The chess player from New Orleans would have been world champion Paul Morphy
(1837-1884), a bizarre legend who renounced the game and spent most of his
last 15 years insane.

http://www.angelfire.com/games/SBChe...ul_Morphy.html

Morphy was the Bobby Fisher of 1850-64, a child prodigy who flamed out young
and lingered in obscurity.

He never married, so the Countess could not have been his descendent.

Perhaps she took his name as a pen name, and was never really named Morphy?


--
-Mark H. Zanger
author, The American History Cookbook, The American Ethnic Cookbook for
Students
www.ethnicook.com
www.historycook.com

"Hippy" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Can anyone here give me any information about the author of
> "Recipes for All Nations"?
> I received this 1935 recipe book for Christmas and I've been
> fascinated with it ever since. Unfortunately I have not been able to
> find much information about the author. Here's what I know. Any
> further information would be greatly appreciated.
>
> . Here's what I do know, and some of what I don't know. Her actual
> name MAY have been "Marcelle Azra Forbes" and she was born in New
> Orleans sometime around the turn of the century. I can't find a real
> date anywhere. She also may have been related to an international
> chess player named Paul Forbes. Apparently he was the "Bobby Fisher"
> of the turn of the century. Hold that thought though. There is no
> information about Countess Morphy until she moves to England sometime
> in the late 20's or early 30's. There is a rumor that she was
> traveling in Italy in the early 30's and simply liked the name of
> "Count Morphy", who actually existed, and took the name "Countess
> Morphy", as a nom de plume. No facts to back this up. She wrote a
> number of books about cooking in Europe and in Africa, under the name
> Countess Morphy, from the 1930's until 1948. Here's where things get
> very confusing. Around 1954 she married the editor of her books, a man
> called "Ellert Forbes". I find it very interesting that both of their
> Christian names are the same. Is this the truth? What I do know is
> that an Ellert Forbes, in 1938 wrote a book called "Wine for
> Everyman". Was it the same man? I have no idea. Can't find any more
> information.