Gambling Memorabilia Featuring the Collection of Tom Blue

Tricks of the Town Laid Open, (The); or, A Companion for Country Gentlemen. London: H. Slater,…; and R. Adams, 1747. Second edition. Quarter straight-grain morocco, marbled sides. 8vo. vii, 95pp., [1] ads. Slight occasional spotting; fine. Scarce. In the course of seventeen chapters, or “letters,” the author describes cheating at a wide array of games, including tennis, bowling, cockfights, and horse races by “sharpers” through the use of “false dice” and “sleights.” It also describes the arts of other unsavory characters, including whores, gamesters, sots, and money-droppers (con men).