What exactly are the full and formal rules for a given solitaire, and what is its true name — and who says so? There is no final, firm answer. Solitaire games travel more by example, friend teaching friend or parent teaching child, than by published rules.
In compiling Solitaire Till Dawn, we used four published references (Ainslie, Brown, Moyse, and Morehead & Mott-Smith), our own memories, and when all else failed, our own prejudices in deciding exactly what rules to enforce and what name to give to each game. The rules for our version of Miss Milligan, for example, will not be found in any of these volumes. Moyse gives rules for Miss Milligan which differ from the ones we learned in childhood; having tried his, we feel (quite strongly!) that ours produce a more interesting and challenging game. For another example, Moyse and Brown disagree on which of the two games is Klondike and which is Canfield; Ainslie (who gave the most complete and convincing history of Canfield) was the tie-breaker.
The true answer is that it does not matter. We come to the card table for fun, not scholarship. There are hundreds of solitaires, and many of them have variations; if you don’t like one set of rules, there are usually others close at hand. And if not, you can make up your own!
Here are the three works we used for reference, along with a few more that you might find interesting. You may find a great many others by exploring your local libraries and bookstores. If Solitaire Till Dawn has whetted your appetite, here are tables spread with a feast you cannot exhaust in a lifetime.
Ainslie, Tom (1979). Ainslie’s Complete Hoyle. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-24779-4
Our 1975 edition describes some 30 or more solitaires, including several of the ones included in Solitaire Till Dawn.
Brown, Douglas (1985). 150 Solitaire Games. Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-463702-6
We found our 1975 edition to be a bit vague at times. We have not seen the 1985 edition, which may be an improvement. In any event, this inexpensive paperback may well be the best way to spend a little money for a lot of games.
Johnstone, Michael. Card Games for One. Ward Lock. ISBN 0-7063-7224-7
This small collection appears to have some unusual and interesting games in it along with a good discussion of solitaires in general, but we have not had the chance to give it the study it deserves.
Morehead, Albert H. and Mott-Smith, Goeffrey (1977). The Complete Book of Solitaire and Patience Games. Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-26240-8
This book was recommended to us by a Solitaire Till Dawn customer, and we agree that it is one of the best. It covers over 225 solitaires, giving rules, odds, and brief tips on strategy.
Moyse, Alphonse, Jr. (1950). 150 Ways to Play Solitaire. Whitman Publishing Company.
Moyse’s book is our favorite. It seemed to be out of print for a while, but we recently found a new copy in a game store, published by the U.S. Playing Card Company. Also see Scarne, below.
Scarne, John. (199?) Scarne’s Encyclopedia of Card Games. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-06-273155-6
Scarne’s collection appears to contain the entire text of Moyse within its solitaire section, and offers rules for a great many multi-player games as well. (We are unsure of the date of the latest edition, but if you are looking for it, the ISBN should be sufficient.)
U.S. Playing Card Company. (1991) Official Rules of Card Games.
This volume is now in its 74th edition and has been in print for well over a hundred years. It includes the rules for 11 solitaires, some of which appear in Solitaire Till Dawn. Look for it in game stores.
