Jerzy Gyžycki - A History Of Chess

[JustinHorton]

Does anybody know if this is the same book as originally published in Polish under the title "Z Szachami Przez Wieki I Kraje"? I don't know if I am being misled by their apparently sharing a cover image (in one edition at any rate).

[Richard James]

From my copy:

Original title: Z SZACHAMI PRZEZ WIEKI I KRAJE
Copyright by "Sport i Turystyka" Warszawa
Chapter "Chess in Britain" by B.H. Wood

...

First published in 1960 in Polish by "Sport i Turystyka"

English text edited by B.H. Wood

[JustinHorton]

Thanks very much. How odd - I just picked up a copy in Czech and it's not really a history of chess, nor do the Czech or Polish titles seem to claim otherwise.

[Gordon Cadden]

This "History of Chess" should have been the copyright of Jerzy Gyzycki. Baruch H Wood translated the book into English, and claimed that it was his history. A huge tome, but lacking quality of content.

[JustinHorton]

This "History of Chess" should have been the copyright of Jerzy Gyzycki. Baruch H Wood translated the book into English, and claimed that it was his history.

Curious, tell me more. Does he say this somewhere in the English edition? What does he say about Gyžycki's part in it?

A huge tome, but lacking quality of content.

Loads of interesting stuff though.

[Colin Patterson]

No, Wood didn't translate it. He edited the translated text, adding some extra material on the Anglo-Saxon aspects of chess history and a new chapter on the development of the game in Britain.

Whoever put together the dust cover has omitted Gizycki's name ("Edited by BH Wood") and then written a short tribute to Wood's efforts on the inside dust cover, again omitting any reference to the original author. This does give the somewhat false impression that it is entirely Wood's creation, but we'll never know if he personally had a hand in the dust cover design or not. With dust cover removed, the book's spine and front papers give adequate credit to Gizycki it should be noted.

[JustinHorton]

Oh that's interesting. I'm assuming the correct details are these and that the publication date of 1960 on the Amazon link refers to the original Polish work. I note the translators have Polish names - of course it's quite possible that they were fluent or native English-speakers but also that they weren't and that the text needed some additional attention.

I wonder who Abbey Library were?

[Colin Patterson]

Yes, those are the correct details. Indeed, Wood may have put in considerable work, depending on the quality of the translation and how far he had to go to appeal to a home audience.

I can't say I'm a big fan of the book, but I suppose it will have been enjoyed by those with a keen eye for chess in art and culture, or who take an interest in old chess sets and artifacts. Chess history covers a broad spectrum of topics and I probably bought it thinking there would be far more tournament history and biographical content.

For my tastes, a better book to have had translated was Gizycki's work with Litmanowicz - "Szachy od A do Z". Polish people have described it to me as a kind of Oxford Companion meets FIDE Golden Book, or an A-Z guide that strives for something more than superficial coverage.

[James Pratt]

It is the history of chess through illustration, not something the blurb makes clear.

[JustinHorton]

I happened across this on the internet and for the want of anywere else, I thought I'd leave it here: it seems to be something Gyžycki wrote in 1960 on the history of chess, one of the illustrations being Napoleon playing the game.