Birth Of The Chess Queen - Softcover

Yalom, Marilyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060090650 ISBN 13: 9780060090654

Publisher: Perennial, 2005

Synopsis

Everyone knows that the queen is the most dominant piece in chess, but few people know that the game existed for five hundred years without her. It wasn't until chess became a popular pastime for European royals during the Middle Ages that the queen was born and was gradually empowered to become the king's fierce warrior and protector.

Birth of the Chess Queen examines the five centuries between the chess queen's timid emergence in the early days of the Holy Roman Empire to her elevation during the reign of Isabel of Castile. Marilyn Yalom, inspired by a handful of surviving medieval chess queens, traces their origin and spread from Spain, Italy, and Germany to France, England, Scandinavia, and Russia. In a lively and engaging historical investigation, Yalom draws parallels between the rise of the chess queen and the ascent of female sovereigns in Europe, presenting a layered, fascinating history of medieval courts and internal struggles for power.

About this title

Review:

"An enticing portal into the past.. Yalom writes passionately and accessibly about this esoteric topic." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A well-researched and enjoyable book." -- The Economist

"Both chess fans and those unfamiliar with the game will enjoy this absorbing look at the evolution of chess."--Booklist

"A well-researched and enjoyable book."--The Economist

"Marilyn Yalom has written the rare book that illuminates something that always has been dimly perceived but never articulated."--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"An enticing portal into the past.... Yalom writes passionately and accessibly about this esoteric topic."--Los Angeles Times Book Review

Both chess fans and those unfamiliar with the game will enjoy this absorbing look at the evolution of chess. --Booklist"

An enticing portal into the past . Yalom writes passionately and accessibly about this esoteric topic. --Los Angeles Times Book Review"

A well-researched and enjoyable book. --The Economist"

Marilyn Yalom has written the rare book that illuminates something that always has been dimly perceived but never articulated. --Cleveland Plain Dealer"

About the Author:

Marilyn Yalom is a former professor of French and a senior scholar at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. She is the author of widely acclaimed books such as A History of the Breast, A History of the Wife, Birth of the Chess Queen, and, most recently, How the French Invented Love. She lives in Palo Alto, California, with her husband, psychiatrist and author Irvin D. Yalom.

About this edition

• Publisher: Perennial
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0060090650
• ISBN 13: 9780060090654
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 276