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The pioneer of Mahjong in the States (or "Mah-Jongg" as he put it) is not all that well-known today, except by true historians of the game. Joseph Park Babcock, a graduate of Purdue, was an engineer for John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil in the early part of the 20th century. As part of his duties, he would make journeys to China, where he became fascinated with Mahjong games. Upon returning to the United States, the thought occurred to him that this would be an ideal pastime for Americans to enjoy.
It is not certain that Babcock was the man who originally brought the game to the U.S., but that is the strong suspicion. He is unquestionably credited with being the man who "Americanized" it; the "Father of Mahjong in America," if you will. Except in Babcock's case, it wasn't "Mahjong," but "Mah-Jongg." That spelling was not a mistake, or an accident. It was absolutely intentional, and it was part of Babcock, in effect, branding the game for his own purposes. He even went so far as to copyright that spelling of the word. He did adjust the rules to fit the western culture, and that amounted to simplifying the process of playing Mahjong games and making them more commercial.
Part of that initiative was writing a book. The volume, "Babcock's Rules for Mah-Jongg - The Fascinating Chinese Game," has taken on other titles through the years but is commonly known as the "red book," and it brought a certain standardization that made things "official" in the Mahjong, er, Mah-Jongg community in the U.S. Several manufacturers of board games, such as Milton-Bradley and Parker Brothers, produced their own version of Mah-Jongg.
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