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

by Catherine Perry Hargrave

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 This classic history, never superseded, not only tells the story of playing cards and their manufacture, but also provides the reader with a fascinating overview of heraldry, geography, history, and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 1,462 photographs, of which 16 are in color on the covers.

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction, Games

Paperback

First published June 1, 1960

Reviews

[Douglas Summers-Stay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The early sections about the origins of playing cards in Asia were very interesting. Apparently card games may stem with a gambling game played at first with real paper money, then with fake paper money. A few other fun facts: after the revolution, France replaced its royal cards with philosophers and such. Playing cards were one of the first printed materials widely available in Europe.
The book has a lot of illustrations. Though most are poor reproductions, they make the most interesting part of the book.