The Immortal Game; A History of Chess, by David Shenk

This book is fascinating. It details and analyses a famous game from 1851, and at the same time presents a history of the game. It's educational, if not instructional, but presents the history information in an interesting way. Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Immortal-Game-History-Chess/dp/1400034086/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264293119&sr=8-1