Victorian Board Games
Victorian Board Games by Olivia Bristol is available used online at:
Amazon
Abebooks
Barnes and Noble
We have been enjoying this game book so much!!!! The book is a very large BOARD book….you know, board book….like ABC board books….Go, Dog Go! board book…the pages are a thick, durable cardboard.
The book itself is quite large measuring almost 13″ x 9″. Here is the description from the back cover:
“Here are six authentic board games from the Victorian and Edwardian period ready to play. Everything you need is here – the playing boards with their charming illustrations, counters and full instructions.
Chosen by Christie’s expert, Olivia Bristol, each game is in its original form. Family entertainment as it was enjoyed 100 years ago.”
Our book was used when we bought it and came with nothing other than the book. The cover seems to imply that there might have been counters at one time, but the lack of them is easily rectified with tiny lego pieces, monopoly playing pieces, or something else smallish as some of the game boards contain small squares to land on. Supplying place holders was all that was needed as the rest of the games and rules are provided in the book. I did find this site which reviews the board game as it was originally sold and shows the pieces that originally came with the book.
Contained in the book you will find the following games:
This is perhaps the kid’s favorite game. They like landing on the “Shoes of Swiftness” and the “Enchanted Forest”.
The kids like falling in the animal pits in this game…not very charming, I know. LOL! Sweet Pea says her favorite spot is landing on the “Sweet, Biscuit, and Nut Stall”. A girl after my own heart…she likes the snacking part! 🙂
Cycling seems to need some cards….I thought we had everything, but the kids say that we really need to make the cards that go along with this game.
The Wonders of the Deep
This game really appeals to my 8 year old little fella. He loves the whole Jules Verne-esque artwork and adventure of diving into the deep.
This game was written before man had even ventured into space. We had a neat history lesson before playing this game. Written around 1902, the idea presented here is that a blimp type airship will be our transportation to the stars. 🙂
Basically pin the donkey! 🙂
Hope you all enjoyed our little review of Victorian Board Games! If you manage to find a copy of this I think you’ll find it to be really fun. It’s neat to see how families in the 1900’s might have entertained themselves in the evening with one of these board games…and a few of them have charmed us in the 21st century.
Wow, I would never guess they had such cool looking games in Victorian times. Of course, I'm a sucker for board games.
wow! That looks so cool and fun!
This looks fantastic! We're huge board game fans here, so I was quick to buy a copy from Abebooks. Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
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