Mah Jong

When I think of Mah Jong my mind conjures up cinematic images of a Kung-Fu stand-off scene in a restaurant. The board and its pieces being the precursor for the fighting to start as it is kicked high into the air to cause maximum calamity.

This particular vintage set won’t be getting booted around mind you. Apart from being superbly designed, it seems that the set is pretty old as the superbly finished pieces are made from Bakelite. On the inside of the instructions booklet there is a little Foyles Bookstore badge and some of the pieces have carefully been placed together in old cosmetic cases – a personal touch that adds a little character to the history of the set.

The whole thing lives in in a green cloth-lined satchel case with a heavy leather cover that gives the set a luxurious level of portability. Indeed I can’t help imaging it being played on the terrace of a colonial club in the humidity of a Singpore afternoon. bIt has to be one of my finest birthday gifts ever and I still don’t even know how to play it! Special thanks to Tom Brass for having a very fine eye for these things indeed.