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One of the Earliest Printed Educational Game Board Maps

The 1796 Complete Voyage Round the World: A New Geographical Pastime by John Wallis is a rare early educational board game that uses a double hemisphere map of the world as its game board.

The map overlays a sequential track of 100 locations, beginning in Portsmouth (#1) and culminating in London (#100). This game was designed to educate players about world geography while engaging them in a competitive race around the globe.

Players used an eight-sided teetotum, a type of spinning top, to advance their game pieces along the track, moving from one numbered location to the next.  Each space on the map corresponds to a different geographic location, complete with a brief description to educate players about the significance of that place. For instance, players might find themselves pausing in Cairo to "view the famous pyramids" or in Mecca to "see the grand Mosque," both of which required players to stay an extra turn, simulating the time needed to explore these famous sites.

The game was not without its hazards. Similar to the "death" space in the Game of Goose, players risked losing their chance to win if they landed on a particularly treacherous space, such as the Magellan Straits (#89), where the instructions ominously state that "the traveller is shipwrecked and loses his chance of the game." This element of risk, combined with the strategic nature of the game, made it both an entertaining and educational experience.

Each destination within the game is imbued with educational value. For example, landing on Constantinople provides the player with a brief history of the city as "ancient Byzantium, the capital of the Turkish empire." Similarly, Rome is described as "the capital of the Pope's dominions here in Italy; here was the seat of the Roman emperors." This blending of entertainment with educational content reflects the Enlightenment ideals of the period, emphasizing the importance of learning through play.

Wallis’s Complete Voyage Round the World was published at least until 1802. The game’s combination of geographic knowledge, strategic gameplay, and the thrill of exploration captures the spirit of the Age of Discovery and the burgeoning interest in global travel and understanding. 

The Wallis Publishing Firm

John Wallis Sr. (died 1818) was an English board game publisher, bookseller, map/chart seller, print seller, music seller, and cartographer. With his sons John Wallis Jr. and Edward Wallis, he was one of the most prolific publishers of board games of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Wallis's company occupied a number of sites in London, England including:

• 16 Ludgate Street (under the name "Map Warehouse") from 1775.
• 13 Warwick Square (under the name "Instructive Toy Warehouse") from 1805.
• 42 Skinner Street, Snow Hill - this address was mainly used by Edward Wallis when working alone or when working with his father, in those cases publishing as "Wallis and Son" or "John & Edward Wallis".
• 188 The Strand - this address being used solely by John Wallis Jr.
• 12 High Street - 1823 to 1837--  Edward Wallis