The History of Marbles in Canada

Photo: Julie Toupin 2019, Creative Commons 4.0 (by-nc-nd) Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology & History Complex/CeEt-14 > Operation 2134-35 > Catalogue Number 13, Archéolab Quèbec La Collection Archéologique De Référence Du Québec^[1]

Principle Researchers Wendy Leyn, Zonnebeke, Belgium & Julia McIntosh, Library and Archives Canada/Government of Canada/Ottawa

Notes: The History of Marbles in Canada

Our friend in Belgium Wendy Leyn, in Zonnebeke, is always on an international search for anything new for us about marbles. He is a skilled researcher and his emails and inquiries are always rocketing out of Belgium, in half a dozen languages, to skilled librarian researchers, like Julia McIntosh^[2], who wrote the email which forms this story.

Wendy also writes to academicians in a dozen or more fields and his knowledgeable marble-collecting friends such as Christiaan Therry who contributed the story “It all Started in the Garden” (https://thesecretlifeofmarbles.com/it-all-started-in-the-garden/).

Wendy also contacts others who have specialized knowledge and skills in any field at least indirectly related to marbles, games, play, marble games, and archaeology.

Canada: A Marble desert?

Awhile back Jo and Larry thought that they had seen an antique postage card with a black and white photograph showing, of all things, Inuit children playing with marbles in the snow! We told Wendy about the card but none of us could locate a copy online. Does anyone know anything about such a card? If sohttps://thesecretlifeofmarbles.com/contact-us/, please click the contact button on the home page and tell us all about it! ^[3]

So, Wendy wrote Julia McIntosh to inquire about the post card photograph, any other such historic images in the Canadian archives which she could access, and, finally, general information about marble playing in Canada. None of us had any information about either historic or modern Canadian marble manufacturing, imports of marbles into Canada, historic gaming, and so on.

Julia thanked Wendy for his inquiry to Library and Archives Canada concerning the history of marbles in Canada. But she also noted that his simple inquiry was a more complicated question than she had anticipated.

“There seems to be a definite lack of books on the history of the game of marbles in Canada.  Marbles, in all likelihood, would have been initially brought by immigrants from their countries of origin, although our First Nations are known to have played marbles as well.

As for the marbles themselves, I assume that the glass ones would have been sourced either from the United States or Europe, as there would have been bigger markets and more established fabricators there.”

A Marble Tale from Two Cities & One Province

Québec is a Province in Canada, and it is the only province whose official language is French. The capital of Québec Province is Québec City, with a population of nearly 800,000. The second largest city in this Province is Montreal, which is also the second largest French speaking city in the world with more than four million people. The Saint Lawrence River links the two cities.^[4]

“Place Royale is where Samuel de Champlain founded the City of Québec in 1608. With buildings that combine French and British influences and the oldest stone church in North America, the square has a charm all its own. This is the precise location where Samuel de Champlain built the first permanent French settlement in the Americas. Erected in 1608, his first habitation was a fort, store, trading post, and residence all rolled into one. That’s why Place Royal is considered the cradle of French North America.”^[5]

Both cities are steeped in history and archaeological finds have enriched both. And interest in the archaeology of the prehistoric and historic peoples who lived there continues apace in both cities.For example: There has been an “archaeological interest” in the Montreal region for over one hundred years. And “excavations at Place Royale, Montreal^[6], have been carried out since 1979 according to an agreement between the city of Montreal and the Québec Ministry of Cultural Affairs….

” The plan is to assist in the ongoing rehabilitation of Old Montreal, an important part of both municipal and national heritage.”^[7]

We did not gain permission to use the photograph of archaeologically dug marbles in Katherine Tremblay’s study which we cite below. Instead, the remarkably detailed photographs in this article are from the virtual collection of Archéolab Quèbec La Collection Archéologique De Référence Du Québec^[8] in Montreal. Full attribution accompanies each photograph.

Marbles dug both in Montreal and Quèbec City confirm what Julia McIntosh told us: early marbles, and other toys for that matter, were initially brought by immigrants, were made locally, and were sourced either from the United States or from Europe.

Les jeux et les jouets de Place-Royale^[9]: Games and toys at Place-Royale^[10]: Background

Julia tells us that the sources of marbles found in Place-Royale, Québec City, came from local makers and from overseas as early as the 1600s.  It is believed that the early marbles of stone and clay were produced locally.

K. Tremblay: “Games & Players”^[11]

The “pull out” lines at the top of Tremblay’s article reads:

“In Nouvelle-France^[12], children have fun with marbles and dolls, [while] their parents play dice, checkers and chess.”

She then asks

“Why play? We play to relax, to have fun [for entertainment]. Serious people will say that leisure is not an essential need, although it is part of a more balanced life. But isn’t it important to be able, at certain times, in complete freedom, to get away from … the daily grind, to apprehend new realities?

