Sir Michael Dummett (1925-2011) was a British philosopher and campaigner against racial injustice. Dummett graduated from the University of Oxford in 1950 with a first-class honours degree in philosophy, politics and economics and was elected as fellow of All Souls College, Oxford in the same year. In 1962 he was appointed to the Oxford University readership in philosophy of mathematics, holding the post in conjunction with his fellowship of All Souls College. Dummett moved to New College in 1979 on his election as Wykeham professor of logic; he remained in this post until his retirement in 1992. During the 1960s, Dummett and his wife, Ann, were heavily committed to the anti-racism movement, working on behalf of individual immigrants and their families as well as being involved with organisational activity. Dummett also published significant work on electoral reform and theories of voting.

The main part of this collection relates to Dummett's scholarly interest in playing cards, card-games and tarot. He was a founding member of the International Playing Card Society and his papers and correspondence include rules and references to numerous card games from around the world. Dummett researched and published several books and articles on the history of playing cards and tarot, including The Game of Tarot: from Ferrara to Salt Lake City (1980) and A History of the Occult Tarot 1870 - 1970, with Ronald Decker (2002).

Further details of Dummett's life and career are given in the Dictionary of National Biography.