The Child Reader, 1700–1840

This book is a major study of child readers and their reading habits in the period when children's literature first became established.

M. O. Grenby (Author)

9780521196444, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 February 2011

338 pages, 40 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.62 kg

'Grenby's study marks a turning point in children's literature scholarship.' Sharp

Children's literature, as we know it today, first came into existence in Britain in the eighteenth century. This book is the first major study to consider who the first users of this new product were, which titles they owned, how they acquired and used their books, and what they thought of them. Evidence of these things is scarce. But by drawing on a diverse array of sources, including inscriptions and marginalia, letters and diaries, inventories and parish records, and portraits and pedagogical treatises, and by pioneering exciting methodologies, it has been possible to reconstruct both sociological profiles of consumers and the often touching experiences of individual children. Grenby's discoveries about the owners of children's books, and their use, abuse and perception of this new product, will be key to understanding how children's literature was able to become established as a distinct and flourishing element of print culture.

1. Introduction
2. Owners
3. Books
4. Acquisition
5. Use
6. Attitudes
7. Conclusions
Select bibliography.

Subject Areas: Children’s & teenage literature studies [DSY], Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 [DSBF], Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD], Literary studies: general [DSB]