The Marble Book ( Includes Marbles Classic Games)

Photographs by Martha Cooper. Packaged with the only other equipment a child would need--the marbles--here is a book steeped in the know-how, culture, lore, and trivia of this simple, easy-to-learn, play-anywhere game. The Marble Book is fun and complete, with its 30 marbles and 2 shooters packed in a drawstring pouch, its extensive marble lingo, over 50 games, and a chapter on collecting. It tells the proper way to shoot, including how to use backspin, how to set up a game, and the best places to play (the dirt, of course, although asphalt and linoleum are pretty good). Then come the games, from Ringer, the official game played at the National Marbles Tournament, to Poison, Dobblers, and Old Bowler, the game favored by Abraham Lincoln. It's everything kids need to knuckle down and play for keepsies. 50,000 copies in print.

The Classic Game series have over 317,000 copies in print.