AA. VV. - Jeu de l'Hombre - 1713

THE HOMBRE, ANCESTOR OF BRIDGE: RULES AND SECRETS AT THE COURT OF THE SUN KING
Before bridge, European aristocracy challenged one another at Hombre, a game of declaration, trumps and strategy.
Two French treatises from 1713 illustrate its rules and resolve disputes arising at the table.
A player faces the other two, turning every hand into a test of evaluation and memory.
The engraved frontispiece and the card figures accompany the reader through the mechanisms of the game.
Two complementary works gathered in a single volume, bound in contemporaneous full leather.

ABSTRACT
Le Jeu de l’Hombre, followed by Décisions nouvelles sur les difficultez et incidens du jeu de l’Hombre, brings together two Parisian treatises of 1713 dedicated to one of the great historical ancestors of bridge. The link mainly concerns the introduction of declaration as a strategic moment preceding the play of the cards: evaluating one’s hand, making a commitment, and facing an opposing defense.

In the classic three-player form, the Hombre uses a forty-card deck formed from the French deck by removing the eight, nine and ten. Nine cards are dealt to each player, while the remaining thirteen constitute the talon. Through the declarations, it is determined who will assume the role of the Hombre, the hand’s protagonist, who in ordinary forms chooses the trump suit and plays solo against the other two. Depending on the declaration, one can improve the hand by exchanging cards with the talon or play without changes. Nine tricks are played, each consisting of one card per player: the strongest trump prevails, or, in its absence, the highest card of the lead suit according to the game’s hierarchy. The Hombre wins by taking five tricks, or four if the opponents split the remaining tricks three and two.

Initial evaluation, control of the trumps, and the ability to reconstruct the opponents’ cards explain its appeal to bridge enthusiasts. The first treatise teaches rules and strategies with the support of illustrations; the second clarifies doubts, incidents and controversies, documenting the need for a true shared code of the game.

WHY TO BUY
A volume of particular interest for antique game book collectors, bridge enthusiasts and scholars of card history. The Hombre anticipates fundamental elements of bridge culture: declaration, choice of trump, hand valuation, and the opposition between a declarer and a defense. The two publications allow observing these mechanisms in the aristocratic society of the early eighteenth century. The engraved frontispiece, the woodcut card figures, and the contemporaneous binding add iconographic and antiquarian interest to the collection.

MARKET VALUE
Indicative commercial valuation: €200–400, depending on completeness, preservation, and integrity of the illustrative apparatus. The value of the specimen lies in the pairing of the two 1713 treatises, in the representations of playing cards, and in the contemporaneous binding, elements appreciated in the specialist market of antique gaming literature.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Two works gathered in one volume, with contemporaneous full dark brown leather binding. Spine with raised bands divided into compartments adorned with gold-impressed friezes and a gilt title. The first treatise features an engraved frontispiece and numerous woodcut illustrations in the text depicting playing cards, combinations, and illustrative situations. The second work preserves the printer’s fleurons and ornamental borders. Text in French. Pages: (2); 12nn; 168; 14nn; 34; (2). Total 232 pages, including the endpapers indicated. Cards show widespread yellowing, sporadic foxing, small stains and natural signs of age.

In old books, with a centuries-long history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. This listing contains AI renderings. Please refer to the original photographs to verify the object’s actual condition. Images are an integral part of the description.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Le Jeu de l’Hombre, comme on le joue presentement à la Cour, & à Paris. À Paris, chez Jean Geoffroy Nion, 1713.
Legato con: Décisions nouvelles sur les difficultez et incidens du jeu de l’Hombre. À Paris, chez Nicolas Gossellin, 1713.
Opere anonime.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Of Spanish origin, the Hombre spread through European courts and salons during the 17th century, establishing itself as one of the most prestigious entertainments of aristocratic society. Its contribution to the history of card games was decisive: the declaration allowed players to contend for the role of hand protagonist and, in ordinary forms, to choose the trump based on the strength of their cards.

It is in this sense that the Hombre occupies a place among the historical ancestors of bridge: it belongs to the tradition that made the pre-game commitment, the risk of declaration, and the defense organization central. The two 1713 works also document the transition from table customs to a written system of rules and interpretations. The manual teaches one how to play; the Décisions nouvelles determine how to resolve controversial situations.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
The two works are published anonymously. They belong to a tradition of practical manual literature in which rules were collected, updated, and adapted to players’ conventions. Jean Geoffroy Nion and Nicolas Gossellin are the booksellers-editors named in the respective publications. The compilers’ work consisted of translating table experience into instructions, examples, and decisions usable by a wider audience.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Europe-wide success of the Hombre encouraged the publication of numerous manuals and subsequent editions between the 17th and 18th centuries. Le Jeu de l’Hombre circulated even before 1713 and was reissued with updates to clarify the court and Parisian customs and practices. The Décisions nouvelles responded to the same need, focusing on interpretive difficulties and gaming incidents. The presence of the two texts in the same binding makes their complementary nature evident: learning the rules and solving controversial cases.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
A collection relevant to the history of card games, French ludic handbooks, and the culture of the Ancien Régime’s salons. Of particular interest for studying the antecedents of bridge and the evolution of trick-taking games with declarations. The card illustrations and the clarifications on controversies retain value both iconographic and documentary.