This graphic novel tells the history of “The Turk,” the mechanical chess player of the 18th and 19th centuries. It has been serialized online over the course of six years, and has finally been collected in printed form. The story itself is true, but fictionalized somewhat for story-telling purposes. Irwin has heavily annotated where she embellished the story and why in an exhausting series of endnotes. Clockwork Game is meticulously researched and includes a four page bibliography. I had heard of “The Turk” but knew virtually nothing about it. Historical personages who cross The Turk’s path include Benjamin Franklin, Charles Babbage, Napoleon, Beethoven, P.T. Barnum and Edgar Allan Poe. It really is a fascinating story and I recommend it to everyone.
For more information, I urge you to go to www.clockworkgame.com
Replies
I remember hearing about the Turk when I was a kid. I assumed that it was the inspiration for the chess-playing Cyberman in "Nightmare in Silver".
Automata figure into the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the movie Hugo. I haven't read the book.
These are also concerned with the very earliest movie making involving special effects.
I'm not entirely sure how a mechanical figure without a computer could play chess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invention_of_Hugo_Cabret
The Movie Hugo
Special Effects Pioneer Georges Méliès
Thanks for the links. I advise you (and anyone else) to steer clear of the Wikipedia article about The Turk if you have any interest in reading Clockwork Game. 'Nuff said.