The Devils Picturebooks a History of Playing Cards

P RE FA C E . “ ’ H E Devil s Book s was the name bestowed upon Playing- cards by the P urita n s and other piou s souls who were probably in h opes that this name would alarm timid persons and so prevent their use . Whether or not his S a tan ic P - Majesty originated laying cards , we have no means of discovering ; but it is more probable he - that only inspired their invention , and placed of who them in the hands mankind , have eagerly o of ad pted this simple means amusing themselves , and have used it according to the good or evil s which predominated in their own brea ts . Many learned men have written books or treatises on P - I for laying cards , and am indebted a large part of the information contained in this histo ry to “ ” Les C a . P C artes Jouer, by M aul la roix ; ” P - Facts and Speculations about laying cards , by h of P - . C T e Mr hatto ; History laying cards , by T The of the Rev . Edward aylor ; and History ” - P . laying cards , by M r Singer out of These books are now print, and some ffi I n what di cult to obtain ; and hope , by bringi g into a small compass the principal features set I to f forth in them , shall be able place be ore a number of readers interesting facts that would be otherwise unobtainable . Hearty thanks are due to the custodians of the o Nati nal M useum in Washington , who have aided t o me in every way in their power, and also the many kind friends who have sought far and wide for o of unique and uncomm n packs cards , and helped materially by gathering facts rel a ting to fo r them me . That many nations have cards peculiar to their o wn c o untry and almost unknown beyond its boun da ries m ay be a matter of surprise to some ; th a t su ch ordinary and familiar obj ects as Playing- cards o v o sh uld ha e a hist ry, will astonish others . My h ope is that the subj ect will interest my readers as it has done me . Any facts concerning Playing cards o r any communications relating to rare or curious packs will be gladly received by the author, who would like to add to her collection . M. K. VAN E N R SSE LAE R. NE W YO 1 8 0 . RK, 9 P AGE MATERIALS CARDS or DIFFE RE NT Co PERSIA ACES AND OTHER CARDS USE AND ABUSE T L T L IS OF I L US RA TIONS . P ERSIAN TAR O T TARO T CHINESE C S R . Car s owne Loc wo d F r o e o est E s . A HME E d d by k d , q I C R S S OW H S S OF SWO S S TALIAN A D H ING T E UIT RD , MACE , Y C P . O S wn Mrs . O e . K Va n M NE , AND U d by J Rensselaer G C R S S O W S O F G U RO S ERMAN A D H ING THE ACE R N, TH, CHEL M . H ' . Owne rs K. Va Ren LEN, AND ER EN d by J n sselaer REMAINS OF THE P ACK SUPP O SED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY C S VI I . O F F I 2 . I n the Ca net HARLE RANCE, DATE 4 5 bi d es stam es P ar s Fra nce E p , i , ELI'ABETH OF YO RK C R - L VO A DS FOUND BY MR . CHATTO IN A BLACK ETTER LUME FO Y C L Y P RMERL IN THE ATHEDRAL IBRAR , AT ETER O O . Now i n the P r nt Room of the B R UGH , ENGLAND i Briti sh M useum FO O LD O OF C D E Y S UND IN AN EDITI N LAU IAN, ARL ENGLI H CARDS O N WHICH INVITATIO NS W ERE WRITTEN . Owned by M r . Date 1 rs T en Eyck a nd Mi ss C owninshield . 763 I u tr a ti ons L i st of ll s . G O P C S . Owne R c ar H . D er E s . E GRA HICAL ARD d by i h d by, q , D . D at e 1 M. 795 O C S P . Cut out N RTH AMERICAN INDIAN ARD , A ACHE TRIBE of D eers n a nd a nte t emse ves . at ona useu m ki p i d by h l N i l M , A . 1 1 1 W a n to n D . C . U . S 6 s . hi g , , 5, , 7 G - STICKS HA1D A N O RTH AMERICAN INDIAN AMBLING , TRIBE, r n u es of W oo QUEEN CHARLO TTE I SLANDS . Ca ved o C b d m s n t n D . C . A at ona useu W a o U S . N i l M , hi g , , - O I G S S S . N RTH AMERICAN NDIAN AMBLING TICK , ALA KA TRIBE P a nte on Cu es of W oo . at ona useum W as n i d b d N i l M , hi g D . t on, . C , U S A. P S C S O N E P S W JA ANE E ARD , EACH RE RE ENTING A EEK IN THE Mrs . K. n R nss aer 2 1 2 2 2 2 Y . Owne Va e e EAR d by J l , , 3, 4 DEVIL' BOOKS - — The Ladies arm tu urm i n cl usters, ’ As great and graci ous a si sters ; lee- lun leuks g , ’ v i P ore ow e the dev l s pi ctured bauks. BURN' ’ THE DEVIL PICTURE- B K S O O S . T HE T T A RO S . A ou t of ro c an old a e of car s y h f li , g d . - O NE : E ver D a Book 11 8 . H y y , . 9 H E origin of Playing-cards and their inventor IS o f u o a nd w o still a subject spec lati n , ill pr b ably remain fo rever undiscovered . Alm ost every co untry i n Europe has thro ugh her sch olars la id claim to having been the first to use cards ; and many doc u mentary and o ther proofs have been u f to o bro ght orward substantiate their asserti ns , o n which are based up n ancie t laws , common tra iti ns or a u d o r . , contempor y ill strations T hat cards were brought fro m the East to E u o u of C rope ab t the time the rusades , and prob - o Who ably by the home returning warri rs , imported many of the newly acquired customs and habits ’ -B ks 1 2 Tu D evi l s P i ctur e oo . of own the Orient into their countries , seems to be a well established fact ; and it does not contra dict the statement made by some writers , who de clare that the gypsies who about that time began to wander over Europe — brought with them and introduced cards , which they used , as they do at fo r v f . C the present day, di ining the uture ards may well have become known by both means , and they spread rapidly over all of what was then con sidered the only civilized part of the world ; and the proofs that have bee n brought forward Show that they were known nearly simultaneously in Italy , Spain , France , Germany, and England , and point to a common origin not to be fo und in any of one these countries . The first cards known in Europe , and which ’ Ta mts Ta r occ/zz ff were named , , etc . , seem to di er in almost every respect from those of the fifteenth century, although these probably inspired their i n v enti on . The latter resemble much more those of the present day than they do the original Ta Th - rots . e first packs c o nsisted Of seventy eight ‘ — of fo cards, that is , ur suits of numeral cards ; and besides these there were twenty- tw o emble matical A tou pictured cards , which were called s, Tue Ta r o/s. 1 3 o r A tou ts o D , a w rd which M . uchesne , a French “ writer, declares signifies above all . This wo rd used in French has the same meani n g as ou r wo rd Tr u m Th p . e marks which distinguish the Tarot u S w or ds Cu s S ti cks Mon e s its are usually , p , , and y ; a nd o n e o of fo of each c nsists urteen cards , ten “ ” “ or fo o a s which are pips and three ur c at c rd , Th namely , King, Queen , Knight, and Knave . e n o t T e u Queen was always admitted . h se s its seem to be the o rigin of the modern packs ; and the emblems used o n them have been adopted in many countries where the A tou t part was discarded while the rest of the pack with its o riginal symbols was retained .

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