The Game of Authors Compendium: More Than 300 Different Editions of Authors Card Games from 1861 to the Present PLUS A Selection of Writings from 40 Authors

by Stuart R. Kaplan, William G. Miller

This massive compendium reproduces in full color the graphics that appear on over 300 American editions of Authors Card Game dating from 1861 to the present. The collection by U.S. Games Systems also presents selected poems and popular phrases from forty 18th and 19th century authors.

The Authors Compendium book is divided into five sections, starting with the Dr. Busby card games dating from 1843. The next section presents four different editions of the 1861 Authors Card Game. A selection of published writings from 19th century authors are included for the readers’ enjoyment. The main section of the book reproduces the cards fronts and backs, portraits of the authors, and the charming box covers. The book also includes Authors Card Games from foreign language publishers, and other card games that employ the Authors method of game play.

This historical book is for everyone interested in card games in general, and especially about the Authors Card Game. It is an invaluable reference work for researchers and libraries. Collectors will enjoy the opportunity to see so many Authors Card Games from a private collection never seen before in one location.

476 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2021

About the author

In 1968 while traveling for business in Europe, Stuart Kaplan attended the Nuremberg Toy Fair in search of game ideas and gifts for his children. He discovered an intriguing deck of cards unlike anything he had ever seen before. He brought the pack of Swiss 1JJ tarot back to New York and started selling it to bookstores. The deck began to sell well but there was no instruction book available, so Stuart wrote Tarot Cards for Fun and Fortune Telling. With these products Stuart launched U.S. Games Systems, Inc. the first company to publish tarot decks in the U.S. He chose the Fool card from the Rider-Waite deck as the company logo because it represents the willingness to take a leap of faith and follow an unchartered path (And his birthday is April 1, April Fool’s Day). The Rider-Waite deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, would become the most iconic and beloved tarot deck in the world. Stuart made it his personal mission to bring Pamela Colman Smith the recognition she richly deserved. He spent years researching Smith and collecting her original art and publications, which would be showcased in his book Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story.

Stuart’s dedication to education also led him to write one of the most extensive bodies of work on the tarot, the four-volume Encyclopedia of the Tarot, which describes and illustrates more than 1,000 different tarot decks from the 15th century to the present. The Encyclopedia of the Tarot has become the most influential collection of books for tarot history and research.

Stuart believes that tarot cards are an unbound book, by shuffling the cards a new story is revealed. The person reading the cards brings their own, unique interpretation to each reading of an individual card and the cards in combination. There is an aura of mysticism coupled with fascination that surrounds the images on the cards, and the fact that they have been in existence for over five centuries adds to the allure. In his experience tarot is a catalyst. In some ways, it is also a creativity tool to allow people to think differently and experience thoughts and ideas they might not otherwise have considered. For some people, tarot allows for serious meditation, others find it fun. It is all in the eyes of the beholder.

Stuart was also an avid collector of antiquarian books, ephemera, historical items, and vintage playing cards and games, particularly Authors Card Games. His impressive collections have been displayed in major museums around the world. His last major research and writing project was The Game of Authors Compendium. Stuart’s passion for work never waned, and it inspired everyone around him.

Stuart Kaplan passed away at the age of 88 on February 9, 2021. He is remembered for his kindness, humor, and generosity.

Reviews

[Fred Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an impressive reference work for antique game lovers. While the focus is on the Authors series of cards you get a look into what each of the various manufacturers were up to in regards to graphics and themes.

Now that this is available at a discounted price and is a huge heavy book.

Highly recommended

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary catalog of the Authors and its many variations card game. I think I would have marked it a five star if there way a little more gameplay and social context. The addition of excerpts and selected writings of many obscure authors was an unexpected delight.