This book contains descriptions of sixty board games, drawn from an immense range of history - from 3000 BC through to the turn of the nineteenth century. Accounts of these games have been gleaned from archaeological reports, traveler's tales, anthropological studies and foreign-language accounts of games, translated into English for the first time. Using the detailed text and fifty-nine diagrams it is possible for the reader to construct their own boards and pieces and enjoy hours of play. Perfect for toy and game collectors, this book can also bring something different to family occasions - instead of the usual board games, why not play a number game that was once popular among the intelligentsia of the middle ages?
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About the Author
The late R. C. Bell was born in 1917 in Sudbury, Ontario, and came to England in 1928. He qualified MB BS (London) in 1941. He became a plastic surgeon but is now retired. He has a large collection of old games and has written five books in the Shire Discovering series.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book for those interested in early games,
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This review is from: Discovering Old Board Games (Shire Discovering) (Paperback)
R.C. Bell was an amazing game researcher. His tomes on games of the American Indian, the Far East, and this book on early games is an excellent treatise.
This is really an academic collection. Yes, true, you can play the games. I have constructed boards and pieces and played games from this book and other R.C.Bell books with friends and families. This is a very useful book if you are looking to recreate period games, ala the Society of Creative Anachronism. If you are looking for a quick and easy book on new games then I concur with the previous two reviews that this is not the book for you. In service, Rich [...]
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Worthless,
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This review is from: Discovering Old Board Games (Shire Discovering) (Paperback)
First off, pay attention to the dimensions of this book; it is tiny. Aside from that, the book presents no information that could count as being useful. It is a quick list of rules over a variety of games. I've found a lot web pages with better instructions and more information than this book, but that isn't really saying much.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Difficult at times, but informative,
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This review is from: Discovering Old Board Games (Shire Discovering) (Paperback)
This book is difficult to follow at points. It doesn't have a very consistent style and it goes from historical anecdotes to vague descriptions of board games. Oftentimes the descriptions leave you wondering if you really understand how to play the game at all. Google and Wikipedia help with this sometimes.
Overall I find this book very exciting and I want to make a board and play these old games with anybody who will take the time. If you make a few leaps and read over the instructions a handful of times eventually you'll be able to pick up how to play each one. I haven't read other books like this so I'm fine with what I have. If anything, the book works as a good starting point for researching some of the games further on the internet.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Interest in old board games may arise from finding some bygone relic in an antique shop, seeing a display on the shelves of a museum, from stumbling across obscure games in travellers' accounts, or in archaeological references to fragmentary gaming-equipment discovered on ancient sites. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
vacant point, last pebble, alternate turns, enemy piece, short leap, captured pieces Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
First House, Landlord's Son, Lapp King, Tenant Farmer, Lapp Warriors, Dablot Prejjesne, Lapp Prince Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Interest in old board games may arise from finding some bygone relic in an antique shop, seeing a display on the shelves of a museum, from stumbling across obscure games in travellers' accounts, or in archaeological references to fragmentary gaming-equipment discovered on ancient sites. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
vacant point, last pebble, alternate turns, enemy piece, short leap, captured pieces Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
First House, Landlord's Son, Lapp King, Tenant Farmer, Lapp Warriors, Dablot Prejjesne, Lapp Prince Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
books
cite this book:
- Oxford History of Board Games by David Parlett in Front Matter, page 274, and page 330
- The Magic of Mathematics: Discovering the Spell of Mathematics by Theoni Pappas in Back Matter
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