Catagorization or a list of notable publications

A book review may be a primary source, opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review.
User avatar
MJMcCready
Posts: 3140
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:30 pm

Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by MJMcCready » Mon May 18, 2020 2:21 pm

Could we consider categorizing this section into: maybe a subdivision 1) Educated author's who can communicate well and are meticulous in their research and broad in their content. 2) Those with much, much room for improvement and only a limited ability to address their own lack of effort but nonetheless are able to construct something, some would consider, unquestionably so, worth a read. 3) Titled s**theads, not educated sufficiently, not good enough at chess, poor communicators, highly dubious in motivations for writing as all of which are manifestations of an expounded self-interest and nothing else (which accounts for virtually all books written on chess), generally annoying and were beaten up a lot at school, and generally speaking, poor practitioners of which they write about. For example, offering a book called 'The Complete French', which as you might have guessed has a number of major lines missing and is a good 300 pages short is the sort of thing I mean. 'Oh yeah, and like its like its so good yeah, I mean loads of 'em were playing it, Capablanca, Carlsen and some others.

Sorry but I am finishing up Rowson's The Moves That Matter, a corollary of that is the ensuing self-loathing that emerges. On the whole chess literature as a genre is so decadent. Invested by people who can't write at all and publishers you think of money and nothing more. There's an element of tragedy of reading a book on chess that is well written, especially when I think of all those hours lost reading rubbish produced purely from profit and of little help. Those who are most to blame are those who but the decades of rubbished we have become inured to. Why is it that the vast majority of publications on chess do not adhere to numerous basic literary conventions that no credible academic would dare produce something without. You are left compelled to commiserate that what you hold in your hands is probably only worth wiping your backside with so often. So can we be more critical and stop forum members from wasting money on rubbish? I do take it everyone on this forum worked out a long time ago that the person who can teach you the most is, of course, yourself, not some person who put some analysis into a book and became known as an author.

User avatar
IM Jack Rudd
Posts: 4815
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:13 am
Location: Bideford
Contact:

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by IM Jack Rudd » Mon May 18, 2020 2:46 pm

This is the fifteenth topic in this section; it's not exactly a bundle of energy. We probably don't need to split it up further.

John McKenna

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by John McKenna » Mon May 18, 2020 2:58 pm

You're on song, MJ, but off key...

Also, in form but likely to remain on the bench.

[Jack is doing a great job as assistant manager - giving advice from the technical area.]

User avatar
MJMcCready
Posts: 3140
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by MJMcCready » Tue May 19, 2020 12:51 pm

Apologies but I am rather cynical at the best of times. Maybe best left at that.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:48 pm

One of my jobs during lockdown is to categorize my chess book collection into the following sections
1. Openings
2. Middlegames
3. Endgames
4. Books for Juniors
5. Puzzle Books
6. General

John McKenna

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by John McKenna » Wed Jun 03, 2020 11:23 pm

That means into General would go both -

The Game of Chess (by Golombek)

&

Fischer v. Spassky (by Golombek & others)

You could considet subdividing General in a number of ways depending on what books you have got.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:30 pm

John
I also have The Penguin Encyclopedia Of Chess
by Golombek (Revised edition 1981)
I probably have around 150 books. A lot of them just stacked up in a wardrobe. So I am rearranging the room so least they're accessible but will be stacked up on the floor.
My plan is to categorize and list.
I'm sure I have a couple of duplicates. But a few gems and some autographed.
I'm sure, like a lot of people, have bought too many books over the years and many hardly read.
I'm hoping to start the next couple of days.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:49 pm

I will keep everyone posted as to how things go.
Wish me luck, as a number of books are caked in dust.
My plan is to also resurrect the topic of Book Collections on the General section when I start to find some gems.
Any advice from anyone will be much appreciated.

John McKenna

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by John McKenna » Thu Jun 04, 2020 3:06 pm

Best of luck, Simon.

(Edit - little did MJ McCready know what he was starting when he made this timely thread. Who said there'd never be a chesshead to equal Marie Kondo when it comes to putting evrrything in its fit and proper place?!)

Kevin Thurlow
Posts: 5803
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 12:28 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Thu Jun 04, 2020 5:56 pm

"One of my jobs during lockdown is to categorize my chess book collection into the following sections"

As has been pointed out, it's not easy! When I had a house move about 30 years ago, I managed to get the book collection on to shelves, but of course some fell into more than one category, so I set up rules for the cataloguing system, but cannot remember what the rules were.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:37 pm

Thanks for the tips John and Kevin.
Looking briefly at one of the piles, I have a lot of general which I might sort into Authors and who published them.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Sat Jun 06, 2020 6:19 pm

I've finished dusting the chess books from the wardrobe
and I have 203 in total. I have a number of duplicates.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Mon Aug 24, 2020 7:15 pm

Simon Rogers wrote:
Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:48 pm
One of my jobs during lockdown is to categorize my chess book collection into the following sections
1. Openings
2. Middlegames
3. Endgames
4. Books for Juniors
5. Puzzle Books
6. General
My books are now categorized. I have over 200 with a number of duplicates. Some books I am hoping to sell and a few I am planning to donate to our Chess club library.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Fri Oct 02, 2020 3:17 pm

There are books which I have bought in the past, not realising I had them already. I'm sure that I am not the only person guilty of this.
The books are:
The Big Book of Busts by Watson & Schiller.
Ultimate Dragon: Volume Two by Eduard Gufeld & Oleg Stetsko.
1....b6 move by move by Cyrus Lakdawala.
The Times Winning Moves by Raymond Keene & Byron Jacobs 2003 Edition.
Chess Choice Challenge 2 by Chris Ward.
Planning by Neil McDonald.
The Power Chess Program: Book 1 by Nigel Davies.
The Power Chess Program: Book 2 by Nigel Davies.

Simon Rogers
Posts: 2337
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2020 4:30 pm

Re: Catagorization or a list of notable publications

Post by Simon Rogers » Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:08 pm

Simon Rogers wrote:
Fri Oct 02, 2020 3:17 pm
There are books which I have bought in the past, not realising I had them already. I'm sure that I am not the only person guilty of this.
The books are:
The Big Book of Busts by Watson & Schiller.
Ultimate Dragon: Volume Two by Eduard Gufeld & Oleg Stetsko.
1....b6 move by move by Cyrus Lakdawala.
The Times Winning Moves by Raymond Keene & Byron Jacobs 2003 Edition.
Chess Choice Challenge 2 by Chris Ward.
Planning by Neil McDonald.
The Power Chess Program: Book 1 by Nigel Davies.
The Power Chess Program: Book 2 by Nigel Davies.
I've just sold the above duplicate books to a friend from our chess club at a discount.

Post Reply