Bridge is the path with a thousand different forks.

Depending on what type of bridge player you decide yourself to be, you can choose any different fork.

Some bridge players read about bridge more than they play it. Others are drawn to bridge history, or bridge and AI, or bridge and bidding. Every bridge player finds their own particular groove in the game.

The historical aspects of cards (and of bridge) have always been fascinating to me. I love reading older card books, and browsing through card-related artefacts, museums, and archives.

If you’re more into the history and anthropological aspects of bridge, check out these 6 books about bridge and history.

1. The Contract Bridge Blue book

by Ely Culbertson

The Contract Bridge Blue Book describes Culbertson’s take on bidding and play, which was completely unique at the time and rivalled the systems preferred back then.

In many ways, the Blue Book helped to shape the entire game. It’s part of how the game got here. Any readers who are digging for a bit of bridge history should be taking a look at this text first.

2. The Walk Of The Oysters: an unholy history of contract bridge-playing

by Rex Mackey

The Walk Of The Oysters is a book that I can imagine many bridge players buying just for the title. Let’s assure you that you should also buy it for what’s between its covers.

For a look at how whist turned into bridge and how bridge got right where we are now, walk with the Oysters and get into Mackey’s unique take on things.

3. From Short Whist to contract bridge

by Hans Sechelle

From Short Whist To Contract Bridge tells the reader how bridge got here, and just how it derives from the various forms of whist.

Whist is a game that’s pretty close to what we know. It’s a trick-taker, too. And we can thank whist for giving us the foundations on which we built the game of contract bridge.

Sechelle’s book is comprehensive, and discusses Stormwhist and other forms of the game with a fascinating point-of-view.

4. A guide to contract bridge

This tome is listed as a collection of articles (and books) about the history of the game.

If you are a reader who enjoys older bridge writers, here you’ll find 282 pages covering bridge writings of before the 1900s.

Older bridge writings are rarely collected in one place like this (and any bridge player is lucky to read a copy).

5. Thank You, Partner: a history of contract bridge in Ireland

Thank You, Partner is a book published by Liberties Press, describing a history of bridge as it came to be popular in Ireland. If you love Irish myths and tales of fairies (or you’re just a fan of their accent), this is an excellent read. Bridge fans will happen to love it, too!

6. The Official Encyclopedia of contract bridge

The Official Encyclopedia Of Contract Bridge is the perfect read for the bookworm in every bridge player. I’m convinced that everyone should have this title on their shelves – even if they only ever look up a few things in their bridge playing time.

It was first published in 1964, but later editions exist with updated takes on the rules and new additions.