A large, oversized volume focusing on board games that are primarily from Europe and the first half of the 1800s, although there are notable exceptions (including a brief American-oriented section at the very end). This book might better be titled The Game of the Goose, as that classical race game seems to be Seville's personal fascination and the overwhelming majority of games included in the book are either literal or modified Goose games or obvious descendants. The (relative) lack of variety may disappoint some readers, but expectations aside, the focus on such a distinct set of board games and how their patterns recur across time and location probably makes for a stronger overall publication.

Each of several chapters begins with two brief, context-setting pages of text, and each game - usually represented by its board alone - is given a solid paragraph in which gameplay and cultural relevance are described. The result, while similar to a museum exhibit, is hard to fault. Seville is very specific in how the original Goose mechanics are adjusted or modified by different cultures or publishers (sometimes for obvious reasons, sometimes not), and he is usually quick to highlight one or two interesting things to note about each game's board. The only real disappointment is the American section at the end, which seems to veer in new directions only to end quite abruptly.

Vintage Board Games has an overly generic title, and it isn't a comprehensive examination, but if the above details sound appealing to you, you are sure to enjoy it. What it does it does very well. Most of the game boards are very colorful and detailed, as in "The Swan of Elegance" (replicated on the front cover), and rich in cultural elements. A speaker of multiple European languages, especially French, would be able to get even more out of the many examples with non-English instructions or descriptions written on their surface. ( )