George Philip "Gip" Wells (19011985) and Frank Richard Wells (19031982), identified here only by their initials at their family home,
17 Church Row, in the north west London district of Hampstead.
Although ''Floor Games'' is often characterized as a "companion book" to Wells's ''
Little Wars
''Little Wars'' is a set of rules for playing with toy soldiers, written by English novelist H. G. Wells in 1913. The book, which had a full title of ''Little Wars: a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for tha ...
'' (1913), the earlier book was conceived of as a self-standing volume so that the author might later write a book devoted purely to war games. ''Floor Games'' describes mostly specific games for young children, whereas ''Little Wars'' describes war games for older children and adults.
Wells describes how the boards and planks can be used to set up various imaginative geographies to play the "game of wonderful islands" in which the floor is the sea, create the setting for "twin cities" (to allow his two sons a measure of independence in their creations), or undertake engineering projects (he describes the building of
funicular
A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite en ...
s in some detail).
During World War II, the toy soldiers that inspired ''Floor Games'' and ''Little Wars'' were confiscated by the police from Wells's son (by
Rebecca West
Dame Cicily Isabel Fairfield (21 December 1892 – 15 March 1983), known as Rebecca West, or Dame Rebecca West, was a British author, journalist, literary critic and travel writer. An author who wrote in many genres, West reviewed books ...
)
Anthony West, on account of his pacifism.
''Floor Games'' has been regarded as a precursor not only of
learning through play
Learning through play is a term used in education and psychology to describe how a child can learn to make sense of the world around them. Through play children can develop social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally, and gain the self-confiden ...
but also of nonverbal child psychotherapy.
[See Barbara A. Turner's 2004 edition, published by Temenos Press of Coverdale, CA.] Along with ''Little Wars,'' the book has often been reprinted. A recent edition of the book was published by
Skirmisher Publishing LLC
Skirmisher Publishing LLC is a publisher of wargames, roleplaying games and historic reprints based in Spring Branch, Texas, USA. It was founded by the author, editor and game designer Michael J. Varhola and is co-owned by Robert "Mac" McLaughlin, ...
in 2006 and includes a foreword by game design giant
James F. Dunnigan
James F. Dunnigan (born 8 August 1943) is an author, military-political analyst, Defense and State Department consultant, and Wargaming, wargame designer currently living in New York City.
Career
Dunnigan was born in Rockland County, New York. A ...
an introduction by game designer and author
Michael J. Varhola
Michael O. Varhola (born September 24, 1966) is an author, publisher, and lecturer. He has written numerous books, games, and articles, and founded game development company and manufacturer Skirmisher Publishing LLC. He also served as the assista ...
.
References
External links
Full text of ''Little Wars''from Project Gutenberg.
Full text of ''Floor Games''from Project Gutenberg.
Introduction to the 1995 edition of Wells's gaming books.
{{H. G. Wells
1911 non-fiction books
Books by H. G. Wells