Monopoly: The World's Most Famous Game and How it Got That Way - Hardcover

Orbanes, Philip E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0306814897 ISBN 13: 9780306814891

Publisher: Da Capo Press Inc, 2006

Synopsis

Over 200,000,000 copies of the Monopoly(r) game have been sold worldwide since Parker Brothers first popularized it in 1935, making it the world's most popular proprietary game. Countless special and national editions of the game are now published in over sixty countries. But while Monopoly has global appeal, it is distinctly American--a symbol of America's system of economic "opportunity." In Monopoly: America's Game, Philip Orbanes, the leading expert on all things Monopoliana, tells the remarkable history of the game, from its predecessor's birth as a teaching tool for an economics class in the first decade of the twentieth century through its explosive growth in the postwar decades to it being a ubiquitous fixture in just about every American home today. Orbanes includes fascinating Monopoly personality portraits, little-known Monopoly legends and lore, and the extraordinary variety of advertising used throughout the twentieth century. This is the first and only book to cover comprehensively the origin, growth, and global impact of the game that has become a cultural icon. This book is not endorsed by Hasbro Games

About this title

Review:

"Philip Orbanes has written a decidedly charming account of one of
the most distinctive board games in the world."
-- Scotland on Sunday

Synopsis:

This is the fascinating story of the world's favourite board game, from its birth at the turn of the last century as a teaching tool, to the global, cultural icon it is now. The refrains "Go directly to jail" and "Do not pass Go" are firmly embedded in cultures throughout the world thanks to the huge popularity of a game called Monopoly. Over 200,000,000 copies have been sold since Parker Brothers first popularized the game in 1935, and as a cultural icon it continues to hold a perpetual fascination for its players. In this intriguing book, author and Monopoly expert Philip Orbanes charts the history of the game which, although undoubtedly global in its appeal is distinctly American in origin. It is a story full of secrets, twists, turns, tragedies and triumphs. In its early days, Monopoly played a critical role in building and preserving morale during both the Depression and World War II. In the decades of the post-war boom, it became a ubiquitous fixture in many European and American homes, but in Communist countries, the game was banned as a symbol of American Capitalism.

As the world's love affair with Monopoly goes from strength to strength, this is the definitive book about its world and those who love to play in it.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press Inc
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0306814897
• ISBN 13: 9780306814891
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 280