Engines of Instruction, Mischief, and Magic: Children's Literature in England from Its Beginnings to 1839

by Mary V. Jackson

When John Newbery published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book in London in 1744 he was onto something the writing and marketing of books devoted wholly to children. Although it was the Age of Reason and Newbery and his contemporaries believed that even the poorest young-ster could "look to his book" to achieve worldly success, there was an element of fun in the juvenile productions that soon flowed from the presses. The adventures of Dick Whittington, Giles Gingerbread, and Little Goody Two-Shoes delighted as they instructed. To read Engines of Instruction, Mischief, and Children's Literature in England from Its Beginnings to 1839 is to trace the origins of a cherished part of our cultural history.

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 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.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Erin Reilly-Sanders]

I found this rather interesting for non-fiction, being of a more fictional persuasion myself, but unfortunately rather unconnected to things outside itself. Perhaps this is due to the British focus and a greater expectation of English history knowledge but rapid reading in the evening made me feel as if I was missing a good portion of the importance of the historical developments. Like many of these books I've been reading for classes lately, it seems to have way more people mentioned than I can comprehend in such a short narrative, especially as each person only contributes one or two things of note. On the other hand, it is very well illustrated with lots of pages from the period books mentioned. I suppose I rather would have preferred a picture book format of a book on a page, a brief description of why it was important, and then a description of how it carries along the themes the author is trying to present. On the whole, it was rather good for a text book, but not something I would consider reading for fun, as it doesn