Boekenkwartet

Published October 30, 2019 Updated July 23, 2022

Boekenkwartet featuring illustrations from children's books, 1970s.

1970 Netherlands Bureau Boek en Jeugd Childhood Literature Card Games Quartet

Boekenkwartet features illustrations from children's books. The game consists of 12 series of four cards each, that is 48 cards, with illustrations from the books on each card. Each quartet series has a group name (The Netherlands, Europe, Seas of the World, World Tours, Air Travel, Africa, America, Australia, Asia, Islands, Fantasy, International) and a letter in red at the top of the card, whilst the four book titles in each series are listed at the bottom. The aim is to collect as many complete series as possible. See the Rules

Above: the box and back design from Boekenkwartet, published by Bureau Boek en Jeugd (Book & Youth Bureau), The Hague, 1970s. 48 cards + rules in box. The names of the book illustrators are not credited.

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By Rex Pitts (1940-2021)

Member since January 30, 2009

Rex's main interest was in card games, because, he said, they were cheap and easy to get hold of in his early days of collecting. He is well known for his extensive knowledge of Pepys games and his book is on the bookshelves of many.

His other interest was non-standard playing cards. He also had collections of sheet music, music CDs, models of London buses, London Transport timetables and maps and other objects that intrigued him.

Rex had a chequered career at school. He was expelled twice, on one occasion for smoking! Despite this he trained as a radio engineer and worked for the BBC in the World Service.

Later he moved into sales and worked for a firm that made all kinds of packaging, a job he enjoyed until his retirement. He became an expert on boxes and would always investigate those that held his cards. He could always recognize a box made for Pepys, which were the same as those of Alf Cooke’s Universal Playing Card Company, who printed the card games. This interest changed into an ability to make and mend boxes, which he did with great dexterity. He loved this kind of handicraft work.

His dexterity of hand and eye soon led to his making card games of his own design. He spent hours and hours carefully cutting them out and colouring them by hand.

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