Forgotten Books of the American Nursery A History of the Development of the American Story-Book

A vivid portrait of early American childhood reading emerges from a careful survey of the tiny, often overlooked books that once lined nursery shelves. The author traces how imported English play‑books gave way to home‑grown titles, showing how printers, teachers and moral reformers shaped a market for stories that taught both manners and national pride. By examining surviving copies, the work reveals the social hopes and commercial pressures that guided a fledgling industry.

The study moves through distinct periods—late‑eighteenth‑century moral tales, the rise of “toy‑books” in the early nineteenth century, and the influence of Newbery’s pioneering catalogues—each chapter illustrated with period engravings and title pages. Readers will encounter vivid images of copper‑plate prints, early American advertisements and charming frontispieces, all contextualized within the broader narrative of how the United States began to speak to its youngest citizens through printed words.