An overview of all articles, and other resources used to compile the Solitaire Bibliography and the history of solitaire from a Gambling perspective.
Richard Canfield’s death This article about Richard Canfield’s death on December 12, 1914, contains much information about his life as a gambler. However, there is no mention of a Solitaire game named after him. It is clear from the article that Canfield was a great gambler:
“My Favourite Patiences,” an article published in the Strand Magazine in 1909 by W. Dalton, describes a game he names “The Step Ladder Patience.” The game described is the game we know today as Klondike Solitaire, but without any mention of the gambling score and also using the three-card draw rule. About “the Step Ladder” … Read more
Confessions of a Solitaire Friend by Ezra Knox, Published in The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee (17 October 1909) Yet another confirmation is that in 1909, Seven Card Klondike was among the most popular solitaires. However, the author Ezra Knox names the game Canfield as you can read here: “There are many different kinds of Solitaire, … Read more
Millionaires Robbed in what they thought and honest Gambling Den Betrayal of Canfield’s Place – The San Francisco Examiner – 1903 This article, written after the raid on Canfield’s private property, endorses the trend that prevailed at that time against gambling in the so-called Gambling Houses. It’s most likely a piece of propaganda to discredit … Read more
The House always wins – Banker has the only sure thing in Games of Chance – Grant County Herald -1903 This 1903 article, in the newspaper Grant County Herald, confirms that around 1903 support for gambling was low and that the hunt for Gamblers (this refers to the operators of the gambling houses) had been … Read more
Gambling House Solitaire is popular in Brooklyn – Correct Method of playing by a man who has frequently “bucked it” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday 28 September. I managed to find the second (unique) article where the game named after Canfield was described in detail as a Gambling Solitaire. “Of all 2 handed cards games … Read more
Two weeks after the original article was published in The Sun New York (Gambling with Solitaire – Chicago Daft Now over a game that seems easy but is not) a copy is published in the News Journal, Mansfield, Ohio, USA. Although the title is different, the article itself is an exact copy.
Name Article: Gambling with Solitaire – Chicago Daft Now over a game that seems easy but is notAuthor: UnknownYear: Sunday 14 September 1902Published in: The Sun (Newspaper)Location: New York, USA Gambling with Solitaire – Chicago Daft Now over a game that seems easy but is not – The Sun New York – 1902 This article … Read more
German Patience Games – The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art, Volume 73 – 1892 Interesting article in an English magazine where the unknown writer goes deep into the card game solitaire and in particular about how the various writers from that time translated games from German whereby the rules and names were … Read more
A Martyr to Solitaire, The New York Times, 7 October 1874: Dicks Games of patience or Solitaire With Cards. Contains 44 games, William B Dick New York – Dick & Fitzgerald An article in the New York Times where the reporter reviews the book: Dicks Games of Patience. The unknown writer about Solitaire in relation … Read more