Volume II, Chess: Its Origin translation into English with commentary of Latin and Hebrew texts takes the most seminal early work published by Thomas Hyde, Chief Librarian of the Bodleian Library in 1694.
Hyde was not a good player of Chess, he derived enjoyment from unravelling the names the Ancients gave to games and writing their history. He was the first to apply bibliographic scholarship to the task.
Dr Victor Keats M.Phil Ph.D. translates these, for the first time, into English and illustrates from period literature and iconography.
A detailed description of Chess: Its Origin
De Ludis Orientalibus - The Book of Oriental Games written by Thomas Hyde in 1694 is probably the most important book ever published on the subject of Chess.
It was written mostly in Latin, but also contained quotations in Arabic, Greek, Sanskrit, Persian and over 70 pages of Medieval Hebrew primary texts.
In order that this could be understood at the time, the Hebrew was paginated and translated into Latin, and until now (except for six pages) this has never before been translated into English.
The translated Hebrew text is a fascinating original source since it probably contains the first ever writings about the moves of the game written in Europe.
Its importance is reinforced in the fact that it is the book upon which nearly all subsequent authoritative histories of chess have since been drawn.
