Chess Eccentricities.

London: Longmans, Green & Co., , 1885. A highly illustrated chess encyclopaedia First edition, the author's copy, interleaved with extensive autograph notes. Chess Eccentricities details chess variants invented by Verney and others, along with historic and local variants. Games for up to eight players are described, as are games played on atypically shaped boards. Verney's modifications were not universally popular; several of his notes indicate the good-natured controversy they inspired amongst chess aficionados. In 1881, Verney published a booklet on his version of the game of four-player chess, which was "met with such success" (p. v) that he followed it up with the encyclopaedic Chess Eccentricities. Some of the author's interleaved notes make careful alterations and additions to the text. Others contain further research in the form of transcribed articles from various journals, such as "Japanese Chess" from an 1875 issue of The Westminster Papers, and sections from books such as The famous game of Chesse-Play, 1614. Verney also transcribed some of his chess-related correspondence, which occasionally records respectful disagreements. An 1885 letter from the Rev. J. T. Howard, states of four-player chess that "the fact that it is for more than 2 players must prevent its being regarded as a serious game" (at pp. 41-43). Another, dated 1889 from one Dr. George Paddick, describes it as "destructive to the ordinary game in every way" and "the result of a sort of 'Darwinism' - evolution - […] natural selection, and the survival of the fittest and strongest" (at pp. 120-121). Nonetheless, chess variants proved popular, and a four-handed chess club existed in London between 1884 and the Second World War. Octavo. Frontispiece and title page printed in colour and gilt after the cover designs, 4 double-page plates, illustrations to text. [4] pp. of publisher's advertisements at end. Interleaved with 48 pages of manuscript in black and blue ink, of which 7 contain diagrams. Original buff boards printed in red, black, yellow, and gilt, unlettered spine stamped with chess pieces at head and foot, front cover with three-player chess board and decorated with pieces making up a border and the word "Chess", rear cover illustrated with four-player chess board, brown coated endpapers, edges gilt. Former bookseller's description taped to front inner pastedown. Spine and boards toned and rubbed, spine ends bumped and nicked, partial split to head of front joint and inner hinge, but firm: a very good copy.