Bowles's British geographical amusement, or game of geography; in a most compleat and elegant tour thro England, Wales...

Description

Printed map. "Printed for the proprietor Carington Bowles". Visual scale [62 mm = 50 British Statute Miles]. Described in Judith St. John, The Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books: A Catalogue. (Toronto Public Library, 1958-1975), pp.845-846: “The unusual Bowles British Geographical Amusement was at once a map, a game, and an instructional tool for children. Taking advantage of the newly popular tourism rage, this game sought to teach children about the significance of 114 villages, towns and cities in England and Wales. It follows what is now a standard game format, with the players or “travellers” spinning a “totum” to determine the number of steps to take on their journey. At each stop along the way, the traveller is given a brief description of the place where s/he has landed... The game was inspired by the earliest of tourist’s guide books, The Grand Tour by Dr. Thomas Nugent, published in 1749. The book was a guide to the most important European centres that might be visited by young, elite men who were supposed to absorb the culture, customs and languages of Europe so that they might be fitted for employment as ambassadors or in the foreign service.” Acquired as part of the Lord Cholmondely collection.