Parker Brothers is a familiar brand to everyone who has played American mainstream board games. This book by Philip Orbanes recounts the history of the company from 1883 when it was founded by George Parker to the end, when the company was swallowed by Hasbro (originally Hassenfeld Brothers, by the way) in early 1990s.

It is an interesting story to anybody who is familiar with Parker Brothers games. Orbanes appreciates games and spends plenty of time writing about games and how they were made. It's all very fascinating, the origins of the games and how the company developed. The Game Makers certainly beats your average corporate history. Anybody interested in classic American board games will do themselves a favour by reading this book.

(Original review at my review blog) ( )