A History of Playing Cards and a Bibliography of Cards and Gaming

By Catherine Perry Hargrave

Book Overview

Most likely invented in the Far East, playing cards arrived in Europe at roughly the same time as paper money and gunpowder, and by the early eleventh century were in widespread use in France. This classic history, never superseded, not only tells the story of playing cards and their manufacture, but also provides the reader with a fascinating overview of heraldry, geography, history, and social and political activities over the past six centuries. In addition to making extensive use of the magnificent collection of the United States Playing Card Company in Cincinnati, this volume focuses on playing cards of China, Japan, India, Europe, Russia, and America. Also included is an enormous annotated bibliography of more than 900 items on playing cards and games, and probably the largest range of card illustrations, all royalty-free, ever assembled in one place: 1,462 photographs, of which 16 are in color on the covers.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486412369
• ISBN13: 9780486412368
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.91 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A little heady, but a good book on the subject

I'd been looking around for a fairly comprehensive work on Playng Card history, and found this a pretty good choice. A bit wordy and heady at times, but covers things well.

informative but dry

First, an important note: There seems to be 2 versions of this book floating around. One with 16 color plates and one that is all B & W. I learned this when I received mine and found that it was all B & W. Be sure you know which you are getting.Also, many of the b & w images appear to be poor photocopies, either far too light or too dark. This book is no doubt the authority. It is very well researched. But the way it is organized is rather dull. Each chapter basically lists and briefly discusses all the cards that were found from that particular country. It might have been more interesting if there was more discussion of how the different suites evolved or how the countries influenced each other.

Playing Cards Historically

This book is a well-researched, thorough and informative guide to the history of playing cards. I was especially interested in the medieval information, but found the entire work clear and easy to follow, while keeping up high standards of academic quality. I would recommend this work to anyone seriously interested in the history of the field. The Plates were also very helpful in illustrating the development and styles of cards through the centuries.