Ironically enough, one of the twentieth century's leading pacifists wrote Little Wars, a book that has entertained and enlightened war buffs for the past hundred years. H. G. Wells, the great science-fiction pioneer, turned his attention from tales of time travel and alien invasions to write the first classic book of war games. His simulations of past battles and hypothetical future clashes allow readers to test their tactical and strategic skills and attempt to rewrite history. The companion piece, Floor Games, offers a more lighthearted look at war games. Based on the playful battles Wells waged with his sons, the narrative describes how creative play with miniature figures can transform an ordinary room into a magical world. The book has since been hailed as an inspiration for the development of a nonverbal psychotherapeutic method employed in the treatment of adults and children. Both Little Wars and Floor Games feature winsome illustrations by J. R. Sinclair that enhance their antique charm.

Little Wars is a set of rules for playing with toy soldiers, written by H. G. Wells in 1913. Its full title is Little Wars: a game for boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books. It is regarded as the birth of public hobbyist wargaming.Little Wars includes basic rules for infantry, cavalry, and naval artillery in the form of a toy 4.7 inch gun that launched projectiles, usually small wooden dowels to knock down enemy soldiers. In addition to its being a war game, the book hints at several philosophical aspects of war.Floor Games is a book published in 1911 by H. G. Wells. It contains illustrations with photographs and drawings, it briefly describes a number of games that can be played on "well lit and airy" floors with "four main groups" of toys: soldiers about two inches high, largish wooden bricks, boards and planks, and electric railway rolling stock and rails.This edition contains a biography of H.G. Wells' life and work, as well as a bibliography of his works.

Suggests some of the games that can be created using toy soldiers and other figurines, blocks, boards and planks, and toy trains arranged in various ways on an appropriate floor.

This delightfully unusual book by H. G. Wells is a comprehensive guide to Little War, a game invented by Wells for "boys from twelve to one hundred and fifty years old and for that more intelligent sort of girls who like boys' games and books". A fascinating look at a bygone era, when boys were boys, and most girls (except the more intelligent ones) were girls. With a history of Little War, detailed instructions to playing it, a description of an exemplary game, extensions and amplifications to the game, and a final challenge by the author to his young readers. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Reproduction of the original: Floor Games by H.G. Wells

Floor Games is a book published in 1911 by H. G. Wells. This light-hearted volume argues in a humorously dictatorial tone that "The jolliest indoor games for boys and girls demand a floor." Illustrated with photographs and drawings, it briefly describes a number of games that can be played on "well lit and airy" floors with "four main groups" of toys: soldiers about two inches high (Wells regrets the "curse of militarism" that makes civilians hard to find), largish wooden bricks, boards and planks, and electric railway rolling stock and rails. Various remarks show that the book is based on Wells's experience of playing such games with his two sons, George Philip "Gip" Wells (1901-1985) and Frank Richard Wells (1903-1982), identified here only by their initials. Although Floor Games is often characterized as a "companion book" to Wells's Little Wars (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 pacific 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 funiculars 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) Anthony West, on account of his pacifism. Odin's Library Classics is dedicated to bringing the world the best of humankind's literature from throughout the ages. Carefully selected, each work is unabridged from classic works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or drama.

H.G. Wells' Little Wars and Floor Games, brought together in a single volume but with a twist. When you turn over Little Wars, you find Floor Games. When you turn over Floor Games, you find Little Wars.