Georgian and Victorian Board Games: The Liman Collection

As the turn of the eighteenth century approached Great Britain, more and more parents and teachers embraced a suggestion from the philosopher John Locke: that “learning might be made a play and recreation to children”. Victorian and Georgian Games from the Liman Collection beautifully demonstrates board games from the time. Showcasing 60 games that were made for both instruction and delight, the book reflects on a transatlantic market that flourished into and throughout the nineteenth century. Although games were often printed on linen or board instead of delicate paper, many fell apart thanks to enthusiastic use. But those that do survive open a window onto the time period in which they were created, reflecting its social and moral priorities as well as every educational subject. Victorian and Georgian Games from the Liman Collection enables us to follow the course of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the British empire, alongside changing attitudes toward childhood and education. The book shines a light on a corner of children’s culture, as well as the adults who created it.