Dana Richardson Take My Advice-I’m Not Using It! I love bookstores, all bookstores, in-print, out of print, paperback exchanges; whether they are dusty, dark and cluttered, or well lit and meticulously organized, if you take me to a bookstore that has a good selection of books, especially children’s books, be prepared to only see the back of … Read more
The early 20th Century saw the first of what can be considered the modern children’s picture book. The books were short, the words relatively few, and the illustrations advanced the story instead of merely illustrating the text. Whether it was Peter Rabbit squeezing himself under Mr. McGregor’s fence or poor Pooh being thumped on the … Read more
The most liberal identification of the time frame for the Golden Age of the Illustrated Book is from 1865 till the beginning of World War II. And while not all illustrated books of this age were children’s books, it definitely delineates the high end collectible for this genre.
In 1942 Simon and Schuster published the first dozen titles in Little Golden Books (LGB) series. They were priced at about 25 cents, marketed to department stores, and as an alternative to the more expensive children’s books, which at the time cost 2 to 3 dollars, were immediately popular.
I officially made my transition from fanatic book reader to bookselling fanatic in 1993 when I was in my late thirties. I’ve always been a slow learner and it took me that long to figure out that I did not fit in either the academic or government environments.
We’ve been lucky enough with our book sources that we as a rule do not carry library discard books. Even so, there are certain children’s book titles that I always look for when I’m on scouting trips that I will pick up even as x-libris. These are a few author/titles that I always scout for: … Read more
Another great post by contributing writer Dana Richardson of Windy Hill Books. We are still looking for two more contributors, if interested please contact me (editor@bookshopblog.com). ************************ Most dealers (myself included) love to talk about the rare, scarce and truly wonderful titles that we found on scouting trips; attributing the find to luck, fate, karma, … Read more
Many thanks to Dana Richardson of Windy Hill books. She will bring a wealth of knowledge in the area of children’s books to our blog. Here’s a short bio. A bit about me and Windy Hill Books: I have been a certified book fanatic all my life and a bookseller of out of print and … Read more
