How a Fight Over a Board Game Monopolized an Economist's Life - by Mary Pilon
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - Page A1, October 20, 2009
  - This front page article published in the Wall Street Jounal by investigative journalist Mary Pilon discuses both the past and present battles of Dr. Ralph Anspach in his decades long battle to not only get the true story of monopoly told, but to market his game "Anti-Monoply^TM" against market barriers set up by golith comeptitors.

Mary is now working as a writer for the New York Times and is currently working on a new book about the history of the game. Unlike some of the predecessor books, this will be the first extensively researched book done by a full time professional journalist. I look forward to the publication and will post an announcement on this site when she is reading to move to that step. Mary makes no claim to an 'exclusive' on a book about the game history contrary to what some might have said about this in recent forums. This should be obvious to most as a number of books already exist. I feel each person brings their own point of view, and hopefully new insights if they've done their homework. I agree with Mary that anyone willing to put in the time and effort has the same right to publish in book form. I'd add that the ability to publish successfully very much depends on one's ability to develop workable contacts and relationships with others, their experience in the field, and their jouralistic talent.

From Berks to Boardwalk - by Charles J. Adams III
HISTORICAL REVIEW OF BERKS COUNTY - Volume XLIV, Number 1 Winter, 1978-1979
  - This article written in the 1970's in one of the best as it was done with personal interviews with the players in Reading, PA, from the 1920s era of monopoly. There are a number of references sited at the article end which is useful in research.

Early Monopoly - Elyse Luray, Commentator
THE HISTORY DETECTIVES, PBS - Season 2, Episode 2, 2004 - Show Transcript
  - I worked extensively with PBS through Oregon Public Broadcasting on this episode. Elyse has commented it is one of her favorites. The director did a fantastic job as did the crew. The big break through came in getting Ron Jerrel to discuss his Arden board. When I did my part of the interview I had not slept in thirty some hours. Needless to say it took a few takes to get what they wanted (I still chuckle about that.)

What happened behind the scenes of this episode may have been as interesting as the story itself. It was ironic that we were working from the same PBS station where Ralph Anspach's book begins his own journey into the history that would be the foundation for telling this story. When I watched the show air I was suprised at some of the final edits. Missing was some discusion I, and I think the director, thought very relavent to telling the story. Content that got left out, in my opinion, that might lead to some wrong conclusions about the history itself, something I feel strongly about. Okay, that happens, but I was really taken aback when the credits rolled and one name was clearly missing, Ralph Anspach's! The story never would have been told without his research as a background to build the story upon. Was this simply an error? My understanding is that the director did include Ralph's name in his edit, but the final cut came after it went back East to PBS headqurters for approval. So why the post edit and removal of his name?

PBS depends on corporate sponsors, but do they have some influence in content that gets aired so as to be in their best interest? Did PBS corporate make final content edits of this episode to apease interest of a PBS sponsor? These are questions not statements. I love PBS, I love BIG BIRD too, I support PBS and I encourage you to become a member of your local PBS station. I'm just commenting from an insiders point of view having watched the development of this story and knowing what the final edit left out. I've been around TV production my whole life having directed my first show for cable in 1975. So I am not unfamiliar with editing and how a lot ends up getting cut with absolutely no malice or conspiracy. One has to tell an interesting story in a specifc amount of time. That means choices must be made about content. But for me, this particular "WHY" of this particular content will remain an interesting mystery. Not to leave on a negative... this really was a big break through when the crew got to Arden and I felt the focus on that story line was well deserved and very important to the history.

Letter by Eugene Raiford, 1964.
THE ANSPACH / RAIFORD ARCHIVES
  - This article written by the 'Colonel' as he was refered to by those who knew him, writes a letter in response to the incorrect history that Charles Darrow invented monopoly. He recounts how the Todd's had learned monopoly from him and Darrow from the Todds. That Darrow never wrote his own rule set, rather, it was Charles Todd's wife who had made a set of carbon copy rule sets for both him and Darrow. These carbon copies still exist in two sets - the Darrow round game and his first square set. When the Todd's copied the Raiford game they made a typo on the spelling of Marven Gardens (combined from MARgate City and VENtor City. The plagarism of Darrow was such that the misspelling, spelled with an "i" not an "e", still exist on Parker Brothers version Monopoly sets to this day.)

Sotheby's recently auctioned both the Darrow boards and the Todd game. Just prior to auction bidding they made a statement that implied the Todd game may date to 1937, based on a Todd deposition. They failed to mention that later in court testimony by Todd, accepted by the court as truthful evidence and upheld by higher courts, that Todd did teach monopoly to Darrow, and that clearly placed the Todd game prior to any of Darrow's in 1933. It is still unclear where Sotheby's got their information since Ralph Anspach, who was quoted in the Sotheby's pre-bid announcement, was never contacted for accurate and/or verifiying information. They even stated Ralph's Book was unpublished, even though quoted from it?! I hope to post more about this occurance on the web site, including the testimony that was accepted evidence that Darrow did learn monopoly from the Todds, and did copy the rules of monopoly, having never written them at all, rather plagarized when he claimed copyright to them. The purchased Todd game has not been in public shared since the auction. Do you know where it has gone? If so, I'd love to hear from you.

The Anspach Archives - Collection Listing
THE ANSPACH/ RAIFORD ARCHIVES
  - These are the documents collected over many years by Ralph Anspach. They were sold a number of years ago and now reside in a private collection of a family member closely related to the Atlantic City era of the game history (Raiford) and are being archived and preserved for future historical reference. If you have a question about the archives you may direct a question to Thomas Forsyth at: