Printing and Publishing in Library Special Collections

The Children's Book Collection (CBC) was established through the acquisition of several private collections, notably those of Elvah Karshner, Bernard M. Meeks, Olive Percival, May and George Shiers, and d'Alté Welch. One of the cornerstones of the CBC are books from the library of Olive Percival, comprising 527 titles in 18th- and 19th century juvenile literature, purchased from Los Angeles book dealer Ernest Dawson in 1946, and considered to be one of the outstanding resources for historical research in the field of children’s literature. The Library continues to build on these original collections, enhancing their research value with new acquisitions in such genres as alphabet books (for example, Bowden’s A.B.C. Book of India from the turn of the century which gives the true flavor of the entitled British in India during the Raj); instructional manuals (Le calcul amusant, a humorous illustrated book showing that at the time of its publication in 1862, children’s literature no longer aimed solely to educate and edify, but also to amuse and entertain); and movable books such as metamorphic pictures and flapbooks (“Burton’s Physiognoscopography,” a movable card from 1835 that allowed the child to create stage actors and actresses with 288 different combinations of costume, hair, and face).

The strength of the collection resides chiefly in English and American publications before 1840 and includes titles issued by such publishers as the Newbery family, John Harris, Benjamin Tabart, and Kendrew of York. Among authors represented in depth are Maria Edgeworth, part of whose own library is in the collection; Lady Fenn, writing as Mrs. Lovechild; Dorothy Kilner, writing as M. Pelham; and Mrs. Sherwood and Mrs. Trimmer, both prescriptive writers of the nineteenth century. 

The English materials are supported by foreign-language editions, particularly Madame d'Aulnoy's fairy tales. Early games and pop-up and other movable books form a major segment of the collection, which includes the most extensive collection of harlequinades extant. The collection also includes some primary and secondary American textbooks, among them McGuffey readers and California textbooks. There is also a collection of modern juvenile books, including runs of the Newbery and Caldecott medal winners, and Russian children's books published between the two world wars.

Manuscripts supporting the collection include more than a hundred of Maria Edgeworth's letters and holographs of some of her stories; Mrs. Sherwood's manuscript journal, largely unpublished; the papers of Margery Fisher; and the papers and drawings of Lucille and Holling Clancy Holling.

Search Tip:

While using UC Library Search, readers can locate records for items in the Children's Book Collection by including the access code CBC in keyword searches.

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