Victorian Parlour Games
A Modern Host’s Guide to Classic Fun for Everyone
by Ned Wolfe
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Pub Date Oct 15 2024 | Archive Date Oct 14 2024
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Description
Bring a piece of history into your game night with this collection of fun and playable Victorian-era party games.
Victorian Parlour Games is a beautifully designed and compact hardcover volume full of the classic, often silly, games played in the late 19th century. The Victorians loved fun and played hundreds and hundreds of party games. This endlessly delightful party games book collects some of the very best for your reference and pleasure.
The irresistible combination of recognizable favorites and unexpected amusements includes:
- Charades
- Taboo
- Twenty Questions
- Laughing Game
- Fictionary
- Blindman’s Bluff
- Forfeits
- The Minister’s Cat
- Pass the Slipper
- Are you there, Moriarty?
- Elephant’s Foot Umbrella Stand
- Throwing the Smile
- Squeak Piggy Squeak
- Kim’s Game
- Blowing the Feather
- and many more!
Each entry provides the original name of the game, any alternate names, the rules, and a brief history, complete with fun facts, notable connections (i.e., mentioned in a Charles Dickens novel, named after a Rudyard Kipling book, inspired by Sherlock Holmes, etc.), and what we call it today if the name has changed. Illustrations sprinkled throughout add to the fun and historical appeal of this unique game book, perfect for gifting or collecting.
Available Editions
EDITION | Hardcover |
ISBN | 9781797231006 |
PRICE | $14.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 192 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
This book is SO FUN! I'm a big game night person and I love hearing about the origins of party games, so I had to pick this up. It's a beautiful giftable copy for any fan of games, history, and odd facts. The content is broken down into 5 categories: Party Games, Active Games, Table Games, Romantic Games, and Word Games. To be honest, a lot of these games you can find the rules to with a quick google search, but this book breaks it down very simply and includes variations as well as the history behind some of them, which. I loved reading (I bet you didn't know there was a connection between Thomas Edison and pillow fights, huh?!).
If you are a big game family, or if you are planning a Bridgerton ball or Pride and Prejudice ball, this book would be perfect to have on hand to use for authentic classic games that Jane Austen may have played! It's fun to imagine what Jo March might've looked like playing Frog in the Middle haha. Some of my favorites are Crambo, Doublets, Forfeits, Charades (of course a classic!), The Laughing Game, and Feeding the Baby,
This book is such a delight and now I want to be friends with the author (he called me dear reader in the introduction, sigh).
Fun games to play at home. I truly wish I had this during lock down. It even has fun games for two people. As someone who's obsessed with history, this was a fun twist on games.
The new secret surprise for your next dinner party!
What a cute little book! It’s full of great games, both well-known classics and hidden gems lost to time. I can’t wait to try some of these with my friends!
Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC.
This book has some fun and goofy games for groups, along with several variations for almost every game. Many are already familiar to most people, but the background information gives insights into the historical time period.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Every family should have this book. There is no excuse for being bored when you have access to so many fun games, especially when very little is needed in the way of equipment. The book is bright with cute clear pictures, and the descriptions of the games are easy to understand. For those who want to mix it up, there are often variations. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.
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