Idiolexicon

Were it not for McSweeneys' resident old-book-geek Paul Collins, I would have no idea that Milton Bradley was a real person. Bradley was, apparently, a student of design and color theory, who first tried his hand at game design with The Checkered Game of Life, pictured above.

It's quite an elegantly designed board, compared to its gaudy grandchild. The warnings of idleness and intemperance are, of course, charming. Much like its successor, the game did not include dice, which were considered wicked.