Victorian Parlour Games

This book is SO FUN! I'm a big game night person and I love hearing about the origins of party games, so I had to pick this up. It's a beautiful giftable copy for any fan of games, history, and odd facts. The content is broken down into 5 categories: Party Games, Active Games, Table Games, Romantic Games, and Word Games. To be honest, a lot of these games you can find the rules to with a quick google search, but this book breaks it down very simply and includes variations as well as the history behind some of them, which. I loved reading (I bet you didn't know there was a connection between Thomas Edison and pillow fights, huh?!).

If you are a big game family, or if you are planning a Bridgerton ball or Pride and Prejudice ball, this book would be perfect to have on hand to use for authentic classic games that Jane Austen may have played! It's fun to imagine what Jo March might've looked like playing Frog in the Middle haha. Some of my favorites are Crambo, Doublets, Forfeits, Charades (of course a classic!), The Laughing Game, and Feeding the Baby,

This book is such a delight and now I want to be friends with the author (he called me dear reader in the introduction, sigh).

Fun games to play at home. I truly wish I had this during lock down. It even has fun games for two people. As someone who's obsessed with history, this was a fun twist on games.

The new secret surprise for your next dinner party!

What a cute little book! It’s full of great games, both well-known classics and hidden gems lost to time. I can’t wait to try some of these with my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC.

This book has some fun and goofy games for groups, along with several variations for almost every game. Many are already familiar to most people, but the background information gives insights into the historical time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Every family should have this book. There is no excuse for being bored when you have access to so many fun games, especially when very little is needed in the way of equipment. The book is bright with cute clear pictures, and the descriptions of the games are easy to understand. For those who want to mix it up, there are often variations. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Pros: My family loves to play games when we gather, but we tend to repeat the same ones over and over. I wanted to read this book to learn about some new-to-us games to add to our gatherings. (I also wanted to read this book because the cover art is so eye catching!) This book is fun and detailed yet succinct in its explanations of games, and I appreciate that includes information like number of players and needed supplies (my favorite was a vacuum for clean up!).

Cons: None that I can think of!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I absolutely love Victorian Parlour Games, by Ned Wolfe! It's a fabulous book full of games, and activities, some very familiar, and some yet to be discovered. With beautiful illustrations this makes a lovely keepsake, and the perfect gift.

A wonderful book for primary school teachers, camp counselors, programming librarians, and others who work with children and young adults in a group setting. The games are, for the most part, familiar classics but its convenient to have them all in one place. Each game includes a brief description of its roots or social connections, and the inclusion of more recent elements (such as a reference to Doctor Who) is a good way to engage with a younger audience. Thanks to NetGalley for this arc!

This is a fun book you will want to have around. If you are looking for something to do with family or friends and want to forgo the screens for an evening, the Victorians did indeed know how to have fun. Each game is described well with clear rules. Many of these I was familiar with but didn't know they were Victorian. Others were brand new to me.

Wonderfully laid out with retro illustrations and chock full of games with instructions and variations.

An excellent choice for those looking to add variety to their entertainment, homeschool families and history lovers. Accessible fun for children and adults alike.

Recommended.


Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the PDF

Filled with easy to follow instructions on party games new and old, this would make an excellent and unique housewarming gift. Also a great option for readers who enjoy 19th century authors who reference this games such as Louisa May Alcott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

While I can certainly commend the author for researching and compiling victorian games, I'm not sure I needed a book to teach me the rules of Hangman or Musical Chairs. It's nice to have them all in once place, and it could be a valuable resource for kids or people who work with kids, however. I like the illustration style as well.

Victorian Parlour Games are for game night enthusiasts and in general those who like to spend time offline with parlour games and similar.
The art style is amazing, and the range of games covered is rich. I loved going through this and will certainly play some of the new games I was introduced to with my loved ones.

This is a charming pocket book of party ideas, with lovely Victorian-styled illustrations in a modern book design. The games are carefully adapted to current approaches to consent and inclusion, and Wolfe nudges the reader into realizing the Victorians were perhaps not quite as prudish as they'd like everyone to believe. I appreciated the extensive bibliography, which was unexpected in a non-scholarly work, and it helped me to forgive Wolfe some minor lapses in accuracy as I could see where his sources had not led him deeper. I was a little disappointed by the lack of forfeits, but those are probably not as of much interest today.

Combining games and history can never be wrong, that is found in Victorian Parlour Games. So, while you have fun diving the games, you can learn a lot of historical things, too.

I teach history from Victorian times to World War 2 and this book is perfect for our no cell phone policy that we are implementing next year. There are so many games that require very little materials. It is perfect for any history classroom. I love it so much. I cannot wait to see what my students think of the games.

