Although, admittedly, that seems something like a lifetime ago. My lifetime, actually. And I’m not all that old. Fortunately, however, author Tim Walsh shares the fondness for board games and toys, and has taken it to a whole new (possibly obsessive) level in Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Inside, Walsh tells the stories of some 420 different toys and games, from Ants In The Pants and Lite-Brite to Big Wheel and Mr. Machine. He also includes short biographies on some of the designers. The one thing I noticed is that every one of them looks extremely happy in their photos. And why not? They’re designing toys, good Pete’s sake!

And then there’s a complete 180 degree turn with Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History by Bryn Barnard. I admit I couldn’t bring myself to look at this one too closely - it felt like Captain Comedown after the toys book - but the cover is kind of cool in a creepy way. Here it is: