1883 Games played in the London International Chess Tournament, 1883. First Edition

Edited by J. I. Minchin, with the assistance of the English Masters Zukertort, Steinitz, Mason and Bird.
London, Jas. Wade, 18 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, [1883].
Title page stating “First Edition”. [4], LVI, 371, [1] pp., with the tournament tables. Royal octavo (approx. 25 × 16.5 cm).
References: Betts 25-16; Van der Linde-Niemeijeriana 5216.

The official book of the great London 1883 tournament, won by Zukertort ahead of Steinitz. The event led directly to their 1886 match, the first official World Championship, and saw the first use of double-faced chess clocks. The games are annotated by Zukertort, Steinitz, Mason and Bird. The book also includes accounts of the tournament and the banquet, the balance sheet, and a selection of games from the Vizayanagaram Tournament.

Binding: original publisher’s brown cloth, front board richly gilt-pictorial (chessmen, tournament clocks, the names of the competing nations and players). Spine lettered in gilt, “Jas. Wade” at foot.

Provenance: H. Stonier bookplate on front pastedown. Contemporary pencil notes on the title page referencing the British Chess Magazine reviews of 1883–84, and a manuscript addition to the contents.

Condition (accurately described, please see photos):

Exterior very good: clean cloth, bright gilt. Spine ends rubbed and frayed.
Front inner hinge cracked.
Text block broken in the preliminary section (around p. XLI), with some gatherings separated. The volume is complete.
Paper clean, with normal age toning.
Sold as is, unrestored. A good candidate for conservative rebinding.

• Code SW291026
• Anno 1883
• Pagine LVI, 371,