Chess-Humanics: A Philosophy of Chess, A Sociological Allegory. By Wallace E. Nevill. Limited First Edition, First Printing. Whitaker & Ray. San Francisco, 1905.

Wallace E. Nevill was a political and economic critic who wove together peculiar ideas in the early twentieth century. He was an anarchist, chess player, and writer. His book, Science of Sociology, provides an early definition of the field. He is also known for his anarchist pamphlet, God and Government: The Siamese Twins of Superstition. Yet chess theorists also know him for this volume, Chess-Humanics. It covers the history and social impacts of chess then uses the game as an allegory to assess the conditions of American society. Nevill weaves together the rules of chess with scientific racism, critiques of government overreach, and a general Darwinist view of social hierarchies. Nevill’s social theories are deeply of his time, but what makes the work stand out is its dedicated attempts to meld chess with social theory. It is emblematic of a period in sociology when all manner of ideas were being used to try to explain society.

This limited first edition, first printing is in very good condition. In the original cloth, very good with only minor bumping, rubbing, and soiling. Pictorial front board quite bright. Text block near-fine, only pencil marks to front free endpaper. This copy is one of only 1,000 printed as part of the Author’s edition.

A scarce limited first edition of Chess-Humanics.