Realms of Gold in Children's Books & Five Years of Children's Books; a Supplement to Realms of Gold. Two volumes offered together..
Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran; Two books offered together: 1929 and 1936, Realms Preface on historic children's bookshops by Caroline Hewins, Five Years Preface on the sources of the lists; both these books are stated first editions; both in plain brown bindings and yellow or red top edges, with beautiful jackets: Realms with an elaborate gilt decorated illustration of a little girl and a dragon by Dorothy Lathrop, Five Years with a child surrounded by imagined dreams from books by the d'Aulaires; backs of both jackets contain Horn Book ads; both 16 x 23.5 cm; Realms 796 pp and Five Years 599 pp including extensive indexes. Reference book lists, hardback.
These two women, who created the imaginative, but not very profitable, Bookshop for Boys and Girls and then extended the goals of that enterprise by founding the Horn Book Magazine, played an important role in the recognition of fine children's literature in America. (Realms is the fifth in a series of less elaborate lists published by the Bookshop.) Along with their "Illustrators," and other works by early mid century librarians, this set represents the beginnings of a movement which has now become more diversified. Hundreds of short reviews (with $2 prices!) include books now quite hard to find, arranged within useful groupings and with many black and white illustrations. Realms lists drawn from Bookshop sales, Five Years from Horn Book running record. An essential reference for the children's book collector.
CONDITION: Both books are Very Good Plus: ; no names, straight, tight, and clean on boards, edges, and pages, a few corner tips lightly bumped;.
Realms jacket is Poor: completely separated on some creases and repaired with filmoplast archival tape, resulting in rough looking creases, edgewear all around of one cm or less, and a chip on spine crease of 1x3 cm;
Five Years jacket is Very Good some rubbed creases, bottom spine wear, and corner chips of one cm or less.
Both in archival protectors. . Item #22357
Price: $140.00