Catalogue

"Shakespearean scholar Howard Staunton's impressive, pioneering journal incredibly came out on a weekly basis for the first volume. The notation is naturally of the arcane descriptive variety (""K.P. two, Q.B.P. two""), and many of the games given coyly abbreviate players' names, such as simply referring to ""Mr. P-t"" versus ""Mr. S-a"". Includes articles on the origins of European chess (and the discovery of the Lewis chessmen), the automaton chess player and an account of cheating King Canute's touch move dispute with his thane, Earl Ulf. 416 pages" (EUR 29.00)

Staunton's magazine features a long poem in French celebrating Bourdonnais vs. McDonnell, entitled Une Revanche de Waterloo, depicting McDonnell descending, like Rob Roy, from the mountains of Scotland to do battle with the French hero. It seems a shame to spoil this romantic vision by pointing out that McDonnell came from Belfast. Many of the names of the players are curiously half blanked out (presumably mid-Victorian gentlemen were chary about having their full names bandied about in anything so vulgar as a chess magazine). Connoisseurs of weird openings might like to look at the analysis of the Schwarz defence 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 f5!? - which had been published in Le Palamede the previous year. (Reviewed by BCM) (EUR 29.00)

"The latest facsimile reprint of Howard Staunton's antiquarian magazine. 1844 continues in similar vein to previous editions: the curious ""blanking out: of players name (Cochrane becomes C_____E), and eclectic letter and articles, including an entertaining preamble covering the battles between McDonnell and Bourdonnais. The games and puzzle positions are also fun to solve probably precisely because many are naive by modern standards, and contain alternative solutions" (EUR 29.00)

Staunton's magazine for the year 1845. The post-match recriminations from Staunton's match with St Amant make for fascinating reading. Games, problems, and news of the mid-Victorian chess world.(EUR 29.00)

"The Staunton-St.Amant recriminations rumble on into another year, and there is some mock Dickensian writing from Captain Kennedy. Here is an amusing article on ""the game at chess by telegraph"" in 1845 between Staunton and Kennedy in Gosport and a group of players at the London Vauxhall railway terminus. The Gosport allies missed the last train home because of the delay caused by the telegrapher re-transmitting the moves to people following the game in Southampton. Though not the first game by telegraph, this could have been the earliest instance of the phenomenon known to internet chess players as ""lag""." (EUR 29.00)

The latest reprint in the series includes a description of the annual dinner of Liverpool Chess Club, which featured much laughter, cheering and singing. There is a song entitled The Glasses Sparkle on the Board: perhaps Shot-Glass Chess is not such a recent invention. 420 pages, (EUR 29.00)

Another ample helping of Victorian chess as published by Howard Staunton, replete with games and numerous reports of chess association gatherings. That of the London Chess Clb was notable for the attendance of St. Amant as well as all the British notables, including Staunton, with the prospect of another match between the top players of Britain and France being greeted with cheering and applause. There is a brief obituary of Deschapelles. Von der Lasa contributes a piece on "chess in Hamburgh and Altona". All in all, a vibrant and informative journal, packed with interest." (Reviewed by BCM). 429 pages, (EUR 29.00)

The usual lively and informative account of chess in the mid-Victorian age. London may well have been a mecca for chess, but Yorkshire and Liverpool rivaled it when it came to eating and drinking. (Reviewed by BCM). 480 pages, (EUR 29.00)

Packed with game scores and problems as usual, this seems to have been a relatively slow year for hard news. The editor resorts to odd articles, such as a phrenological study of Mr. Harrwitz, the celebrated blindfold player. There is also some jingoistic bombast about how wonderful England is and the unvanquished prowess of her champion". (Reviewed by BCM). 380 pages, (EUR 29.00)

380 pages, (EUR 29.00)