The Playing-Cards Of Spain: A Guide for Historians and Collectors

Some of the very earliest European references to playing-cards are from Spanish sources. This book describes the playing-cards from the earliest fourteenth-century records to the present day. For much of that time, the austere gambler's card has been supplemented by an enormous range of other types whose dominant intention has been to entertain, inform or advertise. From seemingly crude and simple woodcut designs to the most florid of 'baroque' ornamentation to the brightly coloured modern styles of the late twentieth century, all are here dealt with fully, and their histories clearly differentiated to emphasise their divergent roles. This book provides a wide range of illustrations of all these types.

Trevor Denning became a senior lecturer in Foundation Studies and Graphic Design at Birmingham Polytechnic (now the University of Central England).