H.J.R. Murray Papers

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 161 MSS. H.J. Murray 1-168
  • Dates of Creation
      19th-20th century
  • Language of Material
      English, Latin, and Italian.
  • Physical Description
      168 shelfmarks

Scope and Content

Papers and correspondence of H.J.R. Murray, relating to chess and board games, consisting of:  

  • Transcripts of manuscripts and printed works, mainly copied from items owned by J.G. White
  • Collections of problems and games
  • Papers on chess by Murray
  • Papers on chess by other writers
  • Collections and notes by Murray
  • Papers relating to draughts
  • Papers relating to other board games
  • Correspondence

Administrative / Biographical History

Harold James Ruthven Murray (1868-1955) was a chess player and historian of chess and board games. He was the author of A history of chess (Oxford, 1913) and A history of board games (Oxford, 1952).

Access Information

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures see http://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/specialcollections).

Acquisition Information

The papers were given to the Library with a collection of printed books and Oriental manuscripts in 1955.

Note

Collection level description created by Emily Tarrant, Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts.

Other Finding Aids

M. Clapinson and T.D. Rogers, Summary Catalogue of Post-Medieval Western Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library Oxford. Acquisitions 1916-1975. (Oxford, 1991), vol. II, nos. 49061-229.

Related Material

See also Papers of H.J.R. Murray (MSS. Eng. c. 2817, d. 2370, e. 2719-21).