At this time of the year I pay frequent visits to the Arcade as I am on the hunt for small presents just to make my life easier.
Yesterday was no exception, I had a few minutes to kill so I popped in to the Arcade to see what was of interest. The were a number of items that I considered but I was undecided. So as normal I retired to the book section just under the café. It was there that I found a rather obscure book about chess (a game that I do not play well). The Book of the London International Chess Congress 1922 was the rather long title of the book.
As soon as I opened the book, I was able to find the winner of the 1922 Masters quite easily. The winner was a Cuban by the name of Jose Raul Capablanca who went the through the tournament without loss, only incurring four draws. But what did fascinate me was that I found an envelope and two newspaper cuttings within the books pages. There was also a pencil sketch of a male face. The envelope was post marked at two fifteen on the 12th of April 1944 and had been sent from Salisbury. There was also a stamped advertisement for Finders in Market Place Salisbury.
The newspaper cuttings both dated from 1939, but I was unable to see the actual date. Both had been removed from the newspaper as the Chess Correspondent had been writing again. There was an illustrated chessboard and certain moves were analysed and described. It was almost as if it had come out of my book. I did not pretend to understand the detail but what did fascinate me was that whosoever removed the cuttings did not do a very good job.
There were advertisements by the dozen:
Wake Up Your Liver Bile (Liver Pills yuk)
Zip Economy Sale Cleaning and Pressing now (All for 1/3d)
Football Forecast (Out Today 2d)
I was also able to follow the adventures of The Furry Films (Does anybody remember them?) The sketch although not very good, was also memorable in its simplicity.
Who was it? Was it an amateur sketch of one of the 1922 chess players? (none of the photographs bore any likeness). Or was it a sketch of the books first owner a S.L Russell who lived on Broughton in Hampshire and added his name to this book in the October of 1926? I will never know but the sketch will remain in the book between pages seventy-six and seventy seven (Game 37 Capablanca v Tartakower which was drawn). The envelope will remain where it was placed as will the newspaper cuttings.
The whole book was a Pandora’s Box and I want to preserve that. The cuttings, the envelope and the sketch had obviously been in the book for a considerable time. Just to think I popped into the Arcade just to see what was of interest and to gather ideas. I ended up spending sixty pence and purchasing a fascinating book. Life is full of surprises we all know that, but sometimes they are a little more surprising than normal.
I walked out into the incredibly bright November sun thinking I had purchased a book about chess with a few enclosures. When in fact I had purchased something of a time capsule. I wish you all luck with your Christmas shopping and hope that you in the chaos find things that are just a little out of the ordinary.
nts just to make my life easier. 
As soon as I opened the book, I was able to find the winner of the 1922 Masters quite easily. The winner was a Cuban by the name of Jose Raul Capablanca who went the through the tournament without loss, only incurring four draws. But what did fascinate me was that I found an envelope and two newspaper cuttings within the books pages. There was also a pencil sketch of a male face. The envelope was post marked at two fifteen on the 12th of April 1944 and had been sent from Salisbury. There was also a stamped advertisement for Finders in Market Place Salisbury.
newspaper cuttings both dated from 1939, but I was unable to see the actual date. Both had been removed from the newspaper as the Chess Correspondent had been writing again. There was an illustrated chessboard and certain moves were analysed and described. It was almost as if it had come out of my book. I did not pretend to understand the detail but what did fascinate me was that whosoever removed the cuttings did not do a very good job.
I was also able to follow the adventures of The Furry Films (Does anybody remember them?) The sketch although not very good, was also memorable in its simplicity.
1926? I will never know but the sketch will remain in the book between pages seventy-six and seventy seven (Game 37 Capablanca v Tartakower which was drawn). The envelope will remain where it was placed as will the newspaper cuttings.
The whole book was a Pandora’s Box and I want to preserve that. The cuttings, the envelope and the sketch had obviously been in the book for a considerable time. Just to think I popped into the Arcade just to see what was of interest and to gather ideas. I ended up spending sixty pence and purchasing a fascinating book. Life is full of surprises we all know that, but sometimes they are a little more surprising than normal.