Beth Harmon becomes an orphan when her parents are killed in an automobile accident. At eight years old, she is placed in an orphanage in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, where the children are given a tranquilliser twice a day. Plain and shy, she learns to play chess from the janitor in the basement and discovers that she is a chess genius. She is adopted by Alma and Allston Wheatley and goes to a local school, but remains an outsider. Desperate to study chess and having no money, she steals a chess magazine from a newspaper ...
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Beth Harmon becomes an orphan when her parents are killed in an automobile accident. At eight years old, she is placed in an orphanage in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, where the children are given a tranquilliser twice a day. Plain and shy, she learns to play chess from the janitor in the basement and discovers that she is a chess genius. She is adopted by Alma and Allston Wheatley and goes to a local school, but remains an outsider. Desperate to study chess and having no money, she steals a chess magazine from a newspaper store and then some money from Alma Wheatley and a girl at school, so that she can enter a tournament. She also steals some of the tranquillisers to which she is becoming addicted. At thirteen she wins the tournament, and by sixteen she is competing in the US Open Championship. Like Fast Eddie (in The Hustler), she hates to lose.
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Seller's Description:
Fair in fair dust jacket. 243 p. Boards faded as is cloth at head and tail of spine. Dents to rear board. Price in pencil and a few spots on ffep. A couple of spots on front paste down. Book otherwise clean and unmarked with tight binding. DJ is creased, faded with chips and tears.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. No Dust Jacket. First Printing. A Very Good copy (owner's name) in black hard covers lettered and decorated in white. Narrow line of sun-fading along the top edges of the covers. The binding is sound, the text is clean/unmarked and not ex-library. No dust jacket. A Very Good copy (owner's name) in black hard covers lettered and decorated in white. Narrow line of sun-fading along the top edges of the covers. The binding is sound, the text is clean/unmarked, and not ex-library. No dust jacket.
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Seller's Description:
Dust jacket missing. First edition. Cover and binding are worn but intact. A reading copy in fair condition. Discoloration and fading to the boards. Heavy bowing to the front board. Denting to the boards and spine. Soiling to the inside of the front and back covers. Soiling to the textblock. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 6x1x9; First edition, first printing with a statement of "First Edition" on copyright page. Hardcover in jacket, price intact on jacket flap. Some foxing to page edges. Text is clean and unmarked. Binding strong. Heavy bump to rear board edge. A few small closed tears to jacket edge, light sunning to jacket spine. Presents well in fresh Mylar. Very good condition. Additional photos available upon request. All of our books are carefully wrapped and shipped in a box.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Size: 6x1x9; Bound in publisher's cloth. Hardcover. No dust jacket. Shelf wear. Water damage to corner. Edge sunned. Small page tears to rear end pages. 243 pages; 24 cm.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Size: 9x6x1; stated 1st edition/2nd printing, hardcover with dust jacket, tight, pages clear and bright, shelf and edge wear, cocked, corners bumped, smudges on closed page edges, ex-library copy with usual library markings and mylar cover with top layer removed leaving the underlayment beneath the dust jacket, packaged in cardboard box for shipment, tracking on U.S. orders.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. 1st Printing. pp. 243. 1983 Random House 1st Edition/1st Printing in VeryGood+/VeryGood+ condition. The HB retains its black color with embossed chessboard and WT initials and crown on the front. Bumps on three corners but in line. Tightly constructed without lean. Foxing on page edges but none on the page face. DJ is bright. Not price-clipped. Wear at top and bottom spine with 3 professionally repaired tears. A striking painting on the front of Beth Harmon, the protagonist, playing chess with a cat on the windowsill. Adapted in 2020 as a highly praised Netflix Mini Series starring the inimitable Anya Taylor-Joy and the great Bill Camp.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. First edition. Fine in about fine dust jacket with creases to the front flap fold and hint of edgewear. Fifth novel by the author of *The Hustler*, about a young woman who has the potential to become the first female top-ranking chess player.
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Seller's Description:
Good+ 0394528018. Some shelf wear to the edges of the spine and slight discoloration to the black cloth. Former owner's bookplate on the front blank endpaper. A clean and tight copy.; 6.25 X 1 X 9.5 inches; 243 pages.
This book, about a young orphan who becomes a chess prodigy, is absolutely fascinating. For any chess lover it is really compelling, but even for someone only familiar with the game there is real character development, excitement, and a great story.
rbeck
Feb 4, 2010
lonely child learns chess- becomes obsessed and br
Kind of a rough beginning with a rape, but this is a wonderful read- a real page turner- and I don't even play chess. Good characters and story line.
robertlk
Apr 24, 2007
outstanding
Excellent novel even if you know little about chess, even better for young chess enthusiests. (but not too young, has some sex , not graphic). I read and enjaoyed it very much, and gave it to my grandson, a ranked highschool player. It is mainly about a shy girl from an orphanage who overcomes great obsticles to become a national chess champion
