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The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine

The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine

The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine
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The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine

by Standage, Tom

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Fine/Fine
ISBN 10
0802713912
ISBN 13
9780802713919
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About This Item

Walker & Co./ Dept. Printing & Graphic Arts, Harvard College Library, Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A, 2002. 1st Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 272pp. Illustrated. An investigation into the truth about "a mechanical man, fashioned from wood, powered by clockwork, dressed in a stylish Turkish costume - and capable of playing chess." KB4L Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Quantity Available: 1. Category: Games & Gaming; ISBN: 0802713912. ISBN/EAN: 9780802713919. Pictures of this item not already displayed here available upon request. Inventory No: 4089. . 9780802713919

Synopsis

In the annals of man and machine, The Turk has to rank among the most astonishing stories. In 1769, Baron Von Kempelen, engineer to the Imperial Court in Vienna, was so unimpressed by the performance of a visiting conjurer that he boasted he could do better. He built a mechanical chess-playing mannequin, dressed like a Turk, capable of beating even the Court's best players. Over the next decades, the Turk toured the courts of Europe to tremendous acclaim. Amid the craze for automata that swept Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as the Industrial Revolution developed, it was one of the wonders of its time: Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon were among the luminaries who lost to it. Eventually, the Turk ended up in America, where it toured for many years before being destroyed by a fire in 1854. But was it a fraud? The colorful story of the Turk involves a diverse cast of Ludwig van Beethoven, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Babbage and many others, and encompasses the history of magic, the rise of machines, the debate over mechanical reasoning, and the early days of artificial intelligence.

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Details

Bookseller
John McKenna US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
4089
Title
The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine
Author
Standage, Tom
Format/Binding
Hard Cover
Book Condition
Used - Fine
Jacket Condition
Fine
Quantity Available
1
Edition
1st Edition
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10
0802713912
ISBN 13
9780802713919
Publisher
Walker & Co./ Dept. Printing & Graphic Arts, Harvard College Library
Place of Publication
Gordonsville, Virginia, U.S.A
Date Published
2002
Keywords
BZDB60 Chess Magic Automatons Games & Gaming; ISBN: 0802713912 EAN: 9780802713919 Standage, Tom The Turk: The Life and Times of the Famous 18th Century Chess Playing Machine

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About the Seller

John McKenna

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2018
East Northport, New York

About John McKenna

A general used Internet/mail order book business.

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