Card Games

• Liber de Ludo Aleae (Book on Games of Chance) -- Gerolamo Cardano's work, Liber de Ludo Aleae, discusses the mathematical principles of card and dice games. The book was published in 1663, well after Cardano's death in 1576. (more)
• Heather Hall Card Gallery -- From the front page: "Madame Heather Hall's historic playing cards are recreations of packs from 1650 and before, carefully researched and executed. Each pack design has been created by hand, not computer rendered, and thus has the unique imprint of the artist. Yet each pack is an authentic representation of the original. These cards are appropriate for any historic or modern game, and are the perfect addition to a period gaming box or collection." I have several of her decks, and use them frequently. (more)
• Taxonomic map of Playing Cards -- A lovely map showing the evolution of the suits, by Lady Heather Hall. (more)
• Primero from Nare's Glossary -- Facsimile provided by Imran Ghory -- well post-period, but still interesting. (more)