Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess [Hardcover]

David Lawson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1976

Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess is the only full-length biography of Paul Morphy, the antebellum chess prodigy who launched United States participation in international chess and is still generally acknowledged as the greatest American chess player of all time. But Morphy was more than a player. He was a shy, retiring lawyer who had been taught that such games were no way to make a living. The strain of his fame and the pull of his domineering family led Morphy to set another precedent: chess madness. Morphy's mental descent after retiring from chess became a part of his lore, made all the more magnanimous by a spate of twentieth-century examples. The Pride and Sorrow of Chess tells the full known story of the life of Paul Morphy, from his privileged upbringing in New Orleans to his dominance of the chess world, to the later tragedy of his demise. This new edition of David Lawson's seminal work, still the principal source for all Morphy biographical presentations, also includes new biographical material about the biographer himself, telling the story of the author, his opus, and the previously unknown life that brought him to the research.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Aiello is an assistant professor of history at Valdosta State University. He is the editor of "Dan Burley's Jive" and the author of the forthcoming "Bayou Classic: The Grambling-Southern Football Rivalry" and "The Kings of Casino Park: Race and Race Baseball in the Lost Season of 1932." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: David McKay Company, Inc.; 1st Edition. edition (1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679130446
• ISBN-13: 978-0679130444
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,477,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a New Edition!, December 24, 2010

By 

Steven J Fortune - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul Morphy: Pride and Sorrow of Chess (Paperback)

I have just bought this book after many years of searching for the original at book shops, on eBay and in thrift stores. I had even pleaded with the publisher to come up with a new edition. I was determined to get myself a copy without paying the $120 price that was the going rate at the rare book shops. When I read this book for the first time, I had to arrange an inter-library exchange, After reading it, I knew I must have a copy. If you are interested in Paul Morphy, this book is a must-have. I would also suggest reading about Daniel Willard Fiske, as it really was him and his efforts behind arranging the First American Chess Congress that brought Morphy to the public. Steve Fortune, Boise, Idaho

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Biography of Morphy, April 3, 2005

By 

Notvinnik "MP" (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Paul Morphy: The Pride and Sorrow of Chess (Hardcover)

As a game collection, this may not be the best book on Morphy, although it has its points. As a biography, it is unmatchable. Lawson has researched the primary sources thoroughly, and the result is the fullest and most accurate account available of Morphy's life. A number of myths and misconceptions, still being perpetuated in other works, are corrected here. Unlike many chess biographies, this reads like a serious work of scholarship, with meticulous documentation of the positions that the author takes.

The sixty unannotated games given here are no substitute for Sergeant's books on Morphy, but they do add some additional information. Take the games which Morphy played against Löwenthal when he, Morphy, was only twelve. We learn that Löwenthal changed the last few moves of one of these games to make it appear that it had been drawn, when it reality it was won by Morphy. In another famous game, the anonymous amateur who Morphy checkmated by castling, turns out to have been his father, and there are other revelations.

It's too bad that this book is out of print; it would be a great candidate for decent quality paperback reprint. If you can get a good copy of the original hardcover, snap it up.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paul Morphy First Dominant World Champion, November 24, 2010

By 

Johhny Depp Fan (Disneyland CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul Morphy: Pride and Sorrow of Chess (Paperback)

I have the original hardcover book. This is a great historical biography of Paul Morphy, our first great dominant World Champion who crushed all of his contemporary chess players. Even though not official World Champion everybody considers him such due to the way he outplayed and beat even Anderson. This is a must for any Morphy fan. A better book on Morphy the person has not been written. If you want to learn everything there is to know on Morphy this is the book.