The Chess Player's Handbook

" He achieved fame by winning a celebrated match against the French champion St Amant, gave his name to a set of chessmen that has become standard, edited the first English chess magazine and by his originality and enthusiasm brought about the first International Chess Tournament. This remarkable man was Howard Staunton, the only British chess master of whom it could be said that at one time he was the world's leading player." "In 1847 came Staunton's first and greatest work on chess, the Chess-Player's Handbook. It was at once an immense success and remained so throughout his lifetime and long after. In between the years 1847 and 1935 it was republished 21 times." Harry Golombek