
The front endpapers show an engraving by Alexandre Laemlein of the famous painting by Jean-Henri Marlet of The Great Chess-Match Between England and France; Howard Staunton v Pierre St. Amant, November-December 1843, (the book states William Staunton on page [6]).
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| Front endpapers |
The rear endpapers show the group photograph from the International Master's Chess Tournament at St. Petersburg, 1914.
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| Rear Endpapers |
Chess A History by Harry Golombek, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1976.
Also published by Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd., London 1976 as A History of Chess
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| Dust Jacket |
The endpapers are taken from A Game at Chess by T.W. Couldery and portray the course of a game over eight sketches. This was originally published in The Illustrated London News on 25th May 1889.
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| Front endpapers |
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| Rear endpapers |
I would be very interested to hear of any other chess books with chess related endpapers.
© Michael Clapham 2016
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