My Book of Indoor Games

In Short

Clarence Squareman’s 1916 collection gathers dozens of parlor pastimes, group games, memory puzzles, card challenges, schoolroom exercises, and science-based tricks. Ranging from dramatic charades and circle tag to table illusions and mental arithmetic, the book acts as a comprehensive manual for domestic entertainment before the era of digital media. It has endured as an authentic historical document of American social life, capturing how communities, families, and school children used language, physical dexterity, and lighthearted trickery to entertain one another.

The Story

The book opens with lively, active social games designed for indoor gatherings. Players assemble in circles or form opposing teams for traditional parlor entertainment like "Drop the Handkerchief," where a runner drops a cloth behind a peer who must give chase. Music and auditory cues guide games such as "Magic Music," where piano volume dictates how close a seeker is to a hidden object. Numerical focus and elimination rule "Buzz," forcing players to substitute a word for multiples or instances of seven. Guessing games quickly build social momentum; players apprentice imaginary sons to grocers using single letters, or perform mimed physical actions to represent various commercial trades.

As the gathering matures, structured roleplay and dramatics take center stage. "The Schoolmaster" pits a leader against a class answering rapid-fire queries under tight time constraints, while dramatic charades transform the living room into a theater. Building a functioning stage requires careful household engineering, from screwing temporary wall supports to threading strings through brass rings on cheap bamboo poles so heavy weighted curtains slide open at the sound of a bell. Scripted skits like "Red Cap and Blue Cap" end in broad comic slapstick, supported by long lists of common proverbs and word divisions that fuel continuous theatrical guessing.

The focus then shifts toward quiet observation, deduction, and tabletop strategy. In "Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral," twenty strict yes-or-no questions narrow down targets as specific as a sleeping pet cat. Circle games like "Hunt the Slipper" rely on manual sleight of hand among seated players pretending to be cobblers. Competitive tabletop pursuits enter with complete rules for standard dominoes and card games like "Beggar My Neighbor" or "All Fours," where players handle tricks, suit leads, and trump calls.

Physical activities return through active ring games, forfeit challenges, and structured schoolroom drills. Children test physical balance in the "Cushion Dance," play practical jokes in "The Farmyard," or follow rigorous physical cues in "My Master Bids You Do as I Do." Organized classroom activities like "I Say Stoop," "Seat Tag," and "Preliminary Ball" emphasize swift reflexes and spatial awareness. The book concludes with a sequence of parlor magic, science experiments, and mathematical tricks. Performers balance heavy spoons on half-opened penknives, light hidden camphor atop snowballs, leverage waxed nails to make dimes vanish, and calculate secret numbers using simple algebraic principles, bringing the collection from group chaos to controlled wonder.

How It Unfolds

The gathering begins Players break the ice with quick ring games, basic movement, and auditory guessing activities like dropping handkerchiefs or tracking piano volume.

Counting and trading Group play grows more demanding as players count numbers while substituting words on multiples of seven, or mime various commercial trades at a leader's command.

Staging the drama The parlor becomes an improvised theater where players construct working curtain rigs from bamboo poles and brass rings to perform scripted skits and word-play charades.

Deduction and card play Gatherings quiet down for structured tabletop entertainment, utilizing targeted twenty-question logic puzzles, hidden-object passing, domino matching, and trick-taking card strategies.

Physical ring games and forfeits Participants return to active motion, executing coordinated bodily movements, dodging hassocks in circle dances, and suffering paper horns or forfeit penalties for minor slips.

Classroom movement and agile drills Energy transitions to structured group play as schoolrooms utilize space-conscious desk games, ball-tossing exercises, tag variations, and rapid command-response elimination.

Magic and household illusions The entertainment culminates in individual illusions, as host-magicians balance spoons, make coins disappear, reveal ages through card math, and demonstrate basic physical phenomena.

The People

The Host and Leader This organizer directs the flow of the evening, assigning trades, running dramatic curtains, and dictating rules for games like "Rule of Contrary." They desire smooth, continuous fun for a large group, but must manage misbehaving players who fail to stop, start, or follow reversed commands on time. By the end of the night, they transition from an authoritative manager into a lighthearted master of ceremonies.

The Schoolmaster A authoritative figure in academic parlor games who examines a row of seated pupils across various subjects like geography, history, or literature. Wanting rapid, accurate responses within a strict ten-count, they face hesitant or slow-thinking players. They force the circle of peers to constantly shift positions as quicker participants outthink and leapfrog their classmates.

The Seeker and Victim Individual players selected to step outside the room or kneel blindfolded during games like "Magic Music" or "The Magic Whistle." These figures want to solve the mystery or locate the hidden item, but face confusing piano cues, misleading group reactions, and trick devices pinned secretly to their own clothing. They emerge from the ordeal with heightened perception or lighthearted embarrassment after discovering the joke.

The Merchant and Buyer The central negotiators in children's games like "Honey Pots," tasked with assessing, weighing, and purchasing seated participants. They seek a fair transaction based on physical weight, but must contend with fleeing children who break character and escape across the room when recognized as lost relatives.

In Its Own Voice

The players sit in a circle and begin to count in turn, but when the number 7 or any number in which the figure 7 or any multiple of 7 is reached, they say "Buzz," instead of whatever the number may be.

This rule lays out the rapid-fire numerical tracking needed to maintain the momentum of "Buzz."

The President then proceeds to make all sorts of "magic" passes over the kneeler's face, back, and hands.

This observation describes the elaborate, humorous setup used to distract a blindfolded player during a parlor trick.

Place a half-opened penknife on the edge of the table and hang a large cooking-spoon by its hook on to the knife, just where the blade and handle join.

This concise directive explains how to prepare a surprising household balancing demonstration using simple cutlery.

What It's Really About

Beneath its practical rules, the book explores how structured play fosters social cohesion, mental sharpness, and communal bonding. It presents games as vital tools for physical dexterity and intellectual discipline, requiring participants to memorize rules, calculate numbers, think laterally, and observe human behavior closely.

The text reflects early twentieth-century views on domestic life, showing how fun was actively generated through personal invention and voice rather than consumed passively. By outlining clear rules, forfeits, and physical boundaries, it argues that fair play and clear structure make shared public space enjoyable. Ultimately, the collection celebrates resourcefulness—showing how standard household objects like string, dominoes, paper scraps, and cutlery can produce genuine entertainment.

Why Read It Today

This collection offers an authentic, charming window into early twentieth-century social life and domestic recreation. It appeals to social historians, educators, game designers, and readers curious about historical leisure. Reading the text feels like stepping into a brightly lit 1916 parlor or vintage classroom, where social warmth relies on quick wits, clear speech, and shared physical movement.

The book remains remarkably readable, though modern audiences may find certain aspects dated. Some riddles rely on archaic puns, several physical games involve mild slapstick like ear-boxing or rough dragging, and the sheer volume of simple circle games can feel repetitive. However, its straightforward, encouraging tone makes the instructions effortlessly clear.

What stays with the reader is the incredible resourcefulness of the era. Without screens or specialized equipment, these games generate genuine suspense and laughter using nothing more than bamboo curtain rods, pocket handkerchiefs, clay pipes, or a few pennies. It serves as a refreshing reminder of how simple, accessible, and imaginative human play can be.