National Museum of Play Online Collections

Vignette Authors

card game

1874

The card game Authors originated in Salem, Massachusetts in 1861, first published by G. M. Whipple and A.A. Smith. Parker Brothers published a version in 1897. The simple matching type game encourages players to learn which author wrote specific titles. The player with the most matched sets of titles by each author at the end of the game wins. Authors was a perennial family favorite game from its beginning and versions are still produced today. Over the years the game has broadened to include women authors, composers, explorers, inventors, and sports figures. Before it became Selchow & Righter, the game company was known as E.G. Selchow & Co. It produced this relatively early version of Authors around 1874.

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