For children, play is part of everyday life. First of all, it is individual, and through it the child creates a life on his own scale, which he gradually masters. It imitates the gestures of adults and then one day, he makes rules. They are not immutable, the child constantly modifies them until he is in control of the situation. Later, he will accept the rules inherent in some games. As it grows, the game takes on another meaning: it becomes, a place for social exchange. This law governs all societies, although it expresses itself differently in different contexts….

The assembly of games and toys found during the archaeological excavations at Place-Royale [includes]…a good sample of marbles and children’s toys, e.g. miniature crockery, some fragmentary dolls and small animals. Board games, associated most often in the adult world, are represented by pieces of dominoes, pawns chess and a poker die.”

In fact, as marble collectors are aware, marbles are a cross-over artifact in any archaeological record. Marbles have been used by adults to gamble almost as long as there have been marbles^[13]. Tremblay tells us that at Place-Royale marbles were also used in “adult” games, such as solitaire or Chinese checkers. As we report in our story “Invisible Children” (https://thesecretlifeofmarbles.com/invisible-children/), sometimes the only reason marbles are mentioned at all in the archaeological records is because of their adult uses.

Marbles: from Yesterday to Tomorrow, from Here and Elsewhere

The section of Tremblay’s paper which we focused most on is entitled “Marbles: from yesterday to tomorrow, from here and elsewhere.” This sidebar completely corroborates information in Julia McIntosh’s email. Marbles were made locally in Québec, and, later, other marbles, including glass ones, were imported from overseas as early as the 1600s.

“The Place-Royale Archaeological Collection includes 238 [marbles] of various types and from various eras. Half of these are in stone, 68 in terracotta, and 50 in glass. For stone [marbles], the manufacturers sought to enhance the natural beauty of the materials, by selecting varied coloured stones. Some terracotta marbles have been made from mixed clays of different colors and many have a colorful glaze.

Porcelain [marbles] very often receive geometric patterns, flowers or garlands. Finally, glass [marbles], translucent or opaque, offer an infinite range of patterns: ribbons, filaments, painted strips and mottling. The oldest marble comes from the site of Champlain’s habitation^[14] and was collected in a context of about 1688.”

“Mass production of the first stone marbles began with the establishment of factories in England and Holland as early as the 15th century. In the following centuries, it was Germany that would market to meet growing export demand. Clay marbles made mainly in Europe and the United States, became very popular at the turn of the nineteenth century. At the same time, the birth of the glass bead [marble] industry, around 1850 in Germany and 1880 in the United States.”^[15]

Julia McIntosh

Julia McIntosh continues:

“Initially I wondered if the absence of documentation may have been related to a small number of glass factories, but we had ample.  However, it appears that their production was glassware rather than marbles, a much smaller market by comparison.  I was unable to find mention of a glass factory in Canada dedicated to the manufacture of marbles.

In examining the literature, there definitely seems to have been more written on the game in the United States than in Canada.  I searched three topics in the course of my research: marbles, children’s games, and the glass industry.”

The Archéolab Quèbec La Collection Archéologique

Before we look at Julia’s Catalog of readings about Canadian marbles, we want to tell you a bit more about the Archéolab Quèbec La Collection. First, the photography is incomparable. The Archéolab Quèbec La Collection Archéologique De Référence Du Québec has glass marbles from the early and mid-19^th century including a cat’s eye. And the Collection has the most extensive notes on each marble, as well as other artifacts, that we have ever seen. We strongly encourage you to check the site archeolab.quebec/recherche/objet/123562 (1/12/2024).

For example, the entry for this Bull’s Eye China includes a map of its provenience. The “Historical Synthesis” for the marble reads in part: “The [marble] was manufactured in Germany and imported to America between about the 1850s and 1910s. Spherical in shape, this entire [marble] is made of white porcelain painted with a decoration composed of three pairs of diametrically opposed circles red, green and brown. This “bull’s eye” type decoration makes it possible to date the production of the marble more precisely, since this type of marble is usually found in archaeological contexts dating back to the 1850s. The log is made in semi-industrial ways: the clay is shaped into small rolls using a tube and then cut into pellets. These are then rounded by the rotation of a plaster mould, and then this bead is coated with a colourless glaze before being fired. A second firing, at a low temperature, follows the application of the painted decoration. The marble is usually used as part of skill games for children.”

And finally: have you ever seen a marble just like this one? While the marbles in the Archéolab are labeled “ball” (“billes”), this one marble is referred to as “Calot”. We have no idea why. Calot is translated as cap or wedge.

There’s More . . .

Thankfully, Wendy, who’s, second language is French, explained it to us. He sent us a printout or chart called (in French) “Names According to Sizes.” The printout is from page 20 of the French document which is simply titled “The Marbles” by Jean-Christopher Rochelle (October 2021 Version). The page in Rochelle is in full color and is well worth a look.^[16]

Text with the chart reads: “The names given to the marbles according to the country and even according to the region: each size corresponds to a name” and “Here is the official list of names of marble sizes given on the blog of mesbilles.fr.”