5 stars

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A short book with a variety of games for each group size and easily adaptable to different ages, most games required no additional tools apart from pen and paper, which makes them perfect for a spontaneous game night.
The pictures were absolutely adorable and so unbelievably cute, I wish there were more of them.

If you, like me, have watched many a period piece and wondered "What even is Whist?" then this is the book for you. It was surprising to me how long a history so many party games actually have (Pin the Tail on the Donkey goes back to the 1880s!) and how many have been adapted into modern forms over the years. Keep a copy of this book on your shelf for your next get together!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Victorian Parlour Games is the perfect collection of historical games to inspire you as you plan your holiday gatherings with friends and family this year.

The book is divided into a handful of categories (Party Games, Active Games, Table Games, Romantic Games, and Word Games), so there is something for everyone here, and each game is accompanied by easy-to-understand instructions and a brief explanation of its origins and cultural relevance. I believe there are over 35 games, some of which were familiar to me, many of which are not, and most of which included variants of play.

I also enjoyed the art, and I think this could also be a fun gift for anyone particularly interested in the Victorian-era. I’ll definitely be trying one or two of these games at my next gathering!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

An enjoyable read as the author includes not only a wide range of games but a lot of the background and trivia about the games. It is a nostalgic collections of many games that I remember playing in childhood. The games are clearly described and the reader will be able to play them with little trouble. This would be a fun resource to keep on your shelf!

James' rating: 5 out of 5 entertaining stars!

When I saw the book title, I just had to get it. As a historical romance lover, it quickly captured my attention. Some games I knew, many I didn't and I want to try all of them. Many games have stood the test of time but many have also been forgotten. This book would be perfect for a historical romance book club. I can easily envision having so much fun with this. I also liked the illustrations. Those were so cute and fun!

There are also different variations of the games mentioned as well some backstory into the game that was mentioned. Loved both of them!

Overall, a fun and entertaining read that historical romance lovers would definitely love.

Thanks to the Chronicle Books for this fun ARC!

As someone that reads almost exclusively historical romance novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I finally understand the parlour games that have been vaguely described in books that I have read. I also really enjoyed the tidbits and histories surrounding each of the games. The art in the book was gorgeous and really added to the content.

This book was really fun. It is a guide to Victorian party games - they are simple and actually sound fun. I would recommend this for families or anyone who wants to branch out with some new games that don't require a lot of supplies. This would be especially fun for a Victorian-themed party.

This collection is lots of fun! Perhaps unsurprisingly as an early reviewer, I'm particularly drawn the the word games and literary references. The instructions of each were easy to follow, and I was able to find new ideas and variations on old favorites. This will be great for anyone who is looking for non-digital fun with a group of kids through adults.

I loved this book! It's perfect for anyone interested in Victorian games, as well as anyone who wants to discover more interesting games to play. I loved that not only was there a variety of types of games but also descriptions of their origins and history. 5 of 5 stars.

Fascinating insight into how people used to pass the time and entertain themselves. Snippets of history about the Games and detailed instructions made this a terrific read, especially for history lovers.

This is a fun little book. I enjoyed the little write ups about the games and the inclusion of the varying names for them. I suspect I imagined this might be a little bit more of a history book than it was intended to be so I found myself wishing for a little more history or social perspective on the games.

Layout was well done and easy to read. It would make a good party gift or something fun for a hostess.

A fantastic reference book filled with popular games played in the Victorian era that many of us recognize today. I picked this up as a reader of historical romance - which often features parlour games and other fun betting opportunities - in hopes to learn more about the games. I was really pleased to find the history behind some of these popular games, stretching even as far back as the Middle Ages!

The book is organized into 5 sections with different themes: party games, active games, table games, romantic games, and word games. Each game is introduced with its most well-known Victorian name, with alternate name (including ones we might recognize today), number of players, and supplies (if any) required. The author provides a simple history for the game, including literary references. The rules of each game are clearly written, with clarifications and examples as needed, as well as variations. I appreciated that the author is conscientious of changing societal norms and encourages consent in any kissing or touching games, and variations to make the game more or less bawdy as appropriate for the audience.

The images are fun an bright, and this is a great reference book for any history lover looking to lighten up a party. I was familiar with about half to two-thirds of the games already, but appreciate the clarity of delivery, concise history, and beautiful and fun images.

After a quick read of this book, I am absolutely looking forward to the next time my kids tell me the are bored because I will have some new games to try. It provides the rules, alternate names, and variations on a wide variety of games, not to mention sharing the history and some fun facts about each game, which was often my favorite part. I definitely recommend this book for any game night fan or history buff.