Audiobook · read by volunteers
Floor Games
H. G. Wells (1866–1946)
Read by Mark F. Smith · 1 chapter · 45 min
About the book
H. G. Wells loved to play with his two sons on the floor of their nursery, and he decided to write about it. Floor Games is a cheerful little book about building worlds on the carpet from bricks, boards and toy figures. It describes two games in particular, an archipelago of islands and a city complete with a mayor for each of his sons, and shows the pleasure of invention and the way imagination can turn a rug into a continent. The book was written for parents who want to spend more time playing with their children, but it is also a charming glimpse into the mind of a great writer at play. In under an hour, it offers amusing, practical suggestions and a reminder of the joy of building things. A small book with a big idea: play matters, and a rug can become a whole world.
Introduction
H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer, famous for science-fiction novels such as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Invisible Man. Floor Games appeared in 1911, and it grew from his experience as a father. The book was illustrated with photographs and drawings, which show the cities and landscapes the family built.
Toys available in his day were simpler than those we know now, so the games depend on wooden bricks, boards and small figures. Yet the spirit of the book is timeless: children need space, time and the freedom to make up their own worlds. Wells writes with a sense of fun and with the conviction that play is serious work. Those who know his novels may be surprised by this gentler, more domestic side of the author.
The text is short and informal, and it makes a good companion for parents, teachers and anyone who remembers building a fort or a toy city. Listening to it may even inspire a game or two this very afternoon.
The book is a single recording of about 48 minutes, read by one LibriVox volunteer. Wells deliberately left the military games for a later book, Little Wars, so this one stays with islands and cities and the pleasure of building. It is short enough to hear in an afternoon and, as Wells would surely have hoped, to be followed by a few bricks on the carpet. Wells names his sons as G.P.W. and F.R.W., the two mayors of the city, and his tone throughout is that of a delighted participant rather than a teacher.
Public domain
H. G. Wells died in 1946: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text