FAQ

Volume One covers 1972 to 1980, from the first red LEDs to the rise of LCD: 138 games across 316 pages. Volume Two covers 1981 to 1985 and beyond, the golden age of VFD and the pocket LCD revolution: 114 games across 272 pages, plus the Extra Credit odd ones out. Each volume stands on its own.

A double-page spread: a full-page photograph, a spec panel (maker, year, country of manufacture, display type, power requirements and genre), the game’s story, setup and controls, how to play, and three interesting facts. See inside the books.

All 252 games are listed on The Games page, with a search box for game names and makers.

A4 portrait hardbacks, case bound with a printed cover, printed in full colour on 150gsm coated paper. ISBNs: Volume One 978-1-83749-047-9, Volume Two 978-1-83749-048-6.

Yes. Every game was photographed from the author’s own collection. Some are well used, as games from the 1970s and 80s tend to be.

No. The Glow of the Game is an independent work, not endorsed by or affiliated with any of the companies mentioned. Product names, logos and brands belong to their owners.

Yes. Both volumes are also available as cheaper paperbacks on Amazon: Volume One £24.99 (Amazon UK · Amazon US) and Volume Two £22.99 (Amazon UK · Amazon US). They are softcover and slightly smaller (19.8 × 27.9 cm) than the A4 hardbacks. The instant PDF reading copy, and the 10% saving on both volumes, come only with hardbacks bought on this site.

Both volumes are out on 23 November 2026, priced £48.95 each, and every printed book comes with an instant PDF reading copy, personalised to you, to download as soon as you’ve paid. Buy both together and save 10%. Leave your email and you’ll hear the day they’re available.

Yes, and you save 10%. Use the Buy button for both volumes, or add each one to your basket, and the 10% comes off automatically. They’re posted to you together, with postage charged once.

Checkout is handled securely by PayPal. You can pay with your PayPal account or with a debit or credit card, and you don’t need a PayPal account to pay by card. Your card details never pass through this website.

Yes. Please get in touch for trade and bulk orders.

Postage is charged once per order: UK £6.95 for one book or £8.95 for both; Europe (tracked) £31.95; USA £16.95 for one book or £28.95 for both; rest of the world (tracked) £58.95 for one book or £74.95 for both. We deliver to the UK, Europe, the USA and most other countries, and you’ll see the exact cost at checkout before you pay. See Shipping.

From the UK. Please allow up to 7 working days for your order to be prepared and dispatched, then delivery time: usually 2–5 working days in the UK. Full details are on the Shipping page.

Printed books have no VAT in the UK. Outside the UK, your country may charge import VAT, duties or a handling fee when the parcel arrives. These are set by your local customs and aren’t included in our price.

A4 hardbacks are well packed, but if yours arrives damaged or with a printing fault, contact us as soon as you can with your order number and photos of the book and its packaging, and we’ll send a replacement or refund you. See Returns.

Yes. You can cancel within 14 days of delivery and return the book unused for a refund. The Returns page explains how.

Yes. Our walking-handheld design is on a t-shirt, hoodie, embroidered cap, tote bag and black mug, and there’s a 2027 wall calendar with twelve close-ups of glowing game screens photographed from the books. You’ll find everything on the Merch page.

UK delivery on merch is £3.95 for the first item and £1.50 for each extra item. Merch is made and sent separately from the books, so if you order both you pay the book postage and the merch postage. Outside the UK it is £5.95 to Europe, £6.50 to the USA and £12.95 to the rest of the world for the first item, plus £3.50 (Europe and USA) or £6.00 (rest of the world) for each extra item. The calendar is printed and posted by a separate partner, so its postage is worked out at checkout for your address.

Every item is printed or embroidered when you order it, then posted to you directly, so please allow a few extra days for it to be made. Merch is sent separately from the books, so if you order both they’ll arrive in separate parcels.

No. Offers such as the 10% saving when you buy both volumes apply to the books only. Merch is always the price shown.

The T-shirt comes in sizes S to 4XL and the hoodie in S to 5XL. Choose your size on the product page before adding it to your basket.

Merch is made to order by our print partners, Printful and Gelato, and our policy follows theirs. If an item arrives damaged, faulty, misprinted or isn’t what you ordered, contact us within 30 days of delivery with your order number and a photo, and we’ll replace it or refund you, with no need to send it back. Because each item is made just for you, we can’t take returns or exchanges for a change of mind, or for the wrong size or colour. Full returns details.

Sign up by email on any book page, and follow us on Facebook for a game from the books every day.

It’s only used to tell you about the books, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See the privacy notice.

Please do. Corrections, variants and stories from people who owned these games are very welcome. Send a message.