Again, thanks to Wendy, we learned that “Calot” is the name given to a marble of a certain size. It is 98.4% of one inch or just less than one inch. On the chart the ⅝” (16 mm) marble is labelled “Bille”. There are two marbles smaller than ⅝” on the chart: Mini, the smallest at 10 mm (25/64”), and then Petite at 14 mm or 35/64”. Boulard, Baleine, and Mammoth are all larger than the Calot. Mammoth is 50 mm or 1 and 31/32 inches or simply 2 inches.

So, the word used to describe each of the Archéolab marbles, evidently, also references its size and the one inch Calot stands out for its size.

Here is just a short excerpt from the description in the Catalog. “The [calot] was manufactured in Germany and imported to North America between about 1850 and 1910. Spherical in shape, this entire [calot] of fine and hard white porcelain bears the traces of a faded checkerboard decoration. Despite the unspecified provenance of the [calot] in the archaeological literature, it is known that unglazed porcelain marbles are usually found in archaeological contexts dating from the 1850s and 1860s”.  Reportedly this China marble was made in the same manner the Bull’s Eye marble described above.

References

References for this post are provided after the readings below.

The History of Marbles in Canada: Readings

Subject headings are included in the catalogue records, which should assist you in a more comprehensive search of our catalogue Aurora ; the union catalogue of Canadian libraries, Voilà or Worldcat, which covers library holdings in North America and beyond. Also included in the attached are results of searches in databases to which we have access, both contemporary and historical.

• Aurora – Library and Archives Canada catalogue

Subjects

Marbles (Game)

Billes (Jeu)

Jeux—Canada

Jeux—Canada—Histoire

Jeux de plein air—Amérique du Nord—Histoire

Games—Canada

Games—Canada—History

Games—Québec (Province)—History

Toys—Québec (Province)—History

Glass manufacture—Canada—History

Verre—Fabrication—Canada—Histoire

• Sports and games in Canadian life, 1700 to the present.

  Nancy Howell ; Maxwell L Howell 1927-2014

OCLC Number: 84756

Publication: Toronto, Macmillan of Canada [1969]

Physical Description: 378 pages illustrations 23 cm.

ISBN: 0770512526, 9780770512521

Summary: General historical survey of sports in Canada.

Subjects: Jeux—Canada—Histoire

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/84756

• Traditional games of the Dogrib and Slave Indians of the Mackenzie Region, N.W.T. an exploratory study.

  François Gravelle

Thesis, Dissertation

OCLC Number: 1370359234

Publication: [Ottawa, Ontario] : Université d’Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 1986

Physical Description: 1 online resource

https://ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/4837/1/ML33318.PDF

Note: 11 Marble Game

Language: English

Subjects: Thèses et écrits académiques Academic theses

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1370359234

• Les jeux et les jouets de Place-Royale.

  Katherine Tremblay ; Louise Renaud ; Groupe Harcart inc. ; Québec (Province). Ministère des affaires culturelles.

OCLC Number: 22389196

Publication: [Québec] : Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère des affaires culturelles, 1990.

Physical Description: xvi, 212 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm

Series: Collection Patrimoines. Dossiers

Digital ed. : Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/lesjeuxetlesjoue0000trem

Language: French

ISBN: 2551141338, 9782551141333

Bibliography: Comprend des références bibliographiques

Subjects: Jeux—Québec (Province)—Histoire

Jouets—Québec (Province)—Histoire

Jeux—Histoire

Jouets—Histoire

Billes (Jeu)

Québec (Québec)—Antiquités

Place Royale (Québec, Québec)

Toys

Games

Marbles (Game)

Games—Québec (Province)—History

Toys—Québec (Province)—History

Games—History

Toys—History

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/22389196

Note: Lists types of marbles found as well as probable sources (Germany, United States, Europe)

• Let’s play : traditional games of childhood.

  Camilla Gryski 1948- ; Dušan Petričić

OCLC Number: 32089315

Publication: Toronto : Kids Can Press, 1995.

More Author/Title Info: illustrated by Dus︣an Petric︣ic︣ ; written by Camilla Gryski.

Physical Description: 47 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm.

Series: Ontario Early Years

ISBN: 1550742566, 9781550742565, 1553371739, 9781553371731

Contents: Counting out — Tag — Hide and seek — Hunt the thimble — Leapfrog — Hopscotch — Skipping — Balls — Clapping games — Hand games — Hand shadows — Broken telephone — Jackstones — Marbles.

Summary: “From Leapfrog to Marbles, Hopscotch to Sardines, this lively collection of games and rhymes comes complete with simple instructions for playing” Cf. Our choice, 1996-1997.

Subjects: Jeux—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Games—Juvenile literature

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/32089315

• Sports and games.

  Penny King 1963- ; Clare Roundhill 1964-

OCLC Number: 37187486

Publication: New York, NY : Crabtree Pub., 1997.

Physical Description: 32 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 29 cm.

