Anspach was born in Poland, fled from the Nazis with his family in 1938, became a U.S. citizen and fought in the Philippines during World War II. Because of his Jewish heritage, he also fought with Israel in that country’s war for independence in 1948. He was also opposed to the Vietnam War and came to the attention of the FBI.
But it’s Anspach’s creation, the “Anti-Monopoly” game that drew the attention of Parker Brothers, which viewed the creation of his board game as a threat to its game and threatened him with legal action.
Anspach decided to fight Parker Brothers, and after a decade of legal wrangling where much of the history of the game “Monopoly” was revealed, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in his favor. The U.S. Supreme Court later refused to hear the case, so the 9th Circuit’s ruling stood and Anspach could continue selling this game.
The book took Pilon five years to research and write and represents some excellent reporting on the history of the world’s favorite game. It’s a fascinating and easy read despite it being a history. The book is well-researched and contains 65 pages of acknowledgments, notes, bibliography and index.
The added bonus is that the reader will discover a few characters and their creations that had been lost to history.
The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game, by Mary Pilon, Bloomsbury, Feb. 14, 2015, 314 pages.
William L. Haacker is an award-winning journalist and editor who has worked various New Jersey newspapers including Gannett New Jersey.