As the name implies, Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations is a historical catalog of the hobby from ancient times until the present. R.C. Bell walks the reader through games by category (such as race games, war games, games of position, dice games, mancala games, and more). The point is to explain the rules of as many historical games as possible, enabling readers to create and play them at home.
This was pretty good, but definitely not intended to be read cover to cover; this is a reference work. I enjoyed the occasional historical commentary more than the endless lists of rules; especially intriguing were those games whose similarities to other offerings helped archaeologists trace movements of peoples throughout the ages. Also insightful were the concluding sections on how to make your own games; clearly, this was written in another age.
Rating: B
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