There are several possibilities here that come to mind depending on what you are looking for.
I have the two volume "The Best of Chess Life & Review" books edited by Bruce Pandolfini which claim to collect the best of that magazine with lots of articles and good reading. The books are dated 1933-1988. I have no idea if they are still available from some source.
Another good read is the book "Chess Secrets" by Edward Lasker, namesake of the great Emmanuel Lasker. It is a biography of sorts but includes many games and analysis.
A bit heavier reading is the recent "Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy" by John Watson which contains a survey of the improvement in chess thinking since the days of Nimzowitsch, Steinitz, et. al. There is a lot of teaching material here but it is a good read at the same time.
Finally, if you have read any of the Silman books "The Amateur's Mind" and "Reassess Your Chess" you'll find a lot of good narrative, but they are primarily instructional books that explain the differences and errors in amateur thinking and evaluation of positions.
And finally, the set of 5 volumes "My Great Predecessors" by Kasparov are packed with game analysis but also contain good reading about the great players of the past and present. They are a bit expensive.
Hello, I am looking for a book about chess which would BOTH:
a) be interesting and informative about many issues conected with the game itself (including people and great players, context, history of the game from its 'ancient' times till 20th century and big games, etc.)
b) be helpful for my play
I play chess for pleasure and the same applies to me reading chess books (though, it does not mean that I am not ready for effort). I do like to read Chernev - as someone who loves chess and it can be seen from his books, if it may be helpful.
Do you have any suggestions?