by D. Sproul | June 2nd, 2010
I just found the charming book “Victorian Board Games” by Olivia Bristol, who is with Christies Auction House. The book contains six board game layouts in a board book style (similar to the hard toddler books) from the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The original book even came with game pieces. (The book is now out of print, and only sold used.) This article by someone who owns the book shows some better photos of the inside pages. We just ordered it for a Victorian event at the local Fort Collins, Colorado, library. I can’t wait to peruse it. It will be interesting to see what colors and styles were used in the early board games. I hope it includes a little history of where they found these games, too.
Update: The book is really neat, and has instructions on each page for how to play the games. With some replacement game pieces, you can play the games of yesteryear today. I really like one that has paths that wander the board, with wizards lying in wait to attack players as they pass. I’ll try to get a photo up soon.
