Houghton Library showcases early board games from the past few centuries

The Houghton Library at Harvard houses some interesting books, but did you know it also has a collection of some historical board games from over 100 years ago?  Some of the highlights include The Magic Ring, a spin and move game from 1796 where you are trying to reach the center of the ring first.  Or maybe you would enjoy The New Game of Emulation for the Instruction and Amusement of Youth from 1804, another spin and move style game that taught players various virtues, which could have been a prequel to The Mansion of Happiness, a similar game in both theme and play that Chaz talked about on Board Game Breakfast.  They even have copies of early paper games, one of which is a German language game which plays strikingly similar to the modern games Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity. Any way you slice it the collection is very interesting and showcases the history of board gaming over the centuries.  And as an added bonus, the library has even done high resolution scans of some of the boards so you can print out and play your very own copy of the game (yay?).  You can read more and see some of the highlights on the Harvard Gazette website.