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  • Oxford History of Board Games by David Parlett book cover
  • Oxford History of Board Games by David Parlett book cover
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Oxford History of Board Games

by David Parlett

A history of games across cultures and centuries

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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Praised by Library Journal for its entertaining facts

    Positive critical praise: “Great tidbits or obscure, entertaining facts can be found on any given page.”

AlbakiReads Editorial

A history of games across cultures and centuries

David Parlett traces board games from Egyptian and Asian predecessors of checkers and chess to familiar modern titles such as Monopoly and Clue. The book also reaches beyond well-known games, covering lesser-known and experimental examples while examining how different games work. Its range includes chess, Go, backgammon, Scrabble, Oware, and many others, placing game-playing within a broad account of cultural history. This updated edition revises a book previously published as *The Oxford History of Board Games*.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in the history and development of board games
  • Game enthusiasts curious about how games work and about less familiar examples
  • Readers exploring games as part of cultural history

Themes

Board-game historyGame mechanismsGames across culturesPlay and cultural history

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"Great tidbits or obscure, entertaining facts can be found on any given page." --Library Journal

For thousands of years, board games have captured our imaginations as we have conspired against, chased, and attacked one another across the table from our friends and foes, locked quest for victory.
In his newly updated History of Board Games (the previous edition was titled: The Oxford History of Board Games ), David Parlett explores the fascinating origins and development of our favorite games - from the Egyptian and Asian predecessors of checkers and chess to modern classics like Monopoly and Clue. With an entertaining, accessible style, Parlett delves into what is one of the most universal roots of our cultural history, highlighting the importance of game-playing as a vital part of the human experience.
In addition to his detailed research on the mechanisms of games, Parlett adds his unique insight drawing upon 20 years of experience as a professional games researcher, critic and game inventor to explore lesser-known and experimental games.
Games covered in this entertaining title include Alquerque; backgammon; chess; Cluedo; Draughts; Fox & Geese; Go; Halma; Ludo; Monopoly; Noughts & Crosses; Oware; Pachisi; Scrabble; Snakes & Ladders; solitaire; Trivial Pursuit are included, along with many more.

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