[crashryan]

Looking back it seems like Milton Bradley games were around all my life. Obviously they were! The company was already pushing 40 when this 1889 catalogue came out. The only game here that I remember from my youth--other than Old Maid and Fish, of course-- is the "Authors" card game. It wasn't a favorite. I'd never heard of Halma, a game of Greek origin. The company's decision to use "Eckha" as its new name couldn't have helped sales. How do you pronounce it? In all caps it looks like it should be a Russian word.

Of the other games a couple merit mention. There's "American Politics," featuring Republicans, Democrats, and Doubtfuls. "The Amateur Photographer" is a card game that doesn't seem to have much to do with photography. "The Old, Reliable, Checkered Game of Life" certainly isn't the one with little plastic cars filled with pegs representing one's family. You can choose the path of "intemperance, gambling, crime, etc." and wind up in "disgrace, poverty, ruin, prison, or suicide." Art Linkletter would not approve!

After listing so many "instructive" games, some even "suitable for Chautauqua students," a refreshingly honest description of "The Game of Bamboozle" admits, "It is not in the least instructive."

Link to the book: Bradley's Game and Toy Catalogue