Series: Artists’ workshop

ISBN: 0865058644, 9780865058644, 0865058547, 9780865058545

Contents: The sporting scene — Greek games — Greek profiles — Racing Romans — Magnificent marbles — Children’s games — Playtime pranks — Show of strength — Powerful Persians — Smooth sailing — Away from it all — Splash! — Waterworld — More about the artists and pictures — Other things to do — Index.

Notes: Includes index.

Summary: Presents six works of art with sports themes to be used as starting points for exploring various artistic techniques. Includes instructions and examples for creating one’s own work.

Subjects: Sports dans l’art—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Jeux dans l’art—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Art—Technique—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Enfants artistes—Psychologie—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Child artists—Psychology—Juvenile literature

Sports in art—Juvenile literature

Games in art—Juvenile literature

Art—Technique—Juvenile literature

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/37187486

• Schoolyard games.

  Bobbie Kalman ; Heather Levigne 1974- ; Barbara Bedell

OCLC Number: 44162454

Publication: New York : Crabtree Pub. Co., 2001.

Physical Description: 32 pages : color illustrations ; 28 cm.

Series: Historic communities

ISBN: 086505441X, 9780865054417, 0865054711, 9780865054714

Notes: Includes index.

Summary: Bobbie Kalman’s acclaimed Historic Communities Series provides a close-up view of how people lived more than two hundred years ago. Colorful photos, many taken by Bobbie Kalman herself at restored historic villages across the country, help support the fascinating information. Children will have fun learning about: — early homes and the settler community– what people wore and the crafts they made– how settlers made their living– how they spent their leisure time— the values, customs, and traditions of the early settlers. Because settler children were expected to help out with chores at home, there was often little time for play. Recess time at school gave children the opportunity to play Schoolyard Games. Colorful illustrations help explain early versions of: — skipping, hopscotch, and clapping games– string and hoop games– group games, hiding games, and ball games– marbles, tops, and other toys.

Subjects: Jeux—Histoire—19e siècle—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Jeux—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Jeux de plein air—Amérique du Nord—Histoire—19e siècle—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Outdoor games—North America—History—19th century—Juvenile literature

Games—Juvenile literature

Games—History—19th century—Juvenile literature

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/44162454

• Freedom to play : we made our own fun.

  Norah Lillian Lewis 1935-

OCLC Number: 50143531

Publication: Waterloo, Ont. : Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2002.

Physical Description: xiii, 210 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 23 cm.

Series: Studies in childhood and family in Canada

ISBN: 0889204063, 9780889204065

Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references.

Additional Physical Form Entry: Online version: Freedom to play. (606925908)

Online version: Freedom to play. (607889963)

More Information: http://link.library.utoronto.ca/eir/EIRdetail.cfm?Resources__ID=607972&T=F

Google Books: https://books.google.ca/books?id=XOZ0CwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Summary “Recollections of older Canadians, selections from writings by Canadian authors and letters written …

… their environment. Their games were usually self-organized and physically active, and they frequently made their own toys and equipment. Their lives were busy, but there was always time for play, always time for fun.” “Norah Lewis has provided an entertaining view of the toys, games and activities in Canada and pre-confederate Newfoundland from approximately 1900 through 1955”–Jacket.

Contents: We always found something to do / R.B. Green — Rattles and steadies: memoirs of a Gander River man / Gary L. Saunders — I can’t recall a dull moment / Judy Wells — Playing marbles the St. John’s way / Helen Porter — My favourite pastime was going trouting / Nick Green.

Subjects: Enfants—Loisirs—Canada—Histoire—20e siècle

Jeu—Canada—Histoire—20e siècle

Amusements—Canada—History—20th century

Play—Canada—History—20th century

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/50143531

• Transformed : how everyday things are made.

  Bill Slavin ; Jim Slavin

OCLC Number: 148913375

Publication: Toronto : Kids Can Press, 2007.

Edition: 1st pbk. ed.

Physical Description: 160 pages : color illustrations ; 28 cm

ISBN: 9781554532445, 1554532442

Summary: Full-color illustrations and simple text describe how over sixty everyday objects are made, including chewing gum, pencils, plastic wrap, paper, ice cream, toothpaste, and many more.

Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (page 159) and index.

Contents: Introduction — Fun and games. Baseballs — CDs — Chewing gum — Dolls — Footballs — Guitars — Marbles — Neon signs — Plastic dinosaurs — Ship in a bottle — Soccer balls — Surfboards — Teddy bears — Whistles — Around the house. Aluminum foil — Books — Cat litter — Crayons — Cutlery — Dental floss — Dry pet food — Erasers — Matches — Mirrors — Pencils — Plastic wrap — Pottery — Soap — Stick-on bandages — Toothpaste — Wax candles — Wire — Soup to nuts. Bread — Cereal — Cheese — Chocolate — Cola — Fortune cookies — Ice cream — Jellybeans — Ketchup — Licorice — Milk — Pasta — Peanut butter — Potato chips — Salt — Tap water — Tea — Yogurt — Cover-ups. Blue jeans — Cotton — Polyester — Rayon — Running shoes — Silk — Wool — Work gloves — Back to basics. Aluminum — Brick — Cement — Glass — Iron and steel — Lumber — Paper — Petroleum — Plastic resins — Recycling — Rubber.

