Dusaulx - Passion du Jeu - 1779

DUSAULX (Jean). On the Passion of Gambling, from ancient times to our days. Paris, L'Imprimerie de Monsieur, 1779. Two parts in one volume in-8 (20 cm) of XXXVII-267 pp., 335 pp., title vignette engraved, headbands and tailpieces. ORIGINAL EDITION dedicated to the brother of Louis XVI, future Louis XVIII, printed at the address of L'Imprimerie de Monsieur, title decorated with royal arms carved on wood. Work in two parts in which the author analyzes the long history of the passion for gambling, its origins, its impact on society and the economic and social trends that shaped its development. Jean Dusaulx (1728-1799), member of the French Academy, offers a reflection mixing erudition, morality, and social critique. Provenance: ex-libris of bookseller Nyon on the pastedown. BINDING: Full havana calf marbled and glazed, of good quality. Spine with raised bands ornamented with tools and gold compartments; red morocco title label; gold fillets on the boards. Gilt top edges. OVERTURE: one corner dulled, restoration at the bottom of the lower hinge, otherwise binding in very good condition. Rare foxing, light angular dampstaining at the beginning. Pleasant contemporary copy, interior clean and fresh.

VIZIO O PROFESSIONE? IL GIOCO COME SISTEMA DI VITA NELL’ANCIEN REGIME
First edition of a work as elegant as it is corrosive, in which Jean Dusaulx analyzes gambling as a historical, social, and economic phenomenon. The volume, dedicated to Louis XVI’s brother (the future Louis XVIII), situates itself in the late Enlightenment climate, when vice is no longer merely a moral matter but the object of rational investigation. Between classical erudition and contemporary observation, Dusaulx builds a genealogy of gambling as a universal human impulse, revealing its deep link with risk, power, and the instability of fortunes.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative range: 1,200 – 2,000 euros
Copies in contemporaneous binding well preserved, like the present, can reach 2,500 euros, especially with interesting provenance.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Two parts in one volume: XXXVII, 267 pp.; 335 pp. Frontispiece with engraved vignette, presence of headbands and tailpieces.
Contemporary full calf binding, avana marbled and glossy; spine with raised bands ornamented with tooling and gold compartments; red morocco title tile; gold groats on the boards; sprinkled edges, signs of wear.
Binding very well preserved. Interior fresh, with rare foxing.
In old books, with a long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
De la Passion du Jeu, depuis les temps anciens jusqu'à nos jours.
Paris, L’Imprimerie de Monsieur, 1779.
Dusaulx, Jean.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
A emblematic work of late French Enlightenment, Dusaulx’s treatise addresses gambling as a total historical phenomenon, crossing classical antiquity to the contemporary Ancien Régime society. It is not merely a moral pamphlet, but a proto-sociological analysis: gambling emerges as a device reflecting economic structures, social tensions, and collective illusions.
The dedication to the future Louis XVIII and the printing at L’Imprimerie de Monsieur place the work in an aristocratic and political context, where gambling is at once a widespread practice among the elites and an object of moral and financial concern. The text prefigures modern reflections on risk, speculation, and addiction, making it surprisingly timely.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Jean Dusaulx (1728–1799) was a man of letters and a member of the Académie française. A typical figure of the Enlightenment intellectuals, he united erudite interests and moral commitment, dedicating himself to historical, philosophical, and social works. His writing reflects the tension between rationality and critique of customs, with particular attention to collective behaviors and their ethical implications.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Original edition of 1779, printed in Paris at L’Imprimerie de Monsieur, workshop tied to the Count of Provence (the future Louis XVIII). The work had a modest circulation among the cultured and aristocratic circles, but did not achieve broad popular diffusion, contributing to the relative rarity of well-preserved copies on the market today.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France), catalogue général, notice Dusaulx, 1779
WorldCat, bibliographic record De la passion du jeu
ICCU / OPAC SBN, copies catalogued in Italian libraries (specific verification recommended)
Darnton, Robert, The Literary Underground of the Old Regime, pp. 95–120
Chartier, Roger, Les origines culturelles de la Révolution française, pp. 210–240
Huizinga, Johan, Homo Ludens, passim (for the theoretical context on play)
Caillois, Roger, Les jeux et les hommes, pp. 9–45