Rational recreations, in which the principles of numbers and natural philosophy are clearly and copiously elucidated by a series of easy, entertaining, interesting experiments. Among which are all those commonly performed with the cards
Hooper's Rational Recreations, a London popular science and parlour-experiment book printed in 1787 for L. Davis and others, aimed at general readers learning number and natural philosophy through card tricks and demonstrations. The plate shows numbered figures of boxes, a garden-like arbour, a domed pavilion and a grid of interlocking square tiles, drawn in fine engraved line with lettered reference points that a designer could borrow for schematic diagrams, geometric pattern studies or instructional layouts.
