Attractive green hardcover of James Clay's classic work on Short Whist titled "The Laws of Short Whist & A Treatise on the Game" published by Henry Holt and Company in 1880.

The classic English trick-taking card game was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries among gentlemen. The game derived from the 16th century game of trump and was eventually formalized into Whist by Edmond Hoyle's book "A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist" in 1742.

Over a century later, the English politician James Clay published this classic text while serving as the chairman of a committee for settling the laws of Whist.

This is the New American edition of the second English edition of the work.

A sixteenmo green cloth hardcover with beveled edges, the cover has a playing card artfully inlaid to its center. Similar copies of this edition inlay different cards, making for a fun hunt for collectors and aficionados.

Henry Holt and Company, 1880.

SELLER NOTES: Very Good condition. Solid square binding and sturdy covers with lots of rubbing. A few small isolated stains and one ding to the cover's edge are noted. Internally very nice with crisp brown endpapers and pages. Previous owner's name in pencil to the front endpaper and an early blank page. Occasional light marginal pencil markings by the previous owner also pictured.