Monopoly: The World's Most Famous Game-And How it Got that Way this question feed

asked by anexpert on November 20, 2006 11:30 PM
The amazing story of how America's best-selling game helped shape our aspirations and captivated the world

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


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Monopoly's impact on world history is truly amazing. As one of six children, Monopoly was a beloved favorite in my family. But, I had no idea how much more than "just a game" it is! The author takes you on a 100 year journey from the mind of Lizzie Phillips (who conceived Monopoly's forerunner as a political tool) to radical professor Scott Nearing (who popularized the game), through movers in the Roosevelt Adminstration, and on to Parker Brothers who published Monopoly and spread it worldwide. The Monopoly game helped prisoners escape in WWII, served in the Cold War, and on and on. Along the way, hundreds of millions of players played it, competed in tournaments, and absorbed it into our culture in more ways than I could have imagined. I also learned the best properties to buy, and the appendices list every version published, which is great in case you want to start collecting. I loved this book and highly recommend it as a fascinating, well-researched, delightful read!
reviewed by lovieduvie on November 24, 2006 12:48 PM

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