The small collection of children’s literature ranges from 1834 to the 1970s, including alphabets, picture books, nursery rhymes, ‘Ripping stories for girls’, ’Champion book for boys’, ‘Lassie come-home', Mr Browns’... “plain writing copy book” and non-fiction.
The earliest volume is a classic in French, published in Paris, Fables by de J. La Fontaine precedees d'ine notice sur sa vie Tome I, although not intended for children when it was originally published in 1668. Fables and fairy stories were amongst the earliest books published for children in the 18th century and combined entertainment with instruction.
London publisher John Newbery (1713-1767) is called the ‘father’ of children’s literature although he published other genres.
We also have The Girls Own Paper (1898-1899), The Schoolgirl (1934-1937) and The Eagle (1950-1966, incomplete). The Girls Own Paper catered for girls and young women and was published from 1880 until 1956. The Schoolgirl was a weekly story paper and ran in two series between 1922 and 1940. The Eagle was a children’s comic published from 1950-1969 then again 1982-1994, the brainchild of an Anglican vicar from Lancashire and the official home of Dan Dare, pilot of the future.
You can access this collection by searching on the Special Collections catalogue. Please contact the Special Collections Librarian for more information and to discuss your research requirements.
Image: Cruikshank, G. (1836) A comic alphabet designed, etched & published by George Cruikshank. London: George Cruikshank. (Ref: B/3/45)
Front cover of The Willie Waddle Book with an illustration of a happy yellow duck sailing off in a washing tub with a t-shirt as a sail, while a pig washer woman holding a washboard appears to be shouting after him in anger. A brown bunny rabbit, a wolf or dog and a male well-dressed pig appear to be looking on in amusement.
The Willie Waddle book. (undated) London: John Leng & Co. (Ref: B/3/11)
Letter 'H' for Holidays from George Cruickshank's Comic Alphabet with illustration of high society folk crowded round an elaborate buffet of desserts and drink.
Cruikshank, G. (1836) A comic alphabet designed, etched & published by George Cruikshank. London: George Cruikshank. (Ref: B/3/45)
Front cover of Dear Dolly's Picture Book with illustration of a young girl in dress-up holding an umbrella, pushing a doll's pram and pulling a dog on wheels during play. Part of Mrs Strang's Play Books series published by Unbreakable Books.
Strang, H. (1910) Dear dolly's picture book Mrs Strang play books. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Ref: B/3/22)
Front cover of Enid Blyton's The Buttercup Story Book.
Blyton, E. (undated) The buttercup story book. London: John Gifford. (Ref: B/3/14)
Front cover of Plants We Play With book - a grey cover with daisy border surrounding central circular colour illustration of girl placing flowers in her hair.
Robertson, H. R. (undated) Plants we play with. London: Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. (Ref: B/3/26)
Front cover of Eagle comic.
Eagle [comic] vol. 10 no. 44 19 Dec 1959 (Ref: H/5/loose)
Front cover of the Lion Annual with illustration of a red rocket called "Saturn Circuit" speeding away through space with rocket exhaust trail showing the rocket coming from the planet Saturn in the background.
Lion Annual (1954) London: Amalgamated Press. (Ref: B/3/4).
Front cover of My Very First Book with muted colour illustration of small child sat on doorstep reading a book surrounded by toys.
My very first book (undated) London: Sunshine Books. (Ref: B/3/5)
Front cover of Nursery Rhymes with colour illustration of young child sat blowing a horn on a fence in the countryside, with cows in the field behind.
Nursery rhymes. (undated) London: Ward, Lock & Co. (Ref: B/3/12)
Front cover of Schoolboys' bumper book with colour illustration of a boy in an old-fashioned bathing suit and his dog jumping over a sand break in the sea with the beach and cliffs in the background.
Schoolboys' bumper book: great stories for boys. (undated) London: The Children's Press. (Ref: B/3/3)
Front cover of The Story Book of Clothes with small colour illustration of a woman spinning with a spinning-wheel in old grey and black dress and blue apron, set within a red leather background and binding.
Petersham, M. & Petersham, M. (undated) The story book of clothes. London: J. M. Dent & Sons. (Ref: B/3/32)
A selection of the books in the Children's Literature Collection in the Zibby Garnett Library, including School Boys' Bumper Book, Box of Stories, Monster Book for Boys, Ripping Stories for Girls, Lassie Come Home and others.
