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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

books n.

[abbr. devil’s (picture) books under devil n.; i.e. the pious identification of gambling with sin]

a pack of playing cards.

1705		S. Centlivre Basset Table IV ii: revel.: Clean cards here. sago.: Burn this book, ’t has an unlucky air (tears them). Bring some more books.
1730		Rape-Master-General 4: His education was moderate, yet he understood Books pretty well. The Authors he chiefly delighted in, were Pharoh, Basset, Ombre, Piquet, &c.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: The file kidded the joskin with sham books, and his pall capped; the deep one cheated the countryman with false cards, and his confederate assisted in the fraud.
1829		Vidocq Memoirs (trans. W. McGinn) III 81: If we had any books, (cards) we might handle them a bit.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. III 57: Put up the ‘books’, let your game go, we’ve got work to patter habout.
1853		W.G. Simms Sword and the Distaff 270: ‘Heve you any books?’ Books meant cards in the vernacular of the forest.
1862		E. de la Bédollière Londres et les Anglais 313/1: books, [...] un jeu de cartes.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1880		W. Hooe Sharping London 34: Books, a pack of cards.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 1: Books - A pack of cards.
1921		N&Q 12 Ser. IX 345: Books (The). Playing-cards.
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 33: Books: Playing Cards.

In phrases

plant the books (v.)

to stack a deck of cards for the purpose of cheating.

1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: To plant the books; to place the cards in the pack in an unfair manner.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.