JONKERS RARE BOOKS
Introduction Children’s literature is easy to talk about but difficult to define. Are they books written for chil- dren? So many of the books most popular with children were written for adults. Books widely read by children, then? This would include The Bible and a number of purely educational texts, which would not readily fall into most people’s notion of a children’s book. The fact is that whilst books have been read to or by children for as long as they have existed, the concept of writing and publishing books specifically for the enjoyment of children is a fairly recent phe- nomenon. This catalogue charts the development of children’s literature from the earliest stages to the pres- ent day through a sequence of books, manuscripts and paintings, which we hope you will agree, demonstrates through the vivid imagination of childhood, an enduring magic.
Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales In the seventeenth century, books published for children were remorseless- ly instructional (spelling, conduct) or pious religious works. John Locke’s 1693 work, Some Thoughts Concerning Education , was groundbreaking in that it encouraged the writers of texts for children to make them engag- ing to young minds. Specifically he suggests Aesop’s fables as both age appropriate and containing the requisite inherent wisdom, but stops short of endorsing flights of fancy, “be sure to preserve his tender mind from all impressions and notions of Spirits and Goblins”. He goes on to claim that the oral tradition of fairy tales was only for the lower social classes. This widely held thesis was only true in part: whilst commoners were an important source for many later compilers, the oral tradition comprised a complex ecosystem of transition and included travelling merchants and
tradespeople as well as the middle classes who might encounter the works through theatre or verse. Locke’s view was also firmly anglocentric: as early as 1690 French aristocratic salons were both being entertained by and developing the conte de fées which Charles Perrault helped to bring to prominence (see items 3-7).
It was not until the eighteenth century that texts designed to appeal to children were widespread. These narratives still showed a strong sense of moral guidance or educa- tion through rhyme, but the introduction of supernatural elements, which touched the imagination of their young readers, blurred the lines between the didactic and the rec- reational. Many of these books are little known today, but their impact was far reaching and opened the door for the publication of works based on oral traditions from across the world, such as Arabian Nights and the works of Ander- sen and Grimm.
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