The Monopolists

Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Games, Board games, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book The Monopolists by Mary Pilon, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mary Pilon ISBN: 9781620405710
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: February 17, 2015
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA Language: English
Author: Mary Pilon
ISBN: 9781620405710
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: February 17, 2015
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA
Language: English

The Monopolists reveals the unknown story of how Monopoly came into existence, the reinvention of its history by Parker Brothers and multiple media outlets, the lost female originator of the game, and one man's lifelong obsession to tell the true story about the game's questionable origins.

Most think it was invented by an unemployed Pennsylvanian who sold his game to Parker Brothers during the Great Depression in 1935 and lived happily--and richly--ever after. That story, however, is not exactly true. Ralph Anspach, a professor fighting to sell his Anti-Monopoly board game decades later, unearthed the real story, which traces back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten feminist named Lizzie Magie who invented her nearly identical Landlord's Game more than thirty years before Parker Brothers sold their version of Monopoly. Her game--underpinned by morals that were the exact opposite of what Monopoly represents today--was embraced by a constellation of left-wingers from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression, including members of Franklin Roosevelt's famed Brain Trust.

A gripping social history of corporate greed that illuminates the cutthroat nature of American business over the last century, The Monopolists reads like the best detective fiction, told through Monopoly's real-life winners and losers.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Monopolists reveals the unknown story of how Monopoly came into existence, the reinvention of its history by Parker Brothers and multiple media outlets, the lost female originator of the game, and one man's lifelong obsession to tell the true story about the game's questionable origins.

Most think it was invented by an unemployed Pennsylvanian who sold his game to Parker Brothers during the Great Depression in 1935 and lived happily--and richly--ever after. That story, however, is not exactly true. Ralph Anspach, a professor fighting to sell his Anti-Monopoly board game decades later, unearthed the real story, which traces back to Abraham Lincoln, the Quakers, and a forgotten feminist named Lizzie Magie who invented her nearly identical Landlord's Game more than thirty years before Parker Brothers sold their version of Monopoly. Her game--underpinned by morals that were the exact opposite of what Monopoly represents today--was embraced by a constellation of left-wingers from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression, including members of Franklin Roosevelt's famed Brain Trust.

A gripping social history of corporate greed that illuminates the cutthroat nature of American business over the last century, The Monopolists reads like the best detective fiction, told through Monopoly's real-life winners and losers.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Reeds Vol 13: Ship Stability, Powering and Resistance by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Transorientalism in Art, Fashion, and Film by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book US Navy SEALs by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Tracing Lost Railways by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book The Salamander Spell by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Rebel Voices: Monologues for Women by Women by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book French Revolutionary Infantryman 1791–1802 by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book The Eagle of Rome A Lottie Lipton Adventure by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Teacher Cognition and Language Education by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book The Shy Manifesto by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book The History of Animals: A Philosophy by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book The Wombles at Work by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Bradley vs BMP by Mary Pilon
Cover of the book Ben Jonson: Four Plays by Mary Pilon
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy