When John Newbery published "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" in London in 1744 he was onto something new: the writing and marketing of books devoted wholly to children. Although it was the Age of Reason and Newbery and his contemporaries believed that even the poorest young-ster could "look to his book" to achieve worldly success, there was an element of fun in the juvenile productions that soon flowed from the presses. The adventures of Dick Whittington, Giles Gingerbread, and Little Goody Two-Shoes delighted as they ...
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When John Newbery published "A Little Pretty Pocket-Book" in London in 1744 he was onto something new: the writing and marketing of books devoted wholly to children. Although it was the Age of Reason and Newbery and his contemporaries believed that even the poorest young-ster could "look to his book" to achieve worldly success, there was an element of fun in the juvenile productions that soon flowed from the presses. The adventures of Dick Whittington, Giles Gingerbread, and Little Goody Two-Shoes delighted as they instructed. To read "Engines of Instruction, Mischief, and Magic: Children's Literature in England from Its Beginnings" to 1839 is to trace the origins of a cherished part of our cultural history. Mary V. Jackson's entertaining, lavishly illustrated book sets a new standard for the study of children's literature in England. Going beyond previous scholarship, she shows how social, political, religious, and aesthetic considerations shaped the form and content of children's books. These books have always been sensitive barometers of shifts in taste and belief, a means of inculcating in the young the prevailing values of the adult world. They brought about a revolution in publishing, as revealed in Jackson's discussion of marketing strategies and innovations. And they were indebted to adult literature and art: classics like "Robinson Crusoe" and "Gulliver's Travels" were eventually categorized as children's books, and Romantic poets and illustrators like William Blake pointed the way from Puritan piety to fantasy and freedom. This fascinating history is rich in implications for children's literature of today.
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Add this copy of Engines of Instruction, Mischief, and Magic: Children's to cart. $17.50, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1990 by University of Nebraska Press.
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Add this copy of Engines of Instruction, Mischief, and Magic: Children's to cart. $18.00, very good condition, Sold by Gail P Kennon Book-Comber rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from West New York, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by University of Nebraska.
Add this copy of Engines of Instruction, Mischief, and Magic: Children's to cart. $33.20, very good condition, Sold by Pistil Books Online rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1989 by Univ of Nebraska Pr.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. Ex-library copy with the usual stamps and markings. Interior pages clean and unmarked; tight binding. 304 pages. "Mary V. Jackson's entertaining, lavishly illustrated book sets a new standard for the study of children's literature in England. Going beyond previous scholarship, she shows how soical, political, religious, and aesthetic consderations shaped the form and content of children's books."