DÉCOUVERTES SUR LE CAVALIER (AUX ÉCHECS), PAR C. F. J.

[DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE KNIGHT IN CHESS, by Carl Ferdinand von Jaenisch].

ST. PETERSBOURG (Russia): Imprimerie de C. Wienhoeber, 1837. First edition. TEXT IN FRENCH.

A mathematical study of the use of the knight in chess.

Paper wrappers, sewn binding, deckled front and bottom page edges, 6.5x9.75 inches (16x24.5 cm), 67, [1] pages. Lacking the fold-open plate at the rear and blank front and rear endpapers, otherwise complete.

FAIR condition: Sewn binding coming undone but signatures still holding together by a few threads, spine worn away exposing the rear edges of the signatures, some shedding of paper from the deckled page edges, front and rear covers toned and have some brown stains, front cover has a pea-size hole and edge wear, foxing throughout mostly light, some small brown stains here and there, a couple early iron-ink comments on the first page, a few recent pencil margin comments; overall this important 1837 mathematical chess work on knights is complete, with text that remains bright and clear. A nice, vintage copy.

RARE ORIGINAL 1837 FIRST EDITION. One of the more difficult to find of Jaenisch's chess books. Harvard has a digitized copy (with which this copy has been collated). Your move.

About C. F. von Jaenisch (from Wikipedia):

******Carl Ferdinand von Jaenisch, b.1813 d.1872, was a Finnish and Russian chess player and theorist. In the 1840s, he was among the top players in the world.

Jaenisch dedicated his life to MATHEMATICS and CHESS, two subjects which he considered closely related. He tried to show their connections in his work DÉCOUVERTES SUR LE CAVALIER (AUX ÉCHECS), published in Saint Petersburg in 1837.******