I got this handsome hardcover from a friend for Christmas. (I'd asked for it after stumbling across references to Brown's work in her husband's book Summer at Little Lava.) It's about the iconic Lewis chessmen, 12th-century pieces carved in walrus ivory... and, the title notwithstanding, can only guess at who made them. (The woman in question, Margret the Adroit of Iceland, was cited in a single Icelandic saga as an expert carver of ivory, and the dates and locations make it possible that she worked on some of the Lewis pieces, but this book doesn't focus on that nearly as much as the title would suggest.)

That's not to say the book isn't interesting - I found it very much so. From a history of the game of chess, especially as it began to evolve once it reached western Europe, to the details of the designs on the Lewis pieces, with speculation as to possible meanings (were they meant to depict specific people? To have deeper meanings than those associated with the game?), there's a lot of meat here. The book also takes us through the history of the Saga of Bishop Páll and other Nordic lore, providing a fascinating picture of the travels, politics, religion, and culture of the time. Throw in the steps needed to hunt and kill walrus and harvest their tusks, plus the skill and artistry needed to carve them, and you have a wide-ranging book that centers around a very small set of objects: a perfect "biography of things" to my mind!

I'm adding this book to the Biographies of Things bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Hope someone enjoys it!

Taken from the Biographies of Things box with thanks!

I don't play chess, but decorative chess sets can be fascinating to look at: this set certainly looks like it has a story. :)