Children’s Books of Yesterday

The National Book League was a precursor to the current Booktrust, and was set up in 1924 by the Society of Bookmen in order to promote reading, particularly among the young. To that end, the NBL issued Reader’s Guides on a variety of subjects, each written by an author with expertise in that field and containing an annotated bibliography of recommended titles on the subject. Originally published in 1946, this book contains a catalogue of an exhibition of children’s books held that year at the NBL’s headquarters. The books range in date from the sixteenth century to the early twentieth and include a number of works by celebrated authors and illustrations such as John Calvin and Randolph Caldecott. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of children’s literature.