Books displayed in this exhibit reflect only those materials published for the enjoyment of children during the 1800s.  Although the Arkley Collection includes a wide range of materials published for children, this exhibit features materials from seven genres of children’s literature.  Twenty-one books representing these genre are on loan from the University of British Columbia's Arkley Collection of Early & Historical Children's Literature.  

GENRES ON DISPLAY

  Myth, Folk and Fairy Tale
Folk and fairy tales were not considered appropriate for children until the mid-1800s because of parental preference for morality and religious education.  However, as early as the 1600s, scholars preserved the form and content of stories told by common folk.

Myth, Folk and Fairy Tale Titles on Loan:

Lang, Andrew.  Gold of Fairnilee, frontispiece by T. Scott, drawings by E.A. Lemann.  1st edition.  Bristol:  J.W.Arrowsmith;  London:  Simpkin, Marshall, 1888.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Routledge’s Coloured Picture Book.  London:  George Routledge and Sons, 1874, containing The Little Hunchback, Old Dame Trot, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, with thirty-two pages of coloured illustrations.   
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Tom Thumb’s Folio, or, A New Penny Play-thing for Little Giants.  York:  Printed by J. Kendrew, 1825.    Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Poetry and Verse
Poetry and verse appeared in several different forms during the 1800s.  Early in the century prose reflected the influence of religion and morality on society.  As early as 1807 prose filled with nonsense, rhyme and rhythm delighted children and reflected the authors’ intent to entertain children.  Later volumes mirrored the everyday life and thought of a child.

Poetry and Verse Titles on Loan:

Eventful History of Three Little Mice, and How They Became Blind.  Good Child’s Library.  Boston:  C.E.O. Libby & Co., 1858.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Songs of Father Goose: for the Kindergarten, the Nursery and the Home, verse by L. Frank Baum, music by Alberta N. Hall, illustrated by William W. Denslow.  Chicago, New York:  George M. Hill Co., 1900.    Courtesy of University of British Columbia  

The True Mother Goose.  A replica of the original antique.  Published in 1833.    
Courtesy of Friends of Gentle House

Richardson, E.  Songs of Near and Far Away, illustrated by E. Richardson.  London:  Cassell & Co. Limited, 1900.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Magazines and Journals
In the late 1800s and early 1900s magazines were an important part of the literature that was available for children.  Many novels were serialized before being published in book form, and works by well-known illustrators were frequently published in those periodicals.

Magazines and Journals Titles on Loan:

Peter Parley's Annual for 1886.  London:  Ben. George.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Child, Lydia Maria Francis, editor.  The Juvenile Miscellany; for the instruction and amusement of youth.  Boston:  John Putnam, 1826.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Strickland, Agnes and Bernard Barton.  Fisher’s Juvenile Scrap-book. London:  Fisher, Son & Co. 1837.   
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Illustrators
From the early years of publishing until the early 19^th century, crude woodcuts were used to illustrate children’s books.  During the 1800s changes in printing technology allowed for a wider variety in the styles of print reproduction.  A number of talented illustrators emerged and changed the look of children’s literature.  Three of the best known were Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott, and Kate Greenaway.  

Illustrators Titles on Loan:

Walter Crane’s Absurd Alphabet,  Edmund Evans, engraver and printer.  London:  George Routledge & Sons, 1874.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Caldecott, Richard.  Sing a Song for Sixpence, a Richard Caldecott picture book.  London:  George Routledge & Sons, 1880.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia  

Greenaway, Kate.  Marigold Garden, pictures and rhymes by Kate Greenaway, printing in colours by Edmund Evans.  London, New York:  George Routledge & Sons, 1885.    
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Animal Stories, Fantasy and Humor 
Children enjoyed the broad humor in some folktales and the nonsense in Mother Goose, but few books used humor or nonsense before the 1850s.  Stories without traces of a lesson or moral were unique. Alice’s Adventures Underground was first among this new genre.  Animal stories ranged from fantasy and nonsense to true depictions of animal treatment.

Animal Stories, Fantasy and Humor Titles on Loan:

Johnny Crow’s New Garden, illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke.  1st edition.  New York, London:  Frederick Warne & Co., 1935.   
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Baum, L. Frank.  The Wizard of Oz, with pictures by W.W. Denslow, edited by Michel Patrick Hearn.   New York:  Schocken Books, 1983.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection  

Carroll, Lewis.  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel.  New York:  Book League of America, 1941.   
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Carroll, Lewis.  Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, illustrated by John Tenniel.  “Peoples Edition.”  London:  Macmillan and Co., 1887.   
Courtesy of University of British Columbia

Carroll, Lewis.  Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, illustrated by John Tenniel.  Illustrated junior library edition.  New York:  Grosset & Dunlap, 1975, original, 1866.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection

Carroll, Lewis.  The Nursery Alice, with a new introduction by Martin Gardner.  New York:  Dover Publications, 1966, original 1890.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection

Guiliano, Edward, edited for the Lewis Carroll Society of North America.  Lewis Carroll Observed: a Collection of Unpublished Photographs, Drawings, Poetry, and New Essays. New York:  C. N. Potter:  distributed by Crown Publishers, 1976.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection  

Kipling, Rudyard.  How the Leopard Got His Spots, pictures by F. Rojankovsky.  Garden City, New York:  Garden City Publishing Co., 1942.  Reprint of the 1912 and 1901 editions.    
Courtesy of Friends of Gentle House

Kipling, Rudyard.  How the Rhinocerous Got His Skin, pictures by F. Rojankovsky.   Garden City, New York:  Garden City Publishing Co., 1942.  Reprint of 1912 and 1898 editions.    
Courtesy of Friends of Gentle House

Kipling, Rudyard.  How the Camel Got His Hump, pictures by F. Rojankovsky.  Garden City, New York:  Garden City Publishing Co., 1942.  Reprint of 1912 and 1897 editions.    
Courtesy of Friends of Gentle House

Kippling, Rudyard.  The Jungle Book, illustrations by Christian Broutin.  New York:  Viking Press, 1996, 1994.
From the Hamersly Library Collection

Potter, Beatrix.  Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher.  New York:  F. Warne & Co. c. 1906.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection

Potter, Beatrix.  Tale of Mr. Tod.  London, New York:  F. Warne & Co., 1911.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection

Verne, Jules.  Around the World in Eighty Days, illustrated by Jame’s Prunier.  New York:  Viking, 1996, 1994.    
From the Hamersly Library Collection  

TIMELINE

A timeline that spans five centuries represents the evolution of children's literature from the 1400s to the 1800s. The exhibit includes books from the Hamersly Library juvenile collection with comfortable chairs nearby to enjoy reading a story or two. 

LECTURE

Children's Literature specialist from British Columbia, Canada, Sheila Egoff, Professor Emerita of the University of British Columbia and co-author of the bibliography detailing the Arkley collection, “The Books that Shaped Our Minds”, presented a lecture on April 17th as part of the opening reception for the exhibit.  Professor Egoff spoke on the history of Children's Literature, relating the information to the books on loan in the exhibit. 

WEBSITES

For more information on Children's Literature, see the following sites:
[The following Web sites were selected by exhibit curators staff and are intended to facilitate inquiry into the topic of the Children's Literature.  No endorsement of these sites by Western Oregon University is implied.]

University of British ColumbiaLibrary: Special Collections and University Archives Division

Rare Books and Special Collections: An Illustrated Guide

Nineteenth Century in Print, Book: Poetry

Making of America Books

Keene State College – Children’s Literature Festival

Children’s Literature, Chiefly from the 19th Century  

ABOUT THE ARKLEYS

Rose and Stanley Arkley donated their collection of British and American children’s literature to the University of British Columbia’s Special Collections Library in 1976.  In addition, the Arkleys provided funding for cataloguing and further purchases. 

The Arkleys were passionate about books.  They wanted to collect books that children actually read.  Rose Arkley was a primary school teacher and early proponent of teaching reading using literature for children rather than the “readers” of the day.  Stanley Arkley was a Doubleday Publishing House representative in the western United States for nearly 30 years. 

The Arkley gift to UBC motivated contributions from others.  Stanley Arkley was active in arranging the class gift from UBC’s class of 1929.  Their reunion gift of a collection of Lewis Carroll volumes was also added to the UBC’s Special Collections Library.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to:

• The Family of Rose and Stanley Arkley who generously provided funding to bring this exhibit to Western:  Alfred Samuel Arkley, Tom and Allegra Willison, Richard Lothian Arkley, Tremaine Arkley, Jennie Adatto Tarabulus, Benjamin Cheever Atkinson, and Tremaine Arkley Atkinson

• Tremaine Arkley, son of the collectors, Rose and Stanley Arkley, who initiated planning for the lecture by Sheila Egoff, and facilitated the loan of materials from the Arkley Collection at the University of British Columbia

• Sheila A. Egoff, Professor Emerita of the University of British Columbia and co-author of the bibliography detailing the Arkley collection, “The Books that Shaped Our Minds”, for joining us a guest lecturer

• Frances Woodward, Librarian at the University of British Columbia Special Collections Division, for arranging access to the materials on loan, providing information to facilitate the installation of this exhibit, and accompanying Shiela Egoff to Monmouth.

• Friends of Gentle House for the loan of three Kipling books and the “Mother Goose“ reproduction

• Geri Marshall of Dallas, Oregon for loaning the horn book replica

• Jerrie Lee Parpart for assistance with graphic design and exhibit staging

LOCATION: 3rd floor galleries
Curators: 
    Margo Jensen, Library Media Specialist, Salem-Keizer School District & WOU Alumna 
    Carol Tripp, Administrative Services Coordinator, Hamersly Library

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