Children's Games in Street and Playground: Chasing, Catching, Seeking, Hunting, Racing, Dueling, Exerting, Daring, Guessing, Acting, and Pretending. (Oxford Paperbacks) - Softcover

Opie, Iona; Opie, The Late Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192814893 ISBN 13: 9780192814890

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1985

Synopsis

An account of the games which children between the ages of six and twelve invent or perform out-of-doors for their own enjoyment

About this title

About the Author:

Iona Archibald Opie was born in 1923. During the Second World War, she met and married Peter Opie. Together they became a renowned husband-and-wife team of folklorists with a particular interest in children's toys, games and literature, working from their home in Hampshire and conducting primary fieldwork all over the United Kingdom. Their remarkable collection of children's books and ephemera was purchased by the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1988. They were the authors of over 30 books including The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1952) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). Iona Opie lives in Hampshire. Peter Mason Opie (1918-82) was a specialist in children's literature. He met and married Iona Archibold during the Second World War, and together they became a renowned husband-and-wife team of folklorists with a particular interest in children's toys, games and literature, working from their home in Hampshire and conducting primary fieldwork all over the United Kingdom. Their remarkable collection of children's books and ephemera was purchased by the Bodleian Library in Oxford in 1988. They were the authors of over 30 books including The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1952) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959).

Review:

'The Opies have compiled the most complete and the most sympathetic, also the most sensible account of what children prefer to do on their own.' -- Country Life 'It is a work of serious anthropology and sociology ... but unlike most works concerned with these disciplines, it is consistently readable, always humane, and sometimes very funny.' -- New Statesman 'A fascinating book, the product of many years' immensely detailed and original research, which is bound to become the standard work upon the history and modern practice of street games.' -- New Society 'Fascinating research ... I hope that the publication of this book will revive the debate about the kinds of games our children play.' -- David Lorimer, Scientific and Medical Network Review 'Thank goodness Floris Books has published these two classic books, where the Opies' have recorded the traditional games that children across the UK played while out of the sight of adults. Most parents will relate to descriptions of the games they themselves played. This new edition promotes an active and natural approach to family life and child development.' -- Kindling, Spring/Summer 2009 'The authors have immersed themselves in a child's world readily pronouncing one game "jolly" and another "appllingly tedious". It is exactly these personal touches and the evident affection that the authors have for their subjects that lifts the book from being solely an impressive catalogue of children's games to being an engaging exploration of a domain unsullied by adult intervention' -- The Social Creditor

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0192814893
• ISBN 13: 9780192814890
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400