Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature

Marcus has written a very interesting history of publishing English books for children in the United States from the 1690 New England Primer to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in July 2000. The twentieth century, when publishers first appointed knowledgeable women editors to begin and run specialized children’s imprints, gets the most coverage. As the subtitle advertises, the debates in the field supply the story’s plot: should books for children be educational or entertaining, truth or fiction, draw upon folktales or the daily sensations of children in their new modern environment, is our business literature or commerce, and is children’s literature really literature at all? The characters, and there show more are some characters, are supplied by the publishers, editors, librarians, and educators who wrestle with these issues and the economic necessity of keeping their enterprises afloat. show less

Checked it out from library, determined that it's way too scholarly for my mood & energy right now. Dipped into the index to see if it covered topics of interest to me, results inconclusive. May try again someday, may not.