Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface vii
4. Introduction 1
5. 1. Toward a Cultural History of Gambling 7
6. 2. Dicing with the Saints: Jehan Bodel's Jeu de saint Nicolas 31
7. 3. Getting God's Edge: Pascal's Gambler as Paraclete 49
8. 4. The Libertine's Bluff 68
9. 5. Gambling High and Low: Casanova's Story of My Life 85
10. 6. Staging the Gambler: Sex, Sentiment, and Family Values 110
11. 7. Gambling on the Anvil of History: Balzac's The Wild Ass)s Skin 132
12. 8. Whist, or the Aristocracy of Mystery: Barbey d'Aurevilly's "Beneath the Cards in a Game of Whist" 150
13. 9. Betting Against Your Self: Paul Bourget's ''A Gambler" 168
14. 10. Dreaming the Casino: Demy's Baie des anges and Melville's Bob le fiambeur 187
15. Conclusion 215
16. Appendix ''A Gambler″ 223
17. Notes 233
18. Index 247