The Cultural Legacy of the Royal Game of the Goose
400 years of Printed Board Games
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Amsterdam University Press
Published:1st Jul '19
Should be back in stock very soon
The Game of the Goose is one of the oldest printed board games, dating back 400 years. It has spawned thousands of derivatives: simple race games, played with dice, on themes that mirror much of human activity. Its legacy can be traced in games of education, advertising and polemic, as well as in those of amusement and gambling - and games on new themes are still being developed. This book, by the leading international collector of the genre, is devoted to showing why the Game of the Goose is special and why it can lay claim to being the most influential of any printed game in the cultural history of Europe. Detailed study of the games reveals their historical provenance and - reversing the process - gives unusual insights into the cultures which produced them. They therefore provide rich sources for the cultural historian. This book is beautifully illustrated with more than 90 illustrations, many in color, which are integrated throughout the text.
"The book is written in a clear style and also 'tells a story.' Seville has put the game into its historical context and has given us the best insight into the subject including the latest facts. Not only will 'game-buffs' love the book but also as a 'picture book' it is well worth thumbing through its pages. As well, people interested in 'cultural heritage' will find a lot of fascinating facts. Well worth as a reference-book in your library!"
- Fred Horn, Games and Puzzles, Winter 2019
"It is difficult to do justice to the scope and depth of Seville’s study in a short review such as this, but it offers much useful material, providing en passant, for example, comments on reference material such as books, library and museum collections and digital resources. Some of the sources Seville surveys may already be familiar to those who regularly consult standard reference sources, research library catalogues and national collections, but it is a testament to Seville’s scholarship that the reader is alerted to so broad a range of primary and secondary reference material to follow up for deeper study."
- Eddie Duggan, Manchester Game Studies Network, October 2019
"The Cultural Legacy of the Royal Game of the Goose gives us a rare glimpse into the history of a game and into the complex and extensive knowledge necessary for its understanding. [...] The resulting treasure trove of information explains and illustrates in great detail the wide-ranging interests to which the Game of the Goose now contributes."
- Alex de Voogt, The Antiquaries Journal, Vol. 102, September 2022
ISBN: 9789462984974
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
392 pages