David Parlett

I specialise in indoor games (card games, board games, word games) as a freelance inventor, writer, historian and consultant. Sometimes I even get round to playing them.

My best-known board game is Hare & Tortoise. Since first published in 1974 it's sold over 3 million copies and has appeared in a dozen different languages. It was the first ever winner of Germany's prestigious Game of the Year award.

In 2013 I was one of five inductees to the first UK Games Expo Hall of Fame, primarily for my writings on card and board games, described as "essential reading for any scholar of the industry". My books include the Penguin Book of Card Games (now available on Kindle), the Oxford History of Card Games, and the Oxford History of Board Games. I also give talks and run workshops on the history, theory and appreciation of games, advise on the staging of games in period films and TV productions, and am a consultant on games terminology to the Oxford English Dictionary.

This site lists all my books, games and film/TV credits and includes some on-line games. Some pages are devoted to other of my interests. Click globe (left) for site map, or pick a thumbnail below.