Children's Games in Street and Playground

‘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

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 (1918-1982) 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).