Forgotten Children's Books
You never know what you'll find at my parents' house. Mom was pulling some books off her shelves she thought I might be interested in, and one of them was entitled, Forgotten Children's Books.
As soon as I saw the contents I was fascinated. The book is by Andrew White Tuer and is from 1898. It's a collection of (what I assume were) hornbooks and other children's literature from the last years of the 18th century and the first quarter or so of the 19th century. In the introduction, he gives a description of Dutch paper which was stamped with bright colors and gold foil and was used on the covers of early children's books. He states that the paper was expensive and has not been used for nearly three-quarters of a century (much longer now!).
"What little is left is preserved in the cabinets of the collector. The piece attached is a genuine old specimen. Should the supply give out, an engraved block will have to be substituted."
I guess the supply hadn't run out, because there is actually an odd little piece of paper glued next to these words!
The book contains mostly engravings as the art interested him more than the text, which is fortunate for the study of clothing. The majority is later than my period of interest, being mostly very early 1800s, but if anyone shows interest I can post some photos. There are of course many pictures of children, but there are also some Cries of London and other occupational engravings as well as a couple of "New and old fashioned people laughing at the other's style" caricatures.
* The author acknowledges that the title would be more clear if it read, "Children's Forgotten Books," but apparently he just liked it this way.
ETA: Never mind, it's on Googlebooks here.
As soon as I saw the contents I was fascinated. The book is by Andrew White Tuer and is from 1898. It's a collection of (what I assume were) hornbooks and other children's literature from the last years of the 18th century and the first quarter or so of the 19th century. In the introduction, he gives a description of Dutch paper which was stamped with bright colors and gold foil and was used on the covers of early children's books. He states that the paper was expensive and has not been used for nearly three-quarters of a century (much longer now!).
"What little is left is preserved in the cabinets of the collector. The piece attached is a genuine old specimen. Should the supply give out, an engraved block will have to be substituted."
I guess the supply hadn't run out, because there is actually an odd little piece of paper glued next to these words!
The book contains mostly engravings as the art interested him more than the text, which is fortunate for the study of clothing. The majority is later than my period of interest, being mostly very early 1800s, but if anyone shows interest I can post some photos. There are of course many pictures of children, but there are also some Cries of London and other occupational engravings as well as a couple of "New and old fashioned people laughing at the other's style" caricatures.
* The author acknowledges that the title would be more clear if it read, "Children's Forgotten Books," but apparently he just liked it this way.
ETA: Never mind, it's on Googlebooks here.