One of the largest selection of card game rules available in a single book is by David Parlett: The Penguin Book of Card Games (first published in 1979, expanded in 2000 to the Penguin Encyclopedia of Card Games, and further revised and improved in the 2008 edition).

The New Complete Hoyle Revised, by Morehead, Frey and Mott-Smith, is perhaps the most authoritative book on American games but is somewhat dated. This book has fairly detailed rules for each game. For many games it includes a discussion of tactics and rules for dealing with inconsistencies. The Player’s term “ According to Hoyle” stems from the earliest editions and common usage in Card Rules.

David Parlett's The Oxford Guide to Card Games (Oxford Universtiy Press, 1990), reprinted in 1991 as the Oxford History of Card Games, cleverly written but not completely up to date, but remains a classic work and the best general reference on card game history.

The Bicycle Official Rules of Card Games , published by the US Playing Card Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA is inexpensive and contains instructions for a large number of American card games. The US Playing-Cards Company published many editions of its "Official Rules of Card Games" in revised versions every few years throughout the 20th century.

Barry Rigal's Card Games For Dummies gives thorough, basic introductions to a range of popular American card games. This somewhat silly reading has a more up to date selection of games than many of its more old fashioned rivals. Fun reading in fact and quick to the point.

Also a good reference for anyone interested in learning and playing by the rules is the Wikipedia Glossary of Poker Terms.