Collectible
& Classic - Little Golden Books
by Julie Oreskovich
If you think about the books you read as a
child, or have read to a child, Little Golden Books will pop into your head.
These books were first published in 1942 and have become a staple on children's
bookshelves. Little has changed with the books over the years, they still have
the iconic gold spine, the brightly illustrated covers and educational and moral
stories. Although they no longer sell for 25 cents - first edition copies
easily go for over $100 - Little Golden Books are a sweet little piece of the
literary pie.
Guy Duplaix, president of the Artist and Writers
Guild, came up with the idea to produce inexpensive children's books that were
durable. In September 1942, Duplaix worked with Simon & Schuster to publish
the first 12 titles:
- The Poky Little Puppy
- Three Little Kittens
- Bedtime Stories
- The Alphabet From A-Z
- Mother Goose
- Prayers for Little Children
- The Little Red Hen
- Nursery Songs
- The Golden Book of Fairy Tales
- Baby's Book
- The Animals of Farmer Jones
- This Little Piggy
After only five months, the Little Golden Books
were in their third printing with 1.5 million copies in print. The success rate
was so high that George Duplaix took on another Little Golden Books division
under Simon & Schuster called Sandpiper Press. Throughout the years, the
Little Golden Books franchise worked together with various companies and
introduced book and product joint packaging. An example of this is Doctor Dan, The Bandage Man, a book that was released with Johnson &
Johnson Band-Aids glued to the title page. The first printing for this book was
1.75 million copies. In May, 1954, 2.25 million copies of Little Lulu and Her Magic Tricks were printed with a package of Kleenex tissues
attached to the front cover.
Many well known authors and illustrators have
worked on Little Golden Books. Among the most popular authors include Margaret
Wise Brown - author of Good Night Moon, Richard Scarry and Tibor Gergely. Gergely was best known for his
covers including The Little Red Caboose, Tootle, and Scuffy the Tugboat. According to Publishers Weekly, as of 2001, Tootlewas the all-time third bestselling hardcover
children's book in English behind the Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Poky Little Puppy, the leader.
As of 2002, over two billion Little Golden Books
have been printed. Various formats of Little Golden Books have been created
including, games, toys, videos, miniature books, and records. There is no
denying the incredible impact these books have had on multitudes of people and
their strong nostalgic appeal will ensure that they remain in print for years
to come.
My FAVORITE Little/Big Golden Books
Mother Goose
by Phyllis Fraser (1942)
by Phyllis Fraser (1942)
The Saggy Baggy Elephant
by K & B Jackson
by K & B Jackson
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love comments, so please leave some! If you are a new follower and have a blog yourself please let me know so I can follow you back! Have a great day!
Emily, AKA Mrs. Mommy Booknerd