Cte de Basterot - Traité élémentaire du Jeu des Échecs - 1852

Rare copy of the Elementary Treatise on the Game of Chess by Count de Basterot, in its original Parisian edition published by Allouard & Kaeppelin, bearing the highly sought-after mention: 'Sold at the Café de la Régence' (a historic chess hub in Paris).

This 19th-century work, very comprehensive, offers a structured learning method enriched with historical, anecdotal, and literary mixes, as well as numerous diagrams and positions, along with a 'problems' section at the end of the volume.

Major feature of this specimen: handwritten additions

This volume is enriched with a collection of handwritten additions in ink, on graph paper, preserved at the end (see photos), including notably:
Clear notation of a chess game.
Whites: La Bourdonnais / Blacks: Mac-Donnell, with columns of moves and comments.
A page titled: 'La Bourdonnais's notes on the previous game' (comments marked a, b, c, etc.), providing a genuine 'game analysis' in the old-fashioned style.
Important (transparency): The sheet is titled 'Notes de La Bourdonnais,' but the autograph attribution is not guaranteed (La Bourdonnais having died in 1840). It is very likely an old copy or transcription by an enlightened amateur, which does not diminish its historical and collectible interest.
A lengthy handwritten manuscript added: 'A Waterloo Revenge – Heroic-comic poem by Méry,' copied over several pages, with a literary tone very much of the 19th century, blending Napoleonic imagery with chess metaphors.
It is a very original addition, rarely encountered in a specimen of this treatise.

Bibliographic details
• Author: Le Cte de Basterot
Elementary Treatise of the Game of Chess…
• Publisher: Paris, Allouard & Kaeppelin (mention 'Café de la Régence')
Pagination: 372 pages (errata present)
• Illustrations: diagrams or check positions within the text.
• Format: approximately 28 × 19 cm (according to measurement)
No text provided for translation.

Binding / Condition
• Binding: brown leather, nerve back, gold title (see photo of the back).
• Condition: beautiful old copy, with normal signs of age (light foxing and possible handling marks). Solid, complete work, and especially exceptional for its handwritten additions.

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