Herman Johnson

Bid Whist:: the Making of a Great American Pastime Herman Johnson

The passionate and enduring relationship between African-Americans and the card game, Bid Whist, has been touched upon but never explored. It was the game's notoriety that helped to drive it underground, but it was the excitement displayed during the play of this game that made it a cultural icon. Although members of the same card family, Bridge and Spades were able to avoid the controversies surrounding their predecessor, Bid Whist.'Bid Whist: The Making Of A Great American Pastime' is really a tale of two stories. One story is about the card playing tradition of African-Americans, starting from slavery. The other story is about how a medieval European gambling game evolved into a modern day American social event. The two stories converge around the late 1930's/early 1940's when black Americans started playing Bid Whist as it's played today. This book also foretells how the 'Bid Whist Movement' (that's quietly consuming America) will eventually spread this game to the rest of the world.