My 60 Memorable Games (William Lombardy's Copy and the First Copy Bobby Fischer Signed as World Champion) by Bobby Fischer - 1969

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1969. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good +. ****AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE OF CHESS HISTORY**** AND ONE OF THE TOWERING ASSOCIATION COPIES IN THE GAME'S VAST LITERATURE. WARMLY inscribed (in itself very unusual) by the newly-minted World Champion to William Lombardy, Bobby Fischer's "second" at Reyjavik and the man widely credited with convincing an overwrought Fischer to move forward and play the match. As with most of Fischer's relationships, his friendship with Lombardy was complicated and experienced many highs and lows. But the fact remains that Lombardy played a major role as coach and mentor in Fischer's development as a world-class player and provided much-needed stability during Bobby's early years. Fully aware of Fischer's tight-fisted ways, Lombardy was understandably looking for compensation for the time and toil he had invested in the Fischer-Spassky match and he set his sights on this historic copy of "My 60 Memorable Games". By making sure that he could secure Bobby's very first signature as World Champion he understood that he would own a piece of chess immortality, a physcial talisman for the ages. To further mark the significance of the signing, Lombardy verified in his own hand that this indeed was Fischer's first signature as World Champion and he even had Saemi Palsson (Fischer's bodyguard and the Chief of the Reyjavik Police Department) sign this copy as well as a witness to history. On top of the remarkable history attached to it, this copy is also a very solid example of the 1969 stated 1st printing. Clean and Near Fine in a crisp, price-intact ($6.95), VG+ dustjacket, with just a bit of light chipping along the panel edges. Thick octavo, "with introductions to the games by International Grandmaster Larry Evans". ONE OF THE GREAT FISCHER PIECES TO REACH THE MARKET AND ONE OF THE TRUE RARITIES TO EMERGE --ALMOST 50 YEARS LATER-- FROM THE EPIC 1972 STRUGGLE IN ICELAND.