“Poems,” published in 1898 by the Cincinnati Game Co., offered a deck featuring 52 poems. They were divided, like a standard deck, into four suits: America, Ireland, England, and Scotland. The American suit included Longfellow, Whittier, Bryant, and Field, as well as “The American Flag” by William Rodman Drake. Ireland was represented by Thomas Moore, Thomas Davis, Samuel Lover, Ferguson, and Dr. Brennan. England was assigned Thomas Hood, Tennyson, Byron, Gray, and James Thompson (with “Rule, Britannia”). Scotland got Burns, Scott, Campbell, Tannahill, and Hogg. The backs show a vignette of Longfellow’s house. My copy came with no instructions, but I assume you could play any standard card game with them.

(Posted by Doug Skinner)