New book on Chess Collecting

Oh, no, you got @Powderdigit to help you? 

He is from Australia, his ideas are all upside down!

Seriously, congrats Holger. Quite an accomplishment. Look for an email from me.  

(And Mark, just kidding about the ideas being upside down but how do you all live with all the blood rushing to your head like that? )

This looks fantastic!  I am not a collector but have always appreciated the design of sets.  I have always wanted to be able to identify sets and know more about set design and details.  This looks like a perfect match for me!

Congrats! I wish lots of luck in this new endeavor. 

Hi all,

First and foremost, I am so happy for Holger (@EfimLG47). This wonderful book brings to life his passion and dedication for collecting chess sets.

Holger’s hard work and dedication has resulted in an excellent reference piece that will be of interest to any chess collector.

While kind of Holger to provide a shout out … and I was more than happy to help - in truth, I provided perhaps 1% or less in terms of contribution to his work… alas, I am a layman new to collecting and simply provided a few thoughts and ideas here and there.

I highly recommend this book to new and experienced collectors alike. It will sit proudly in your collection or perhaps displayed on your coffee table. It’s quality content will ensure it is referenced time and again as you learn about different sets. Or perhaps you will just a grab a glass of red or a scotch and admire much of Holger’s collection from afar.

Congratulations again Holger. Publishing such a work is a great achievement in itself.

Cheers,

Mark


(@Rsava - Richard, you made me smile 😊. Perhaps my ideas being upside down may account for my ‘daily’ rating being stuck at 1200’ish! )

Congratz! That's so cool to have written a book and seeing your name on it! 

@Powderdigit - for me you support was very valuable. When you write a book like that in a language which is not your mother tongue, it is extremely helpful to have the kind of help you provided.

That being said, @RSava, I am aware that he is from Australia. I am not sure 100%, but he might have sneaked in some Aussie slang. Cheers, mate!

Thanks Holger. I appreciate your sentiments and I am glad to have helped and provided such value. An absolute pleasure.

Speaking of Aussie slang - and for a bit of fun - here’s a review that did not make it into the book and nor does such language appear in the book!

A tongue-in-cheek review with a tad more slang….

“Mate, that good bloke - “Langer’s” - from Germany worked his knackers off to write a book about pushing wood or at least, collecting the pieces folks need to play this ancient game.

Busted his gut for years he did but ya should see his collection, fair dinkum unbelievable. And his knowledge - he’s a walking chess library.

Anyway, you should get your peepers on it - it’s a ripper.”

😊

An effort like this doesn't deserve just a few comments on a threat, I know what to write a book mean as one of my sisters has written 3, it involves a very hard work, hours, patience and love for what you are doing, so I only have to say, even without being a chess collector., congratulations.

LOL

@all, thank you so much for your kind comments!!!

I had the great honor and pleasure some months ago of reading a draft of Holger's first chapter. It was insightful, rigorous, and clearly written, as anyone who knows Holger would expect. I can't wait to read the rest of what will be a major contribution to chess collecting and chess history. Bravo, Holger!

Thank you very much, Chuck! I sincerely hope you will like the rest of the book as well.

Congratulations, Holger. The kind of work and dedication that goes into writing a book is very personal and very rewarding when it comes to fruition. I know, it's a lot of hard work. I don't post very often, but I'm a regular viewer of these forums and have enjoyed the photos of your collection. I look forward to getting your book and learning more about the sets I have along with the many variations of chess pieces seen in the video above.  Fantastic job! 

Thanks a lot, very much appreciated!!!

The copies of my book have arrived. I will start shipping within the next week. Pre-orders will be shipped first.

As I mentioned before, you can buy the printed books directly from me, which is 20% cheaper than buying through Amazon & Co. My asking price is 52 EUR plus 5 EUR shipping, i.e. a total of 57 EUR no matter where you are located. If you are interested, send a message to holger.langer@chess-collection.de

You can pay by PayPal or bank transfer. Payment by PayPal is + 6% on the total (i.e. 60 EUR instead of 57 EUR), unless you pay via PayPal Friends (i.e. “Send to someone you trust” option). My PayPal address is  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/chesscollector

If you require account details for a bank transfer, please send a message to the above email address and I will gladly provide them.

The book is also available as eBook, e.g. via Amazon.co.uk. Please note that in the description the language is given as "German", while in fact it is "English" (as you can easily see from the "Look inside").

I will purchase your book directly from you, I will send you a message as soon as I am home. And again, thank you for the information on the toy set. I am collecting since a while, and it is time to go through them items. I have once to make the step from hordering to collecting, and your book will certainly help me with this.

Holgar, I received the book today. I am deeply impressed by the quality of the work! Finally I can start to go slowly through my collection to understand what I have and perhaps make a catalog of it.