Subjects: Produits manufacturés—Miscellanées—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Manufactures—Miscellanea—Juvenile literature

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/148913375

• Canadian fun and games.

  Paula Morrow

OCLC Number: 1035219625

Publication: Collingwood, Ontario : Beech Street Books, 2016.

Physical Description: pages cm.

ISBN: 9781773080086, 1773080083, 9781773080369, 1773080369

Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Subjects: Familles—Loisirs—Canada—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Amusements—Canada—Juvenile literature

Games—Canada—Juvenile literature

Family recreation—Canada—Juvenile literature

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1035219625

• Schoolyard games.

  Bobbie Kalman ; Heather Levigne 1974-

OCLC Number: 1121054827

Publication: St. Catharines, Ontario ; New York, New York : Crabtree Publishing Company, [2020]

Edition: [Updated edition].

Physical Description: 32 pages : colour illustrations ; 28 cm.

ISBN: 9780778773160, 0778773167, 9780778773481, 0778773485, 9781725481466, 1725481464

Notes: Includes index.

Previously published: New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, ©2001.

CIP202003

Summary: “This newly revised edition describes how children in an early community were expected to help out with chores at home and had little time to play. But recess time at school gave children the opportunity to play Schoolyard Games. Colorful illustrations help explain early versions of: skipping, hopscotch, and clapping games; string and hoop games; group games, hiding games, and ball games; and marbles, tops, and other toys.”– Provided by publisher.

Contents: Old-time schoolyard games — Catch me if you can! — Everybody hide! — Hopping games — Skipping games — Let’s play ball! — Homemade toys — String games — Whirling, twirling, tops — Fun with hoops — Marble madness! — Winter fun — Indoor games — Field day — Make a Jacob’s Ladder.

Subjects: Jeux de plein air—Amérique du Nord—Histoire—19e siècle—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Récréation (Éducation)—Amérique du Nord—Histoire—19e siècle—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Élèves du primaire—Loisirs—Amérique du Nord—Histoire—19e siècle—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Outdoor games—North America—History—19th century—Juvenile literature

School recess breaks—North America—History—19th century—Juvenile literature

School children—Recreation—North America—History—19th century—Juvenile literature

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1121054827

• Glass

• Treasury of Canadian glass.

  Doris Joyce Unitt ; Peter Unitt 1914-

OCLC Number: 977337455

Publication: [Peterborough, Ont.]: Clock House, 1969.

Edition: [1st ed.].

Physical Description: 279 pages

Subjects: Verrerie—Canada—Histoire

Verre—Fabrication—Canada—Catalogues

Glassware, Canadian—Catalogs

Glass manufacture—Canada—Catalogs

Glassware—Canada—History

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/977337455

• Early Canadian glass.

  Gerald Stevens 1909-1981.

OCLC Number: 15919873

Publication: Toronto : Coles, 1979.

Physical Description: xxii, 184 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.

ISBN: 0774029196, 9780774029193

Notes: Previous ed.: Toronto : Ryerson, 1961.

Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references.

Subjects: Verre—Fabrication—Canada—Histoire—19e siècle

Verrerie—Canada—Histoire—19e siècle

Glass manufacture—Canada—History—19th century

Glassware—Canada—History—19th century

https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/15919873

• Voilà – Union catalogue of Canadian libraries

• Every boy’s book :

a complete encyclopædia of sports and amusements : intended to afford recreation and instruction to boys in their leisure hours. J G Wood (John George), 1827-1889 ; William Harvey 1796-1866 ; Harrison Weir 1824-1906 ; Edward Dalziel 1817-1905 ; George Dalziel 1815-1902.

eBook

OCLC Number: 794815733

Publication: London ; New York : G. Routledge & Co. Farringdon Street [London] …, 1855

More Author/Title Info: by George Forrest ; with upwards of six hundred illustrations from original designs by William Harvey and Harrison Weir.

Physical Description: 1 online resource (vi, [2], 636 pages, 6 unnumbered leaves of plates) : illustrations

Notes (General): Added, engraved title page.

Preface dated April, 1855; signed G.F.

First edition.

Wood engravings: frontispiece, added title page vignette, illustrated plates, text illustrations; engraved by Dalziel.

Frontispiece, plates have guardsheets.

Index: p. [627]-636.

Includes table of contents.

System Details: Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002.

Project Gutenburg: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42172/42172-h/42172-h.htm

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/everyboysbookcom00routrich/page/56/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/everyboysbookac00boygoog/page/n8/mode/2up

Additional Physical Form Entry: Print version: Every boy’s book.(30572883), Wood, J.G. (John George), 1827-1889.

