
We can learn much about how a hisÂtorÂiÂcal periÂod viewed the abilÂiÂties of its chilÂdren by studyÂing its chilÂdren’s litÂerÂaÂture. OccuÂpyÂing a space someÂwhere between the pureÂly didacÂtic and the nonÂsenÂsiÂcal, most children’s books pubÂlished in the past few hunÂdred years have attemptÂed to find a line between the two poles, seekÂing a balÂance between enterÂtainÂment and instrucÂtion. HowÂevÂer, that line seems to move closÂer to one pole or anothÂer dependÂing on the preÂvailÂing culÂturÂal senÂtiÂments of the time. And the very fact that children’s books were hardÂly pubÂlished at all before the earÂly 18th cenÂtuÂry tells us a lot about when and how modÂern ideas of childÂhood as a sepÂaÂrate catÂeÂgoÂry of exisÂtence began.

“By the end of the 18th cenÂtuÂry,” writes NewÂcasÂtle UniÂverÂsiÂty proÂfesÂsor M.O. GrenÂby, “children’s litÂerÂaÂture was a flourÂishÂing, sepÂaÂrate and secure part of the pubÂlishÂing indusÂtry in Britain.” The trend accelÂerÂatÂed rapidÂly and has nevÂer ceased—children’s and young adult books now driÂve sales in pubÂlishÂing (with 80% of YA books bought by grown-ups for themÂselves).
GrenÂby notes that “the reaÂsons for this sudÂden rise of children’s litÂerÂaÂture” and its rapid expanÂsion into a boomÂing marÂket by the earÂly 1800s “have nevÂer been fulÂly explained.” We are free to specÂuÂlate about the social and pedÂaÂgogÂiÂcal winds that pushed this hisÂtorÂiÂcal change.

Or we might do so, at least, by examÂinÂing the children’s litÂerÂaÂture of the VicÂtoÂriÂan era, perÂhaps the most innoÂvÂaÂtive and diverse periÂod for children’s litÂerÂaÂture thus far by the stanÂdards of the time. And we can do so most thorÂoughÂly by surÂveyÂing the thouÂsands of mid- to late 19th cenÂtuÂry titles at the UniÂverÂsiÂty of Florida’s BaldÂwin Library of HisÂtorÂiÂcal Children’s LitÂerÂaÂture. Their digÂiÂtized colÂlecÂtion curÂrentÂly holds over 10,000 books free to read online from covÂer to covÂer, allowÂing you to get a sense of what adults in Britain and the U.S. wantÂed chilÂdren to know and believe.

SevÂerÂal genÂres flourÂished at the time: reliÂgious instrucÂtion, natÂuÂralÂly, but also lanÂguage and spelling books, fairy tales, codes of conÂduct, and, espeÂcialÂly, advenÂture stories—pre-Hardy Boys and NanÂcy Drew examÂples of what we would call young adult ficÂtion, these pubÂlished prinÂciÂpalÂly for boys. AdvenÂture stoÂries offered a (very coloÂnialÂist) view of the wide world; in series like the Boston-pubÂlished Zig Zag and EngÂlish books like Afloat with NelÂson, both from the 1890s, fact minÂgled with ficÂtion, natÂurÂal hisÂtoÂry and sciÂence with batÂtle and travÂel accounts. But there is anothÂer disÂtincÂtive strain in the children’s litÂerÂaÂture of the time, one which to us—but not necÂesÂsarÂiÂly to the Victorians—would seem conÂtrary to the impeÂriÂalÂist young adult novÂel.

For most VicÂtoÂriÂan stuÂdents and readÂers, poetÂry was a daiÂly part of life, and it was a cenÂtral instrucÂtionÂal and stoÂryÂtelling form in children’s lit. The A.L.O.E.’s Bible PicÂture Book from 1871, above, presents “StoÂries from the Life of Our Lord in Verse,” writÂten “simÂply for the Lord’s lambs, rhymes more readÂiÂly than prose attractÂing the attenÂtion of chilÂdren, and fasÂtenÂing themÂselves on their memÂoÂries.” ChilÂdren and adults regÂuÂlarÂly memÂoÂrized poetÂry, after all. Yet after the exploÂsion in children’s pubÂlishÂing the forÂmer readÂers were often givÂen infeÂriÂor examÂples of it. The author of the Bible PicÂture Book admits as much, begÂging the indulÂgence of oldÂer readÂers in the prefÂace for “defects in my work,” givÂen that “the versÂes were made for the picÂtures, not the picÂtures for the versÂes.”

This is not an author, or perÂhaps a type of litÂerÂaÂture, one might susÂpect, that thinks highÂly of children’s aesÂthetÂic senÂsiÂbilÂiÂties. We find preÂciseÂly the oppoÂsite to be the case in the wonÂderÂful Elfin Rhymes from 1900, writÂten by the mysÂteÂriÂous “NorÂman” with “40 drawÂings by CarÂton Moorepark.” WhoÂevÂer “NorÂman” may be (or why his one-word name appears in quoÂtaÂtion marks), he gives his readÂers poems that might be misÂtakÂen at first glance for unpubÂlished ChristiÂna RosÂsetÂti versÂes; and Mr. Moorepark’s illusÂtraÂtions rival those of the finest book illusÂtraÂtors of the time, preÂsagÂing the high qualÂiÂty of CaldeÂcott Medal-winÂning books of latÂer decades. Elfin Rhymes seems like a rare oddÂiÂty, likeÂly pubÂlished in a small print run; the care and attenÂtion of its layÂout and design shows a very high opinÂion of its readÂers’ imagÂiÂnaÂtive capaÂbilÂiÂties.

This title is repÂreÂsenÂtaÂtive of an emergÂing genre of late VicÂtoÂriÂan children’s litÂerÂaÂture, which still tendÂed on the whole, as it does now, to fall into the trite and forÂmuÂlaÂic. Elfin Rhymes sits astride the fanÂtaÂsy boom at the turn of the cenÂtuÂry, herÂaldÂed by hugeÂly popÂuÂlar books like Frank L. Baum’s WizÂard of Oz series and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. These, the HarÂry PotÂters of their day, made milÂlions of young peoÂple pasÂsionÂate readÂers of modÂern fairy tales, repÂreÂsentÂing a slide even furÂther away from the once quite narÂrow, “remorseÂlessÂly instrucÂtionÂal… or deeply pious” catÂeÂgories availÂable in earÂly writÂing for chilÂdren, as GrenÂby points out.

Where the boundÂaries for kids’ litÂerÂaÂture had once been narÂrowÂly fixed by Latin gramÂmar books and Pilgrim’s Progress, by the end of the 19th cenÂtuÂry, the influÂence of sciÂence ficÂtion like Jules Verne’s, and of popÂuÂlar superÂnatÂurÂal tales and poems, preÂpared the ground for comÂic books, YA dystopias, magiÂcian ficÂtion, and dozens of othÂer children’s litÂerÂaÂture genÂres we now take for grantÂed, or—in increasÂingÂly large numbers—we buy to read for ourÂselves. Enter the BaldÂwin Library of HisÂtorÂiÂcal Children’s LitÂerÂaÂture here, where you can browse sevÂerÂal catÂeÂgories, search for subÂjects, authors, titles, etc, see full-screen, zoomable images of book covÂers, downÂload XML verÂsions, and read all of the over 10,000+ books in the colÂlecÂtion with comÂfortÂable readÂer views.
Note: This is an updatÂed verÂsion of a post that origÂiÂnalÂly appeared on our site in 2016.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The First Children’s PicÂture Book, 1658’s Orbis SenÂsuÂalÂiÂum PicÂtus
Hayao MiyazaÂki Selects His 50 Favorite Children’s Books
A DigÂiÂtal Archive of 1,800+ Children’s Books from UCLA
Josh Jones is a writer and musiÂcian based in Durham, NC. FolÂlow him at @jdmagness