CONVERSATIONAL OPENINGS & ENDINGS - Some Hints for PLAYING the GAME OF SMALL TALK and Other Society Pastimes. By Mrs. Hugh Bell (Dame Florence Eveleen Eleanore Bell).

LONDON: Edward Arnold, 1899. "Revised and Enlarged Edition".

In the book Lady Bell instructs how to play the game of Conversation as a Chess Game. Like chess, the conversationalists play either Black or White, making "moves" meant to win the game of conversation at evening gatherings. In the book, women play White and men play Black.

From the book: "I have adopted the phraseology of a Handbook to Chess as being most suitable for my purpose. By Player is meant the interlocutor, and for further convenience I shall designate the male interlocutor as Black, and the female as White...these being the prevalent hues of male and female costume at evening gatherings, where conversation runs the highest..."

Hardcovers, paper covered boards titled in black on the front cover and spine, and with black lining on the front and rear boards, 6x8.5 inches, 63 pages.

FAIR condition, the covers are soiled, worn at the corner tips, edges and spine ends, and the spine bottom is lacking 1 inch of its paper covering, nonetheless the covers are original and still doing their job; internally, the front inner hinge is cracked but holding well, there is a presentation inscription on the front free endpaper: "L. F. S. / from D. A. / July 1900" (maybe significant, no idea), and there is the signature of

"Willard Pope" on the front pastedown, the pages have yellowed with age as normal, otherwise the pages are tight, bright, clean and unmarked.

RARE 1899 book instructing young ladies on how to checkmate men through conversation.

About Florence Eveleen Eleanore Bell (from Wikipedia and elsewhere on the Internet):

******Dame Florence Eveleen Eleanore Bell, Lady Bell, DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire), née Olliffe, b.1851 d.1930, was a British writer and playwright.

Lady Bell was born in Paris, France in 1851, the youngest of four children of Irish born Joseph Francis Olliffe (later Sir Joseph Olliffe) and Laura Cubitt. She was the second wife of Sir Hugh Bell, 2nd Baronet, of Rounton Grange, and therefore became Lady Bell.

Lady Bell was the stepmother to her husband's children from his first marriage: British explorer and key political figure in the Middle East, Gertrude Bell, b.1868 d.1926, and Maurice, 3rd Baronet, b.1871 d.1944.

In 1918 she was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She died on 16 May 1930 at her home, 95 Sloane Street, Chelsea.******

Your Move, Quick, Speak.