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Games-Makers to the Empire, I - Roberts Brothers of Gloucester, 1890 - 1957 (Paperback)
Loot Price: R2,435
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Games-Makers to the Empire, I - Roberts Brothers of Gloucester, 1890 - 1957 (Paperback)
Series: Games-Makers, 1
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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A record of the revealed story and many of the products made by the
Gloucester (England) company that brought entertainment to millions
across the world during more than six decades. Malcolm J Watkins,
former Strategic Cultural Manager for Gloucester City Council, has
spent more than a decade studying and researching the company of
Roberts Brothers of Gloucester, England. The company was at one
period considered to be the largest maker of pastimes and games in
the United Kingdom, yet its memory has faded from most people's
awareness. The firm, founded by the brothers Harry Owen Roberts and
John Owen Roberts, developed from a simple (some would say silly)
party game devised by one or both brothers for a Sunday chool
class. The game received a patent in 1890, and a publisher was
found to market it, soon causing a craze for the game of Piladex.
In 1894 the brothers decided to concentrate on the growing business
as they added more and more games to their repertoire. The game was
played by members of the royal family, and this in turn led to
further success, with expansion leading to the brothers building a
state-of-the art factory in the city. They adopted the trade name
of Glevum, based on the Roman name for Gloucester, and soon began
to use a stylised head of a Roman soldier as the trade mark. The
company continued to grow, despite the First World War and the
Depression. Agencies and offices were found across the world, and
at the height of its success more than 750 were employed. World War
II was to provide a halt to their growth. The factory was
commandeered for war work, and all but a handful of staff went into
the forces or other areas supporting the war effort. After the war
the company's fortunes were slow to recover, and as a result of a
number of factors the directors were forced to seek a friendly
take-over by rivals Chad Valley, resulting in the effective end of
the company in 1956 with the factory finally closing in 1957. This
book examines the small amount of evidence for the company and its
history that has survived, and provides the most complete
assessment of the products yet published. Thousands of pictures in
both black and white and colour illustrating the breadth of the
imagination and products of the company are shown in a way that
will prove of lasting value to many readers, whether historians or
collectors.
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