THE ROYALL GAME OF CHESSE-PLAY. SOMETIMES the recreation of the late KING, with many of the NOBILITY. Illustrated with almost an hundred GAMBETTS. BEING the study of BIOCHIMO the famous Italian.

(GRECO, Gioachino).

Published by London printed for Henry Herringman and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Anchor in the lower walk of the New Exchange, 1656

About this Item

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION 1656, translation by Francis Beale of Gioachino Greco: Trattato del nobilissimo giuoco degli scacchi. 12mo, approximately 145 x 90 mm, 5½ x 3½ inches, engraved portrait of King Charles as frontispiece and a woodcut text illustration of a chess board on page 14, pages: [18], 1-120, followed by 1 leaf, advert to recto and Errata on verso, a poem on A5 recto and verso, signed E. Revet. Bound in modern polished half calf, pale cream boards, gilt lettering and rules to spine, new cream endpapers. Lacks first blank endpaper (which is counted in the collation), but final one is present, the first blank in this copy has horizontal chain lines not vertical as the rest of the book, neat narrow strengthening repairs to some inner margins including title page and 1 outer margin, using archival tape, mostly hard to see, probably done when rebound, portrait slightly trimmed at outer edge, no loss to image, bottom of title page slightly trimmed with slight loss to decorative border, pale age-browning throughout, pale ink letter and number to bottom margin of first dedication page, final blank has pale staining to outer edges, otherwise a very good tight copy. See: Whyld and Ravilious, Chess Texts in the English Language Printed before 1850, page 21-22, No. 1656:2; Murray, A History of Chess, page 830: "Greco's great service to chess lies in the fact that he made his material known to a wider circle of players than Polerio and his contemporaries ever reached. In this way his MSS became one of the most important productions in the literature of chess". George Thomason, Catalogue of Pamphlets, Books etc., Relating to the Civil War, 1640-1662, Volume 2, page 148, [May 12.] E. 1612 (1.); Sotheby's, The Robert S. Spirie Collection, part 1, page 242, Lot No. 403; ESTC R23418. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST. Seller Inventory # 40643.

Seller Inventory # 51497

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE ROYALL GAME OF CHESSE-PLAY. SOMETIMES the recreation of the late KING, with many of the NOBILITY. Illustrated with almost an hundred GAMBETTS. BEING the study of BIOCHIMO the famous Italian.
• Publisher: London printed for Henry Herringman and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Anchor in the lower walk of the New Exchange
• Publication Date: 1656
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)