Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations [Paperback]

R. C. Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1979

Perhaps the most authoritative work on the subject, this encyclopedic volume is a basic reference to board and table games from around the world. It  provides the rules and methods of play for more than 180 different games: Ma-jong, Hazard, Wei-ch'i (Go), Backgammon, Pachisi, and many others. Over 300 photographs and line drawings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Revised edition (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486238555
• ISBN-13: 978-0486238555
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #753,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From the Board Games Editor at BellaOnline.com, December 4, 2005

By 

Megan Romer (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations (Paperback)

This is a great book, although I recommend it more for reference than for reading cover-to-cover. It's been around since 1960 and is certainly a classic in the genre. Among the games it covers are games that will be familiar to most players: Checkers, Chess, Pachisi (aka Parcheesi), Backgammon, and Cribbage. It also covers some that will be familiar to avid gamers: Mancala, Go, Shogi, Nine Men's Morris, Alquerque. Then there is the plethora of games and versions of games that most people have never heard of, either because they are only played in very specific areas of the world, or because they haven't been played in hundreds of years.

All in all, if you can afford the relatively cheap price tag, this game will make a nice addition to your bookshelf. It's not necessarily essential, but it does make for a great reference work.

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good encyclopedia of traditional board games, September 3, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Mason City, IA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations (Paperback)

This is an excellent book if your into playing board games ( the Chess/checkers/Backgammon kind rather than the Monopoly/Careers kind). This book has 15o+ traditional board games from around the world, some ancient and many very fun to play! If your into other cultures or just want something different to play, its a good book. A number of ones not in standard American repertoire, in this book: Go, an unusual oriental game said to be on par with Chess(still unbeaten by computers) Chinese, Japanese, Burmese and Arab versions of Chess, and the ancient ancestor of them all. Hnefa-tafl, a clever Viking game Latrunculi, the Roman's game of intellect Mancala and co., a very weird and very fun group of games, called "the National Game of Africa" OK, I'm outta time here, ya get the idea ;)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly close to great, but somewhats hort, December 14, 2003

By 

"lastfeint" (Wellsboro, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations (Paperback)

I've constantly been searching for a concise book covering a wide range of the games of the world. This book comes fairly close to doing that in a good, inobtuse manner. The main flaw of this book is Bell's inconsistant style; sometimes he will give strategy and indepth concepts of a game, other times he gives a very short blurb about a game that can be quite unsatisfying. Granted some games have a foggy history, but it seems he just failed to compile much information on some of the games. It is mostly a compilation of information other writers had written, with some (sometimes arbitrary) commentary from Bell.

All in all, it's good enough to buy if you're looking for a light collection of games from around the world.