Playing Cards; Thomas Foubert — A bound copy of "The Litterary Cards..."

George Moffat (bookplate)

Jaime Ortiz-Patiño (Sotheby's, London, 10 December 2013, English literature, history, children's books and illustrations,

lot 238)

Acquired at the above sale by the present collector

Jaime Ortiz-Patiño Collection of Early Playing Cards, #37;

English Short Title Catalogue, #T122891

Thomas Foubert's "litterary cards" could be used for playing a variety of games, as well as for teaching reading, arithmetic, and a diverse array of facts, quotations, and other information. For example, most of the cards feature a letter, allowing them to be used in a simple reading and writing game. The face cards include a small portrait of kings and queens or theatrical characters (the Jack of Hearts shows David Garrick in the role of Tancred, from the 1745 play Tancred and Sigismunda by James Thomson). There are also cards that feature a map of the world, musical notation, or multiplication tables. In addition to the suits and ranks, most cards have an image of a die face, allowing for a wider variety of games to be played using the deck, from backgammon to hazards and piquet. The text features rules and instructions for each of these games.

Foubert's deck was issued in book form to avoid the the Stamp Act of 1711's tax on cards and dice. The engraved cards could then be cut up and pasted onto card backs to form a usable deck of playing (see lot 36).