Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Allure of Little Golden Books

While going to the shelves to put a few recently cataloged books away, I passed by my shelf of Little Golden Books.  I don't have a wide selection as I'm very picky about which ones to carry.  The number of LGBs published is overwhelming, I daresay I would need to add an annex if I were to get too deeply into selling them.

I choose to focus on the LGB's which feature the most recognizable artists or authors or first editions of the first 12 that were published way back in 1942.

I can see why they were so appealing then, and now.  Their size is perfect for little hands.  The artwork is colorful and abundant.  The stories are (mostly) well-told and easy enough for the very young.

Enough said.  Here are a few that I have or have had.

Baum, L. Frank (Adapted by Peter Archer); Illustrated by Harry McNaught.  NY: S&S, 1952.

Lawrey, Janette Sebring; Illustrated by Tibor Gergely.  NY: S&S, 1943

Duplaix, George; Illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. NY : S&S, 1947.

Brown, Margaret Wise; Illustrated by Garth Williams. NY: S&S, 1954.

Mother Goose; Illustrated by Miss Elliott. NY: S&S, 1942

Fairy Tales; Illustrated by Masha. NY: S&S, 1943.

Jackson, Kathryn; Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard. NY: S&S,  1952.

Shane, Ruth & Harold; Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. NY: S&S,  1955.

Woodcock, Louise; Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. NY: S&S, 1953.

2 comments:

Heather Ayris Burnell said...

I love Little Golden Books, probably because I had so many of them as a child, many of which I still have today. You're absolutely right about them being just the perfect size. I hadn't thought about that before!

Miss Mouse said...

My brother adored 'The Little Eskimo' and always used to close the book saying "...and he went to bed with his gumboots on!"

I remember 'The Twins', too - but my all time favourite is 'The Colour Kittens', which I recently discovered was illustrated by Margaret Wise Brown. Those purples and greens are still some of the most exquisite intense colours I've ever seen.