About

The story

In 1770, the court of Empress Maria Theresia witnessed one of that era’s most amazing feats of engineering: a machine that could play chess. Artfully constructed by a talented Hungarian nobleman named Wolfgang von Kempelen, the chess-machine played a unique game against each opponent, far surpassing the abilities of all its fellow automata. Audiences flocked to see the astonishing mechanical marvel seemingly capable of human intelligence.

Known colloquially as “The Turk”, though never called as such by its owners, the automaton toured across two continents, playing many famous opponents throughout its long and storied career.

The content

Clockwork Game is suggested for readers age 13 and up, and contains depictions of racism and Orientalism in Europe and America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The editors (though any errors are my own)

The book

Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, Clockwork Game is now available in a number of formats.

The author

Jane Irwin is the artist and writer of the Vögelein series of graphic novels, the first of which was listed among Booklist’s Top Ten Graphic Novels For Youth in 2003. She lives in Kalamazoo with her husband Paul Sizer, and makes comics as often as she’s able. You can find out more about her work at her main website, FieryStudios.com