Subjects: Sports pour enfants—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Sciences naturelles—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Sciences—Ouvrages pour la jeunesse

Games

Amusements

Sports for children—Juvenile literature

Natural history—Juvenile literature

https://canada.on.worldcat.org/oclc/794815733

• The marble-workers’ manual : designed for the use of marble-workers, builders, and owners of houses …

  Mary L Booth (Mary Louise), 1831-1889.

OCLC Number: 3620069

Publication: New York : Sheldon, Blakeman, 1856.

More Author/Title Info: translated from the French by M.L. Booth.

Physical Description: ix, 256 pages ; 17 cm

Notes (General): “With an appendix concerning American marbles.”

Additional Physical Form Entry: Online version: Marble-workers’ manual.(1240237103)

Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/gri_33125000622510/page/n7/mode/2up

• See: Fifth Part: Manufacture of Toy Marbles. p.192

Subjects: Marbre ; Marble https://canada.on.worldcat.org/oclc/3620069

• Marbles : identification & price guide.

  Mel Morrison ; Carl Terison

OCLC Number: 65223946

Publication: Falmouth, Me. : Marble Book, [1950?]

Physical Description: 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 22 cm

Subjects: Billes (Pièces de jeu)—Objets de collection—Prix

Sulfures

Marbles (Game objects)—Collectibles—Prices

Sulfides

https://canada.on.worldcat.org/oclc/65223946

The vocabulary of marble playing. Kelsie B Harder ; Josiah Henry Combs 1886-1960 ; Raven I McDavid Jr. (Raven Ioor), 1911-1984 ; Allan H Orrick

OCLC Number: 319633

Publication: Gainesville, Fla., American Dialect Society, 1955

More Author/Title Info: by Kelsie B. Harder ; More marble words / by Josiah H. Combs ; the position of the Charleston dialect / by Raven I. McDavid, Jr. ; Gritted and gritter / by Allan H. Orrick ; The president’s report ; The secretary’s report.

Physical Description: 61 pages ; 23 cm

Series: Publication of the American Dialect Society ; no. 23

Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references.

Contents: The vocabulary of marble playing / Kelsie B. Harder. — More marble words / Josiah H. Combs. — The position of the Charleston dialect / Raven I. McDavid, Jr. — Gritted and gritter / Allan H. Orrick.

Subjects: Billes [Marbles] (Jeu)—Dictionnaires anglais

Anglais (Langue)—Régionalismes—Caroline du Sud—Charleston

Anglais (Langue)—Dialectes—Caroline du Sud—Charleston

Marbles (Game)—Dictionaries

English language—Slang—Dictionaries

English language—Dialects—South Carolina—Charleston

English language—Provincialisms—South Carolina—Charleston

https://canada.on.worldcat.org/oclc/319633

• The great American marble book.

  Fred Ferretti

OCLC Number: 829391

Publication: New York, Workman Pub. Co. [1973]

More Author/Title Info: Photos. by Jay Good.

Physical Description: 158 pages illustrations 13 x 18 cm

ISBN: 0911104275, 9780911104271

Digital ed.: Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/greatamericanmar00ferr/page/n7/mode/2up

Subjects: Billes (Jeu)

Marbles (Game)

https://canada.on.worldcat.org/oclc/829391

• Marbles as historical artifacts.

  Mark E Randall

OCLC Number: 8247786

Publication: Trumbull, CT : Marble Collectors Society of America, 1979.

Physical Description: 65 pages : illustrations ; 28 cm

Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 52-3) and index.

Subjects: Billes (Jeu)

Marbles (Game)

https://canada.on.worldcat.org/oclc/8247786

• WorldCat – international library catalogue

https://search.worldcat.org/

• Canadiana (database)

https://www.canadiana.ca/

Note: includes Canadian magazines, newspapers, government publications, etc.

Subjects

Jeux et récréations

Games

• The London evening free press : November 2, 1925-November 30, 1925

https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00400_192511/212

Jo & Larry: This is a very interesting piece which gives the British view of marbles in 1925: when American marble production was just gearing up for the Golden Age of Marbles. Incidentally, we would love to know the exact location of the British “Middle West”; the names of those three marble factories; and the kinds of marbles that they were producing.

• Internet Archive (database)

https://archive.org/advancedsearch.php

• Sports and games for boys and girls.

  Crawhall, Joseph, 1821-1896 (association);

Zaehnsdorf Limited (binder)

Publication date: 1769

Topics: Chapbooks, Scottish, Chapbooks, English

Publisher: [Glasgow and other locations : various publishers]

Collection: thomasfisherchapbooks; thomasfisher; toronto

Contributor: Fisher – University of Toronto

Language: English

A collection of approx. 600 chapbooks, mainly from the first half of the nineteenth century, although most are undated. Most are printed in Scotland; imprints include Glasgow, Paisley, Edinburgh, Stirling, Falkirk, Aberdeen, Ayr and Kilmarnock, as well as London, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester, York and Coventry. Most are anonymous but some titles attributed to authors such as Hannah More, Daniel Defoe, Robert Burns, John Bunyan, James Hogg and Allan Ramsay. Many of the titles are illustrated with woodcuts.

