Marbles: A Player's Guide [Hardcover]

Shar Levine (Author), Vicki Scudamore (Author)

Book Description

Don't lose your marbles--capture your opponent's instead! Marbles have been around for thousands of years, and throughout the world. From knuckling down to spanning, from Double Ring Two to Against the Wall, find out marble terminology, game rules, and lore. Detailed instructions explain different shot techniques, choosing the right marble for the best results, general rules, playing surfaces, set-up, and penalties. You and your friends can get a good game going--there are 35 to choose from! Try black snake, bombers, castles, dropsies, odds and evens, poison ring, and 29 others. Includes safety tips, facts on collecting marbles, and information on special tournaments, too! The authors both live in Vancouver, British Columbia. 96 pages (all in color), 6 x 9. NEW IN PAPERBACK

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-A celebration of a game that has appealed to children and adults through the ages. While the book sings the praises of marbles, it begins with several warnings, including the need to count the small orbs before and after playing to ensure that strays are not picked up by young children or pets. In fact, the book places heavy emphasis on the fact that this is not an activity for those who are under five. Half of the book describes a variety of games, from simple to complex. Other topics include the history of marbles, how they are made and named, how to shoot them, rules and such, tournaments, supplies, and equipment. Directions are even included for how to make a marble bag (and no sewing is required). While the completeness of the information suggests that this book is for novices, the complexity of some of the sentences and the cursory nature of some of the explanations demand a somewhat older audience. The organization is also not always logical; the how-to shoot section points out good techniques for certain games before they are described. However, there is plenty of sound advice here, and a wealth of games to choose from.
Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (December 31, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806942622
• ISBN-13: 978-0806942629
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,333,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for marble enthusiasts and nostalgia buffs., September 19, 2000

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marbles: A Player's Guide (Hardcover)

Marbles have been around thousands of years: this provides the basics of various simple marble games, from tournaments to specific games. Also included are projects such as how to make a marble bag, along with plenty of terminology explanations for all ages.