THE GAME OF THE CHESS. (Chesse). DELUXE BINDING.

London, John Russell Smith, 1855.. FIRST EDITION OF THE FACSIMILE EDITION 1855 (date at foot of last page, May 1st 1855), Vincent Figgins's facsimile edition of the 1482 Westminster Caxton edition. Reproduced from a copy in the British Museum. With a Few Remarks on Caxton's Typographical Productions. The Type has been catefully imitated, and the cuts traced from the British Museum copy. The paper has also been made as near as possible to the original. Large 8vo, approximately 290 x 210 mm, 11½ x 8½ inches, 24 half page woodcuts in the text, title page in red and black (a note at the foot of the page states that there was no title page in the original), 167 unnumbered pages of the original Caxton edition, followed by 13 pages of Remarks and a list of Caxton's works, 1 page of Synopsis of Characters and Combinations used in "The Game of Chess", 1 page of A Tribute to the Memory of William Caxton plus 1 page advert for Almshouses. Bound in publisher's morocco, with strapwork effect in relief and with small silver bosses, central raised panel with Caxton's initials in blind, silver clasps in the style of the period by Egleton's (there were 2 bindings, this is the most expensive at 3 guineas, the other in calf at 2 guineas, see "A Tribute" at the end of book), expertly rebacked to style, pale title to spine, chess board patterned endpapers. Covers rubbed and lightly scuffed, corners worn with board showing at tips, shelf wear to edges, 1 small repair to top inner margin of first page on the blank side,1 silver clasp replaced with a bronze one at sometime, occasional pale foxing, bookplate to first pastedown, otherwise a very good copy. Caxton's The Game and Playe of the Chesse does not, in fact, have much to say about the game or about playing it. First printed in 1474, then reprinted in 1482 with woodcuts added, it is instead a translation of Jacobus de Cessolis' 13th century political treatise, the Liber de moribus hominum et officiis nobilium ac popularium super ludo scachorum (The Book of the Morals of Men and the Duties of Nobles and Commoners, on the Game of Chess)". MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.