Found: A piece of jigsaw history

The first jigsaw depicted a map -- but was soon out of date

By CNN's Avril Stephens

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Jigsaw puzzles may only be unwrapped at times of illness, long wet holidays or Christmas, but the discovery of an 18th-century puzzle shows they have enduring appeal.

Unfazed by the arrival of the hool-a-hoop, bicycle, yo-yo and computer game, the humble jigsaw has survived since the very first -- now on display in London -- was made in 1766.

It has since evolved into different shapes and sizes -- 3-D, sculptures, double-sided pieces, and steel structures. But the world's first, which depicted a map, was used for both leisure and education.

Peter Barber, co-curator at the British Library in London, where the puzzle is on display, said: "Maps were used for early puzzles as an educational tool. People felt rather guilty about enjoying themselves so the use of landscapes or still life pictures would have been too decadent."

But the jigsaw, which is made up of four separate continents including Europe, Asia, America and Africa, had a short lease of life in the classroom having been made on the eve of Napoleon's exploits across the world.

The puzzle was soon put away in its box, minus a few pieces, and forgotten until 2000 when a dealer approached the library.

While the most expensive jigsaw in Hamleys children's store in London is priced at £99, the very first puzzle cost the library thousands of pounds.

It was made by John Spilsbury, the former apprentice of the royal geographer, who set up business in the early 1760s.

He was the first person to spot the commercial benefits of the jigsaw puzzle, but he is believed to have taken the idea from Lady Charlotte Finch, governess to the young King George III, who used a map puzzle to educate the child.

The popularity of the jigsaw has endured since, with adults the main 21st century buyers of the puzzles, Eva Saltman, marketing manager at Hamleys, told CNN.

"Some people are addicted to them," she said. "You need a lot of patience to do them -- especially when they come as big as 5,000 pieces. But they are also therapeutic.

"Adults usually buy jigsaws for children at Christmas. But they have universal and ongoing appeal."