Checkmate, Dorothy Dunnett — 1st Edition

Publication: London, Cassell & Company Ltd, 1975

Formatting: 8vo, pp. [viii], 581.

Condition Report: Good. The binding remains remarkably tight and square, with the black cloth boards presenting cleanly and the silver spine titling unoxidised and bright. However, the text block exhibits age-toning andscattered foxing across the top, bottom, and fore-edges. This spotting has permeated the interior, leaving noticeable blemishes across the endpapers and the reverse of the dust jacket. The dust jacket itself is preserved in a clear, protective sleeve; it remains complete and visually striking on the shelf, though beneath the wrapper, it shows mild rippling to the extremities. Despite the internal foxing, the primary text remains clean and perfectly legible, making it a sound, readable copy of this concluding volume.

Catalogue Note: This is a true UK first edition, first printing of the culminating novel in Dorothy Dunnett's celebrated Lymond Chronicles, published by Cassell in 1975. Though its title and striking cover art might initially draw the eye of those collecting historical chess literature, Checkmate is, in fact, a masterclass in historical fiction and a cornerstone of modern multi-volume sagas.

The book features an uncredited wrap-around dust jacket design that incorporates a chess king upon a checkered board, set against medieval heraldry, a fitting visual metaphor for the intricate political manoeuvring that characterises the series. While early volumes in the Lymond Chronicles can be notoriously difficult to source in first edition, Checkmate enjoyed a larger initial print run, rendering it more accessible on the secondary market. Nevertheless, acquiring copies in immaculate condition remains a challenge, as these substantial novels were frequently and enthusiastically read. This copy, while suffering from standard paper degradation and foxing common to mid-1970s British publishing, remains a solid representative example of the first edition.

In this magnificent conclusion to the legendary Lymond Chronicles, the enigmatic Scottish soldier-of-fortune, Francis Crawford of Lymond, finds himself in France in 1557, tasked with leading an army against England. As Lymond executes his brilliant, chess-like strategies on the battlefield, the ghosts of his haunted past begin to close in. Forces on both sides of the conflict become intensely interested in his true loyalties and lineage. Rich with political intrigue, devastating betrayals, and breathtaking action, Checkmate brings one of historical fiction's most complex and compelling anti-heroes to his final, unforgettable endgame.