There is almost nothing that connects all of humankind, across the world and throughout time. One of those rare, truly ubiquitous links is something that is often overlooked in discussions of culture: board games.
Board games hold the unique role of reflecting cultural, historical, and political forces while also having an influence on the development and change of those same forces.
Board games are so widespread and well loved that little attention is paid to how they came to be, their purposes, and their effects on our world.
These nine books illuminate the history and cultural significance of board games, presenting the popular past time under a new and fascinating light.
So clear the table, lay out the board, and get playing with one of these endlessly interesting reads!
It's All a Game
British journalist Tristan Donovan set out to answer the question of why board games have continued to capture the attention of players throughout history, even into our current age of instant gratification and video games.
He traces the development of board games across time and space, including many fascinating anecdotes of game creation and use. With interesting moments from history and compelling characters, he reveals what makes board games so special and enduring.
Birth of the Chess Queen
The queen is the most dominant piece in a game of chess, but it was not always this way. Marilyn Yalom traverses the history of the chess queen and how the piece gained power on the board.
She draws a fascinating parallel between the rise to power of the chess queen and the ascendance of female sovereigns across Europe.
The Book of Vintage Board Games
Board game expert Adrian Seville takes readers back in time to a bygone era of board game play. With this beautifully illustrated book, discover the creativity and style that went into the creation of vintage board games.
Learn about games intended to be educational or to instill moral values in players and games intended for gambling or just pure enjoyment. Throughout, you will gain insight into the historical contexts of these games and their effect on culture.
Across the Board: How Games Make Us Human
Board games are both ordinary and extraordinary, says author Tim Clare. Ordinary because they can be found everywhere, across the world and throughout history, from Tanzanian villages to Las Vegas casinos, everyone’s playing.
Board games are extraordinary for the same reason: They continue to pop up over and over again and never lose their appeal. Follow Clare into this exploration of both familiar family favorites and niche strategy rulebooks.
History of Board Games Step by Step: How Board Games Reflect History, Culture & Recreation
This definitive guide tracks board games from their ancient origins, to modern iterations, and even into future possibilities, stopping in eras important to their development along the way.
Beautifully illustrated and accessible for all ages, this book explains how board games reflect and are impacted by culture and how, in turn, they influence culture back.
Playing Place: Board Games, Popular Culture, Space
This collection of compelling essays examines the roles board games allow players to take on, from medieval warlord to urban planner, and how these roles and board games as a whole are recreations of societal structures and cultural landscapes.
The curators of this collection prove that while games may seem trivial, they are grounds for serious fruitful and fascinating research.
Your Move: What Board Games Teach Us About Life
Author and game enthusiast Jonathan Kay teams up with game designer Joan Moriarity to celebrate the recent renaissance board games have undergone and how it occurred.
They write about games as a unique art form, as they only come into existence when the audience chooses to engage with them, to play. For this reason, games could tell us much more about our culture and values than other forms of media.
The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
Monopoly is one of the oldest and most popular board games in America. But the story of the game’s creation has long been buried and kept secret. Until now.
This book unearths the hidden origins of monopoly, dating back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten female inventor. Learn about the scandal underpinning the game’s development and the one man who made it his life’s mission to expose it.
Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations
This encyclopedic volume contains rules and strategies for 182 different board and table games from across time and place and over 300 illuminating illustrations.
From Pachisi to Mancala, and from Meso-America to Victorian England, this guide holds an endless treasure trove of games that will fascinate casual players and studious historians alike.
Featured photo: Nik Korba / Unsplash
