The Grand International Masters’ Chess Tournament at St. Petersburg, 1914

by David McKay Purchase through Amazon For over a month, from April 21 to May 22, 1914 the top chess players from around the world converged in St. Petersburg. Play for the tournament took place at the St. Petersburg Chess Club, beginning in the afternoon and lasting through the evening. Players were treated to large… Continue reading The Grand International Masters’ Chess Tournament at St. Petersburg, 1914

Chess Endings From Modern Master-Play

by Jacques Mieses Purchase through Amazon  Jakob Mieses was born in 1865 in Leipzig, Germany. He enjoyed a long lasting professional chess career of 64 years. Mieses played in numerous tournaments throughout his life, and was known and studied as having a very aggressive, and at the same time, rather traditional playing style. He lived… Continue reading Chess Endings From Modern Master-Play

Miscellaneous Conjuring Tricks, From ‘Modern Magic’

by Professor Hoffman Purchase through Amazon  Magic is, by nature, a rather secretive field. One of the first people to write in detail about various tricks, methods and devices used to perform magic was Professor Hoffmann. His articles were considered pioneering in the field, particularly among English speakers. He became known as an expert, although… Continue reading Miscellaneous Conjuring Tricks, From ‘Modern Magic’

The Laws of Ecarte: The Laws of Écarté, Adopted by The Turf and Portland Clubs with a Treatise on the Game

by Cavendish Purchase through Amazon  In the 19th century, Écarté was all the rage. The name is French for ‘discarded’ as the two player game focuses on each playing working to get rid of undesirable cards, and negotiating with the dealer for a set of potentially better cards. The game requires a lot of quick… Continue reading The Laws of Ecarte: The Laws of Écarté, Adopted by The Turf and Portland Clubs with a Treatise on the Game

Practical Falconry: To Which is Added, How I Became a Falconer

by Gage Earle Freeman Purchase through Amazon  Gage Earle Freeman (1820-1903) wrote a number of articles on falconry. He was introduced to the sport in England and retained a life-long interest in it, often working with kestrel-hawks, peregrine falcons, and sparrow hawks. He was also an esteemed poet, winning four Seatonian Prizes; a father to… Continue reading Practical Falconry: To Which is Added, How I Became a Falconer

A Fox-Hunting Anthology: Selections from the Writers of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries

by E. D. Cuming Purchase through Amazon  Edward William Dirom Cuming was born in 1862, the son of the late Colonel Edward William Cuming. He studied at private schools and then began working in business overseas, primarily in Lower Burma. Soon, having enough wealth, he was able to pursue his passion of writing. He served… Continue reading A Fox-Hunting Anthology: Selections from the Writers of the 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries

Sturmey’s Indispensable Handbook to the Safety Bicycle: Treating of Safety Bicycles, Their Varieties, Construction & Use

by Henry Sturmey Purchase through Amazon  Penny-farthings were part of the cycling craze from the Victorian era, also known as the high wheel bicycle. They were notoriously unstable due to their design, which featured a giant front wheel followed by a very small back wheel, leaving the rider perilously far above ground. By the late… Continue reading Sturmey’s Indispensable Handbook to the Safety Bicycle: Treating of Safety Bicycles, Their Varieties, Construction & Use

Chess Masterpieces: A Collection of Selected Games by World’s Masters

by W. H. Watts Purchase through Amazon  Chess is seemingly a universal game, played by people around the world, but is believed to have originated in India sometime during the 600s, then appearing in its more known incantation with the differently powered pieces over 800 years later in Spain. It wasn’t until the 1800s when chess… Continue reading Chess Masterpieces: A Collection of Selected Games by World’s Masters

Jiu-Jitsu Combat Tricks: Japanese Feats of Attack and Defence in Personal Encounter

by H. Irving Hancock Purchase through Amazon Jiu-Jitsu is a style of combat that emerges from feudal Japan and has developed into various forms of other popular styles, such as Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In its original form, which developed in Japan during the 1500s, it was developed as a way to combat fighting techniques… Continue reading Jiu-Jitsu Combat Tricks: Japanese Feats of Attack and Defence in Personal Encounter

Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards

by William Andrew Chatto Purchase through Amazon  |  Purchase through CreateSpace William Andrew Chatto (1799-1864) initially was employed in the wholesale tea business. However, his real passion was antiquarian scholarship, so in 1834, he gave up the family firm and devoted himself to writing full-time. His first work was entitled, Recollections of Fly-Fishing in Northumberland, under the… Continue reading Facts and Speculations on the Origin and History of Playing Cards

The History of Playing Cards: Anecdotes for Their Use in Conjuring, Fortune Telling & Card Sharping

by Rev. Ed. S. Taylor Purchase through Amazon  |  Purchase through CreateSpace The History of Playing Cards offers a comprehensive look at the history and usage of cards, tracing their movements through India, China, the Middle East, and through Europe, with a heavy emphasis on cards in France and England. Taylor included a great deal of… Continue reading The History of Playing Cards: Anecdotes for Their Use in Conjuring, Fortune Telling & Card Sharping

Gilded Play: Mary J. Jacques’s Pranks and Pastimes

Purchase through Amazon  |  Purchase on CreateSpace Edited and Introduced by Devin Proctor During America’s late nineteenth-century, parlor games were a dominant leisure activity of the upper classes. The ‘Gilded Age,’ as Mark Twain termed it, was characterized by the separation between leisurely wealth and the harsh existence of the underclasses, cleft even wider with… Continue reading Gilded Play: Mary J. Jacques’s Pranks and Pastimes

Outlining Magic Circles: Jessie Bancroft’s Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium

Purchase through Amazon  |  Download FREE Kindle version  |  Purchase through CreateSpace Edited and Introduced by Devin Proctor Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium, first published in 1909, has been called “the most comprehensive and scholarly book on games.” It contains rules and variations of hundreds of games for schools, summer camps, parties, etc.,… Continue reading Outlining Magic Circles: Jessie Bancroft’s Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium