Publisher's Synopsis
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.
