RESEARCHES INTO THE HISTORY OF PLAYING CARDS; with Illustrations on the Origin of Printing and Engraving on Wood. by SINGER, Samuel Weller.: - 1816

London, Printed by T. Bensley & Son for Robert Triphook, No. 23 Old Bond Street, 1816.. FIRST EDITION 1816. Limited edition, one of 250 copies for subscribers. 4to approximately 280 x 220 mm, 11 x 9 inches, title page printed red and black, 19 plates, 11 black and white engraved plates, including frontispiece and eight hand coloured woodcuts, woodcut number 7 bound after number 8, many small illustrations in the text, all plates present as listed in the Directions for placing the plates at rear. Pages: xvi, 1-373, [3], bound in full polished calf by Riviere, with their printed name at foot of first free endpaper, gilt lettered title label and gilt decoration to spine, top edge gilt the rest untrimmed, gilt decoration to edges of covers, gilt dentelles, marbled endapers with small leather bookplate of W. A. Foyle on first pastedown. Binding rubbed and worn, with crinkling to covers (see attached images), hinges rubbed and beginning to crack at head and tail of spine, covers still holding but weak, shelf wear to edges, lower corners worn with board just showing, pale browning to outer margin of frontispiece, pale brown offset to title page from frontispiece, pale browning to most engraved plates, first coloured woodcut has minor pale stain and No. 3 a tiny rust spot, occasional small pale spot or stain, text mostly clean, a good copy only. See: Jessel & Horr, Bibliographies of Works on Playing Cards (1972), page 266, No.1513, "Only 250 copies were printed of this beautiful book, which at once took its place as the leading authority on its subject"; Bigmore and Wyman, A Bibliography of Printing, Volume 2 M-S, page 362. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.