Staunton, HOWARD,

Staunton, HOWARD, chess-player and Shakespearian scholar, was born in 1810, studied at Oxford, early settled down to journalism in London, and died June 22, 1874. His victory in 1843 over M. St Amand made him the champion chess-player of his day. To this subject he contributed the following works: The Chess-player's Handbook (1847), Chess-player's Companion (1849), Chess-tournament (1851), Chess Praxis (1860). His edition of Shakespeare appeared in six volumes (1858-60), with a number of textual emendations so excellent as to give him rank among the best contemporary critics. Another edition (3 vols. 1858-60) was enriched by 824 illustrations by Sir John Gilbert. Staunton also published in 1866 a careful photolithographic fac-simile of the first folio text of Shakespeare. Another useful work was The Great Schools of England (1865).