Mary Pilon Books
Mary Pilon is an American journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. She writes about sports, business, and culture, often focusing on the intersection of money and social issues.
Known for: The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
Books by Mary Pilon
The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
The Monopolists tells the true story behind the creation of the board game Monopoly, revealing how a game originally designed to critique capitalism was transformed into a celebration of it. Mary Pilon uncovers the hidden history of Elizabeth Magie, the woman who invented the original 'Landlord’s Game,' and traces how Charles Darrow and Parker Brothers commercialized it into the global phenomenon we know today. The book explores themes of intellectual property, gender, and the evolution of American business culture.
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Origins of The Landlord’s Game: Lizzie Magie’s invention in the early 1900s
In the first decade of the twentieth century, Lizzie Magie was living in a world freshly electrified by reformist ideas. Henry George’s *Progress and Poverty*, published in 1879, had ignited debate about inequality in industrial society. George proposed a radical solution: a single tax on land owner...
From The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
Magie’s patent and early adoption: Progressive circles and Quaker communities
After receiving her patent, Magie distributed The Landlord’s Game quietly among like-minded reformers. Progressive educators recognized its value as a tool for teaching economics. In various communities — especially among Quakers, who valued cooperation and fairness — the game gained respect as a mo...
From The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game
About Mary Pilon
Mary Pilon is an American journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. She writes about sports, business, and culture, often focusing on the intersection of money and social issues.
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Mary Pilon is an American journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker. She writes about sports, business, and culture, often focusing on the intersection of money and social issues.
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