This book is entirely original. It is the work of a single author, who has made the subject of games a life-long study, who keeps in touch with all new games, and with changes in old games. He has written the description of each game expressly for this book.

The treatment is systematic and uniform. The description of each game begins with the apparatus and the players, and then follows the natural course of play, step by step, until the end. Each part of the game is described in a separate paragraph, and every paragraph is preceded by catch-words in heavy-faced type, so that the entire work is in the nature of a dictionary, in which any part of any game can be found immediately.

All technical terms are accompanied by a full definition of their meaning, and are printed in full-face type.

All disputed points have been settled in an entirely original manner. Instead of taking any one person as an authority, the history of each game has been traced from its source to its present condition, and its rules have been carefully compared with those of other members of the same family. The times and the reasons for the various changes have been ascertained, and the rules given are not only in strict accord with the true spirit of the game, but are based upon common sense and equity. When official laws for any game exist they are given in full.

The list of technical terms is the most complete ever published.