English Children's Books

Features of English Children's Books

In this book, Percy Muir, a leading authority on English children's books, has written a scholarly and entertaining account of the works published for children during a period of three centuries. Mr. Muir passes over the books written solely to instruct or to improve and concentrates on those whose aim is entertainment. He discusses at some length, and with an endearing enthusiasm, the important children's writers and their books in the years preceding 1900. He provides lists- invaluable to the collector-of the most important children's books during each period, and he refers to the most useful works on the subject by earlier writers.

John Newbery is generally held to have originated children's books in 1740. Mr. Muir successfully challenges this assumption. He also satisfactorily fills in a number of gaps left by previous historians of the subject. The interesting and important publishing histories of the most famous children's books, here given for the first time, are especially valuable guides to this most ephemeral branch of the literature.

There are more than 100 illustrations: color plates, photographs and facsimile reproductions in line. In themselves a most attractive collection, they will be of great value to the student of children's books. To the collector and librarian, the book will be a necessary work of reference; to the much wider public who loved children's books when young and who love them still it will be a delightful possession.