H.G.S. publishers, Moscow 1994, hardback, 14,5x25,5 cm, 288 pp, 720 grams, condition: fine, as NEW, glossy paper, four-color printing, 250 illustrations.

For about one and a half thousand years, from the time of emergence of chess up to now, people have been trying to render the true charm of this wise game through the chess pieces they made, displaying outstanding talent, fantasy and resourcefulness. The miniature chessmen have always been genuine works of art no matter what material they were made of (ivory or silver, mother-of-pearl or porcelain), and whether they reflected people's life at different times or were of abstact character.
The author of the album is a well-known Russian historian Dr. I.M. Linder who describes in a captivating manner the stages of evolution of figurative and abstract chess pieces from medieval to modem forms. This description is based on a thorough study of private collections and museum pieces. The richness of the art of chess pieces is shown in its entirety, including such archaeological finds as the ancient chess pieces from Afrasiab (seventh to eighth centuries, Uzbekistan), unique porcelain, ivory and metal sets of all times and lands.
The album, containing 250 black-and-white and colour illustrations, is a good gift to chess collectors and all lovers of this ancient game.