A jigsaw collector extraordinaire!

Many of we keen puzzlers keep our puzzles - either glued up on the wall or broken up and back in the box, but John Hyde of Surrey is a true jigsaw collector.
He and his wife have a collection of hundreds of jigsaws, some of which date back to the 1800s and have been completed by game enthusiasts including Lord Mountbatten and Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark. 

Stashed away in a wardrobe, a bookcase and a sideboard, the couple have around 600 jigsaws in their home.  He also makes replacement pieces for jigsaws.
To read the full article, click here.

Pathway Puzzles Pinterest site

We have now set up a Pinterest site about everything jigsaw puzzle related. So if you are passionate about jigsaw puzzles as we are, and want to read about the history, manufacturers, crafty things to do with old jigsaw pieces, or almost anything jigsaw related, take a look. http://pinterest.com/jigsawjoy/ 
Let us know what you think, or if you find something we could add just email us puzzles@xtra.co.nz

Our 100th post!!

My, how time flies! This is our 100th post. We have had such fun writing about the Joy's of Jigsaws the time has simply flown. Here is a quote from the forward of the book 'The Jigsaw Puzzle. Piecing together a history" by Anne Williams. "Puzzles aren't a way to kill time, as many think. In my experience, the most avid puzzlers are often people with the least amount of discretionary time." Now there is a statement I really agree with. Thanks for reading our Blog over the last two and a half years and 100 posts. We hope you have found it as interesting and enjoyable as we have to write it.

How small is the smallest jigsaw puzzle?

Along the same theme, how small is the smallest jigsaw?
Small can mean many things, but one candidate is “King Tut,” a wooden puzzle, approximately 6.55cm x 5.5cm, made by KARNAN, in Sweden that has about 90 pieces.

How old is the oldest jigsaw puzzle?

This is a question I was asked recently, which set me to doing some research...
The Oldest Jigsaws, or dissected puzzles as they were then called, were the dissected maps made by John Spilsbury, map maker and owner of a print shop in Russell Court, London. He was born in Worcester in 1739 and Linda Hannas' book ' The English Jigsaw Puzzle 1760-1890' gives a detailed account of his life.

In 1785 John Wallis published the first really light hearted puzzle 'John Gilpin ' an illustration of William Cowpers ballad.

In 1787 William Darton was the first to dissect a chronological table of English Sovereigns with the grand title 'Engravings for Teaching the Elements of English History and Chronology after the manner of Dissected Maps for Teaching Geography.' The puzzle was as boring as the title, and the next year his rival and neighbor, John Wallis produced a lighter version that went on selling for the next ten years.

I'd love to hear from you if you can add any further thought to this discussion.