Patience Games (Know the Game)

Patience Games, authored by David Parlett and released as part of the established Know the Game series by A & C Black, emerged during a period in the 1980s when the publisher was focused on producing accessible, instructional guides for popular leisure activities. The series was designed to serve as an authoritative yet approachable primer for novices, distilling complex rule sets into clear, logical instructions that mirrored the instructional quality expected of the broader Know the Game library.

David Parlett, a renowned expert in card and board games, approached the design of this volume with an emphasis on clarity and brevity, reflecting his scholarly interest in the history and mechanics of solitaire games. The book was received as a reliable, utilitarian manual, praised within hobbyist circles for its precise explanations of classic layouts and its ability to demystify traditional games for a general audience without unnecessary embellishment.