Notes: No copyright page found. No table-of-contents pages found.

https://archive.org/details/fisherchapbook587/page/2/mode/2up?q=marbles

• America: History & Life (database)

Note: subscription required

• Some background on the origin of marble games. Phegley, Jack

Source: Humboldt Historian. Jul/Aug1988, Vol. 36 Issue 4, p14-16. 3p.

Historical Period: ca 1921 to ca 1930

Document Type: Article

Subject Terms: First Person Narrative

Marbles (Game)

Twentieth Century

History

Geographic Terms: Eureka (Calif.)

Abstract: A personal narrative is presented in which the author recalls games of marbles in Eureka, California, in the 1920s.

ISSN: 1094-9879

Accession Number: 76449265

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl&AN=76449265&site=ehost-live

• “Caniques”: Marbles and Marble Games As Played In South Louisiana At Mid-Twentieth Century.

  Comeaux, Malcolm

Source: Louisiana History. Summer2011, Vol. 52 Issue 3, p324-356. 33p.

Historical Period: 1941 to 1960

Document Type: Article

Subject Terms: Marbles (Game)

Games

Louisiana State History

Cajuns

History

Language & Languages

Geographic Terms: Louisiana

United States

Abstract: The article discusses marble games in South Louisiana in the mid-twentieth century, drawing on the author’s experiences as a child. It examines several marble games, including chase, drops, ringer, and small square. The author particularly comments on small square’s development in Western Europe, noting that it is called ring-taw in the British Isles. He also reflects on the rules and terminology of marble games, exploring the Acadian origins of “canique,” the French word for “marble” used in French Louisiana.

Author Affiliations: 1Professor emeritus of geography, Arizona State University

ISSN: 0024-6816

Accession Number: 66687116

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl&AN=66687116&site=ehost-live

• How marbles are made: what becomes of all the marbles? Northrof, Benjamin

The Globe (1844-1936); Apr 9, 1892; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Globe and Mail

pg. 10

https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/how-marbles-are-made/docview/1650156278/se-2?accountid=12671

• Ontario of long ago: interesting reminiscences by Mr. D. B. Read, QC. Chats of the olden time how young people used to amuse themselves games and entertainments among the early settlers–how travelling was done in those days games of the olden time not many marbles school buildings stray thoughts the husking befs… Read, D B.

The Globe (1844-1936); Toronto, Ont.. 23 Apr 1892: p.1.

https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/ontario-long-ago/docview/1650155843/se-2?accountid=12671

• Games with marbles. Northrop, Benjamin

The Globe (1844-1936); Apr 16, 1892; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Globe and Mail

pg. 10

https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/games-with-marbles/docview/1650154079/se-2?accountid=12671

• Internet

• Canadian Museum of History

  (previously the Canadian Museum of Civilization)

https://www.historymuseum.ca/search/?q=marbles+games

Note: have had expositions on marbles

• Elliott Avedon Virtual Museum of Games. University of Waterloo.

http://healthy.uwaterloo.ca/museum/

• Marble Collectors Society of America

https://www.marblecollecting.com/marble-collectors-society-of-america/

• Marble Collectors (Facebook)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484786098361269/

• Marble Forum

http://marbleforum.blogspot.com/2008/02/marble-associations.html

• The Museum of American Glass in West Virginia

http://www.magwv.com/index.html

• Old rare Marbles

https://oldraremarbles.com/

• Most Valuable Vintage Collector Marbles: From Toys to Treasure. by Kate Miller-Wilson. Love to Know. Updated: August 16, 2023

Some handmade collector marbles are small works of art that command big prices. Sort through your old marbles. Some could be valuable.

https://www.lovetoknow.com/home/antiques-collectibles/collector-marbles

• That time Guelph (literally) lost its marbles. Ed Butts. Guelph Today. Feb 1, 2022

Popular children’s game in short supply in 1945, given the war effort

https://www.guelphtoday.com/then-and-now/that-time-guelph-literally-lost-its-marbles-5010629

• A Brief History of Marbles (including all that marble slang). Rob Lammle | Nov 3, 2015.

Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/29486/brief-history-marbles-including-all-marble-slang

• Antique Glass Marbles: A Study In Art Glass. World Class Antiques.

https://worldclassantiques.com/insights/antique-glass-marbles.aspx   

References

1. With permission & special thanks to Hendrik Van Gijseghem, PhD, Chargé de projets, archéologie et histoire, Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History (Pointe-à-Callière). Dr. Van Gijseghem is a practising archaeologist & Professor of Archaeology at several American & Canadian Universities. He gave us permission to use each of the photographs in this paper.↑
2. Special thanks to Julia McIntosh, Reference Services, Library and Archives Canada / Government of Canada/Ottawa. Julia spent a great deal of time researching for us and she generously provided 18 pages of annotated bibliographic entries principally using Aurora which is the Library and Archives Canada catalogue. Julia is a true professional and we can’t thank her enough. We have all of Julia’s work in our files, but we have edited the list to include only those sources which we believe our readers will find accessible and which bear most directly on marbles, marble gaming, history, and local Canadian flavour. ↑
3. While not in Canada, but on Nelson County, Alaska, Wendy did find documentation that Alaskan Eskimo children did play with marbles. See Lynn Price Ager, “Alaskan Eskimo Children’s Games and their Relationship to Cultural Values and Role Structure in a Nelson Island Community,” December 4, 1975, pages 118 (also 133). The Ohio State University Research Foundation; National Institute of Education, Grant No. Neg-00-3-010. US Department of Health education & Welfare National Institute of Education. Available through Eric as the .Pdf documentation @ ERIC – Search Results (ed.gov) 2/15/2024. Ager reports that marbles are called marble-uk and she observed boys and girls playing marbles both separately and together. Even tots played. They played “roley” and ringer. While we do not have permission to use it, there is a picture of boys playing marbles in the snow! We have no idea how Wendy found it! It is “1931 Runnymeade Schools, Boys Playing Marbles” City of Toronto Archives, Fonda 1266, Item 23401 @Vintage Photographs of School Students in Toronto (torontoguardian.com) ↑
4. https://www.canadavisa.com/about-quebec.html 2/13/2024 ↑
5. Place Royale | Visit Québec City (quebec-cite.com) 2/13/2024 ↑
6. “This little square in the west of Old Montréal marks the spot where the first fort, Ville-Marie, was erected. Defense was a key consideration due to lengthy fighting with the Iroquois. In the 17th and 18th centuries this was a marketplace; it’s now the paved forecourt of the 1836 Old Customs House and linked to the Pointe-à-Callière Cité d’archéologie et d’histoire de Montréal by an underground passage. @ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/montreal/old-montreal/attractions/place-royale/a/poi-sig/1105160/1336034 2/13/2024 ↑
7. From the abstract of J.B. Jamieson’s paper “Place Royale: A Prehistoric Site from the Island of Montreal” in Ontario Archaeology (47 1987), pps 59 – 71. ↑
8. Search Results (archeolab.quebec) 2/13/2024 ↑
9. Tremblay, Katherine. Games and toys at Place-Royale. Québec, Pub Québec, January 1, 2000. You may also want to explore “Remember This? Marbles and jacks competitions” by James Powell, April 19, 2021City News of Ottowa @ https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2021/04/19/remember-this-marbles-and-jacks-competitions-3644306/ (2/15/2024) and Mary Tivy “Games” in The Canadian Enclyopedia. Tivy corroborated information in Julie McIntosh’s email. “Games” is @ https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/games 2/15/2024↑
10. See this site to learn more about Place Royale in Québec City: https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/what-to-do-quebec-city/place-royale 2/11/2024 ↑
11. Tremblay, K. (1993). “Des jeux et des jouets archéologiques.” “Archaeological games and toys” Please note that language has been somewhat of a problem in this study. We have not found software needed to translate Tremblay’s entire paper all at one time. We have used DeepL.com (free version), Google Translation, and Microsoft Translator, finally and very importantly, Wendy Leyn. Still, we take full responsibility for any mistakes made in translation. ↑
12. “ New France, (1534–1763), the French colonies of continental North America, initially embracing the shores of the St. Lawrence River, Newfoundland, and Acadia (Nova Scotia) but gradually expanding to include much of the Great Lakes region and parts of the trans-Appalachian West.” @ New France | Definition, History, & Map | Britannica 2/11/2024 ↑
13. Ever heard the song Dumas Walker by the Kentucky Headhunters? Verse one contains the lines “Got a pocket full of money, and I’m raring to go. Down to Dumas Walker, right after the show. They’ll be shooting marbles in the back of the store and laying money down on the floor.” The song was that was written and recorded by the five members of The Kentucky Headhunters in 1989. It was released in January 1990 (C) 1989 Mercury Records. If you don’t know the song then you may want to “apprehend new realities” as Tremblay suggests! ↑
14. “Habitation de Québec was an ensemble of buildings interconnected by Samuel de Champlain when he founded Québec during 1608. The site is located in what is now Vieux-Québec. It was located near the site of the abandoned First Nations village of Stadacona that Jacques Cartier had visited during 1535. It served as a fort and as dwellings for the new colony in New France.” Habitation de Québec – Wikipedia 2/12/2024 ↑
15. While we re-arranged the material in Tremblay’s “Des jeux et des jouets arcnéo.. .logiques”, all of this material and more is found on pages 34 – 35 of her study. ↑
16. @ Les billes (lembach.fr) 2/15/2024 ↑