Dusaulx - Passion du Jeu - 1779

DUSAULX（Jean）。自古至今对赌的热情 Paris，L'Imprimerie de Monsieur，1779。一本卷内两部分，In-8（20 cm），共 XXXVII-267 页，335 页，书题浮雕小图，书名带头饰、灯笼与花饰。 ORIGINAL EDITION 题献给路易十六的兄长，未来的路易十八，印于 Monsieur 的印刷所，书首以国王武装纹饰木雕。 该书分为两部分，作者分析赌博热情的漫长历史、起源、对社会的影响，以及塑造其发展的经济与社会趋势。让·杜索勒（Jean Dusaulx，1728-1799），法兰西学院成员，提出一份融博学、道德与社会批评为一体的思考。 来源：书商尼昂（Nyon）的开本收藏。 装订：全羊皮革，深棕花纹抛光，做工精良。背面以带浮雕的箱格和金色花饰装饰，红色马洛坚皮质书标。书脊四周饰以金线，切面染清澈。 页边镶银色闪点。 状态：边角有轻微磨损，下段生针部有修复，其余装订完好。 少许斑点、初始处微湿迹。 宜人的 antiquarian 版本，内页干净清新。

VIZIO O PROFESSIONE ? IL GIOCO COME SISTEMA DI VITA NELL’ANCIEN RÉGIME
Prima edizione di un’opera tanto elegante quanto corrosiva, in cui Jean Dusaulx analizza the passion of gambling as a historical, social and economic phenomenon. The volume, dedicated to the brother of Louis XVI (the future Louis XVIII), fits into the late Enlightenment climate, when vice is no longer merely a moral matter but an object of rational inquiry. Between classical erudition and contemporary observation, Dusaulx builds a genealogy of gambling as a universal human impulse, revealing its deep ties to risk, power and the instability of fortunes.
MARKET VALUE
Range indicativo: 1.200 – 2.000 euro
Essemplari in legatura coeva ben conservata, come il presente, possono raggiungere 2.500 euro, soprattutto con provenienze interessanti.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Two parts in one volume: XXXVII, 267 pp.; 335 pp. Frontispiece with engraved vignette, presence of bandeaux and culs-de-lampe.
Contemporary binding in full Havana calf, marbled and glossy; spine with raised bands ornamented with gilded tooling; red Morocco title label; gilded edges; sprinkled edges, signs of wear.
Binding very well preserved. Inner pages fresh, with rare foxing.
In rare old books with centuries of 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
Opus emblematic of the late French Enlightenment, Dusaulx’s treatise confronts gambling as a total historical phenomenon, traversing 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 printing at L’Imprimerie de Monsieur place the work in an aristocratic and political context where gambling is widespread among elites yet a matter of moral and financial concern. The text anticipates modern reflections on risk, speculation and dependency, rendering it surprisingly contemporary.

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 with 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 behaviours 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 enjoyed a modest circulation among educated 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, exemplares cataloged 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 theoretical context on play)
Caillois, Roger, Les jeux et les hommes, pp. 9–45