BORED OF MONOPOLY?
ANGELL, Norman, Sir.
The Money Game.
London, J.M. Dent, [c. 1930].
Game, comprising: ‘Instructions and Rules’, pp. 24, in the original printed paper wrappers, stab-sewn as issued; 8 scoring cards; 100 merchandise playing cards comprising 10 suits; 2 insurance or catastrophe ‘joker’ cards; 141 (of 150) banknotes; preserved in a book-effect card box, printed labels to spine and upper board; interior divided into six compartments with lifting ribbons; some wear and light marking to box, contents very good; inscription of Frank Brookes (1942) inside upper cover.
Early edition of this ‘new instrument in economic education’, an unusual educational game combining strategy and economics to provide a little-known but rewarding alternative to Monopoly.
‘The Money Game’ aims to teach players the principles of economics, including the mechanisms of banking, barter, credit, and currency exchange. For four to ten players, it comprises three parts, all of which can be played independently of each other. Based around a fictitious island community, ‘the principle of the game is that one person, the ‘Banker’ represents the Sailor-Engineer [who has recently arrived on the island and is attempting to develop a market economy in the previously money-free society] and the other players the Islanders’ (preface to game no. 1).
Sir Ralph Norman Angell (1872–1967) was convinced that the general populace knew worryingly little about economics; this was his most enjoyable answer to the problem. The game was marketed as suitable for all ages, from schoolchildren to businesspeople. Angell was one of the pioneers of the idea of the League of Nations. A prolific writer, his works were well known on both sides of the Atlantic, and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1933.
