Soviet Chess Books

Above, the Botvinnik-Tal match, 1960
Is there another game with as much in the way of illustrative, graphic and metaphoric possibilities? You’ve got royalty, war, strategy, various figures and characters, not to mention the black and white checkered board on which the game is played.

The importance of chess in the Soviet Union cannot be overstated. As Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov, World Chess Champion, 1975-1985 put it, “Chess in Russia is like baseball in America.”

Paul Hoffman interviewed Karpov (above) in 2010. Here’s an excerpt.

Question: Why has Russia dominated the chess world?

Anatoly Karpov: Because of long time traditions and chess was... chess was part of intellectual life in Russian Empire. And so big writers, great writers they were playing chess and so this was privilege in part of top society, in top society people. And then after the revolution, new power, they saw in chess the tool of bringing knowledge and education because it was easy, it was cheap and if you recall the time when revolution happened, most of educated people and top society people they left the country. And so new power should work out something to make new intelligencia and new intellectual people. And so they believed that with the help of chess they could do it, and especially it’s very cheap compared to any other things. I don’t talk even about sport, but about other subjects and sciences. And that’s why it was supported and even during civil war, when we had civil war in 1920, first championship for Soviet Russia took place. And later it became part of education system, before World War II. And after all chess became national game. Like you have here in America, you have baseball, and so Russia had chess.

The Chess ABC-Book, Czech book published in Russian, 1983.

"Kids Play Chess"
Kindergarten textbook, 1991




Garry Kasparov's game with Deep Blue

Grand master Eduard Gryunfeld, left, and "I Prefer to Risk" about five time world champion, Nona Gaprindashvili. She was the
first woman grandmaster.





1927 book about famous game between Alehin and Capablanca.



Third world champion J. R. Capablanca.









"The Praxis of My System," by A. Nimzovich, 1962

"Become a Grand Master," 1985



Chess magazines, 1966.



Chess game journal.


Books are from eBay and antiquarian bookseller sites.

A Sunshine State of Mind

Map of Floria in oranges and grapefruit, circa 1940s. This postcard, along with others in this post, are from the wonderful site Florida Memory.
For modern-day Florida, see tonight’s Republican reality show with Newt, Mitt, Rick & Ron.

If you’d like some visual distraction, here’s a bit of nostalgia from the Sunshine State.


Juice King orange crate label.


Ostrich Farm


Shell show catalog, St. Petersburg, 1967.


Brochure, The Fountain of Youth, St. Augustine.


Ceiling of the post office in Miami Beach. (via Flickr)


Weeki Wachee Mermaids.







Busch Gardens, Tampa.


Early Bird Special at Wolfies, in Miami Beach. (From here)


Anita Bryant in an ad for orange juice, 1970s.

The Fountainbleau Hotel, Miami Beach, and
Slim Aarons photo of the cat-shaped pool.


"A Florida Blossom Among Grapefruit and Oranges"
via Kitschy-kitschy-coo.

Anonymous Good: Eyelash Photo

A friend of mine has this totally cool black and white photo of false eyelashes hanging in his bathroom (TMI?). He found it in a warehouse that was being emptied many years ago. I presume that it was for advertising, but there really is no clue as to age, purpose, or maker. And none of that detracts even one wink from its fabulousness.

I love how the length is exaggerated with those long luxurious shadows, and how there’s only one pair that is “open.”

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN GREENBERG

Public Service Billboards: Blasts From the Past

Fry Now. Pay Later.
The digital archive of outdoor advertising, part of the Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History at Duke University, contains over 27,000 images spanning the1920s through the 1990s.

These roadside messages use brevity, humor, catchiness, irony, shock—anything they can--to permeate our peripheral vision, often at speeds well over 60 mph, to embed themselves in our collective psychic landscapes. Here’s a small sample.

Keep an eye out for Columbus, Ohio billboards in particular. There are two ads for what I think is water conservation, and then there are billboards for both sides of the bullfighting-arena controversy. Who knew?

Jimmy took a "TRIP"


Can't stop smoking? Yes you can!


Nuclear War No Cure Only Prevention


Some Call Him Pig! Support Your Police Dept.


Voluntary Integration. Better Education by Choice. (1968)


Life Preservers. (1985)


Buckle-Up Arrive Alive! (1960s)


Leave Her Alone With Your Cologne (1965)


Let Him Skip His Bath Tonight (1964)


Call 1-800-COCAINE (1983)


Think Metric


A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.


The Key is Knowledge


Smash the Axis Pay your taxes (1942)


Vote No! Tax


"What's An Orgy?"


Future Site of Columbus Bullfighting Arena


Keep Bullfighting out of Columbus


Site of New Phoenix Bullfight Arena


Care for your Car-for your Country (1942)


This is Your Country Conserve Energy (1974)


The Paris Peace Accords resulted in the signing of the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam on January 27, 1973.