Today in History: Rare Children’s Books


Today in History–March 13–the Library of Congress features rare children’s books. Someone wrote “Enoch Brooks’ Book, Princeton, March 13th, 1789″ in permanent ink in a Library of Congress copy of a rare children’s Bible: A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible published by Isaiah ThomasLearn more about this early American printer and literature publisher by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access a selection of the children’s books available from the digitized materials from the Library’s Rare Book & Special Collections Division.

Access all of the digitized children’s books.

A Apple Pie A Apple Pie by Kate Greenaway. London; New York: F. Warne, [1900].
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The Arabian nights: their best-known tales The Arabian nights: Their Best-Known Tales / Edited By Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora A. Smith ; illustrated By Maxfield Parrish. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909.
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The Baby's Own Aesop The Baby’s Own Aesop: Being the Fables Condensed in Rhyme, With Portable Morals Pictorially Pointed / By Walter Crane. Engraved and Printed in Colours By Edmund Evans. London; New York: George Routledge & Sons, 1887.
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Ballad of the Lost Hare Ballad of the Lost Hare/ By Margaret Sidney [pseud.]. Boston: D. Lothrop, c1882.
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Baseball A B C. Baseball A B C. New York: McLoughlin Bros., c1885.
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Billedbo til Jonas Drewsen [Billedbog til Jonas Drewsen/compiled by Hans christian Andersen and A.L. Drewsen.] [Kjøbenhavn, ca. 1862]
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The book of the cat : with facsimiles of drawings in colour The Book of the Cat: With Facsimiles of Drawings In Colour / By Elisabeth F. Bonsall; and With Stories and Verses Written for the Pictures By Mabel Humphrey. New York: Fredrick A. Stokes Co., 1903.
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Bright Wits Bright-Wits, Prince of Mogadore / Burren Loughlin and L.L. Flood. New York; Boston: H.M. Caldwell Co., c1909.
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The Cheerful Cricket The Cheerful Cricket and Others / Jeannette Marks; Illustrated By Edith Brown.Boston: Small, Maynard & Co., 1907.
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Children of Our Town Children of Our Town / Pictured By E. Mars and M. H. Squire; With Verses By Carolyn Wells. New York : R.H. Russell, [c1902].
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A Child's Garden of Verses A Child’s Garden of Verses / By Robert Louis Stevenson; Illustrated by Charles Robinson. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1895.
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The Children's Object Book The Children’s Object Book. London; New York: F. Warne & Co., [188-?].
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A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol / By Charles Dickens; With Illustrations by A. C. Michael.
New York: Hodder and Stoughton, [1911].
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The Circus Procession The Circus Procession. N.Y. [i.e. New York]: McLoughlin Bro’s., c1888.
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The Complete Collection of Pictures and Songs The Complete Collection of Pictures & Songs / By Randolph Caldecott; Engraved and Printed By Edmund Evans; With a Preface By Austin Dobson.
London; New York: G. Routledge and Sons, 1887.
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A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible A Curious Hieroglyphick Bible, or, Select Passages in the Old and New Testaments, Represented with Emblematical Figures, for the Amusement of Youth: Designed Chiefly to Familiarize Tender Age, in a Pleasing and Diverting Manner, with Early Ideas of the Holy Scriptures. The first Worcester edition. [Worcester]: Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts, by Isaiah Thomas and sold … at his bookstore, 1788
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The Death and Burial of Poor Cock Robin Death and Burial of Poor Cock Robin / From Original Designs By H.L. Stephens. New-York: Hurd & Houghton, 1865.
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Denslow's Humpty Dumpty Denslow’s Humpty Dumpty / Adapted and Illustrated by W.W. Denslow.
New York: G.W. Dillingham Co., 1903.
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Denslow's Mother Goose: Being the Old Familiar Rhymes and Jingles of Mother Goose Denslow’s Mother Goose: Being the Old Familiar Rhymes and Jingles of Mother Goose / Edited and Illustrated by W.W. Denslow. New York: McClure, Phillips, 1901.
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Denslow's Three Bears Denslow’s Three Bears /Adapted and Illustrated By W.W. Denslow. New York: G.W. Dillingham Co., 1903.
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Fables Choisies pour les Enfants Fables Choisies pour les Enfants et Illustrées Par B. de Monvel / La Fontaine. Paris: Plon-Nourrit & Cie, Imprimeurs-éditeurs, [1888].
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Gobolinks, or Shadow-Pictures for Young and Old Gobolinks, or Shadow-Pictures for Young and Old/ By Ruth McEnery Stuart and Albert Bigelow Paine. New York: The Century Co., 1896.
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The Grasshopper Stories The Grasshopper Stories / by Elizabeth Davis Leavitt; With Illustrations By Maude Dewey Doan. [S.l. : s.n.], c1912 (Jacksonville, Ill.: Henderson & DePew, printers).
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Grosses bêtes & petites bêtes Grosses bêtes & petites bêtes: [l’arche de Noé] / images et texte par André-Hellé. Paris : Tolmer & Cie, 13 quai d’Anjou, [1912]
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Ivory Hornbook [Ivory hornbook] [realia]. [England : s.n., 18–]. 1 hornbook : ivory ; 12 x 7 cm.
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Jimmy Crow Jimmy Crow / By Edith Francis Foster. Boston: Dana Estes & Co., c1902.
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King Winter King Winter. Hamburg: Gustav W. Seitz, [ca. 1859].
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Little Ann and Other Poems / By Jane and Ann Taylor; Illustrated by Kate Greenaway; Printed in Colours By Edmund Evans. London; New York: George Routledge & Sons, [1883].
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Little Songs of Long Ago Little Songs of Long Ago: More Old Nursery Rhymes / the Original Tunes Harmonized By Alfred Moffat; Illustrated By H. Willebeek Le Mair. London: Augener: For the Book Trade, A. & C. Black; New-York: G. Schirmer, c1912.
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London town London Town / Designed and Illustrated By Thos. Crane & Ellen Houghton. London; New York: Marcus Ward & Co., [1883].
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Mary's Little Lamb Mary’s Little Lamb: a Picture Guessing Story for Little Children: With 500 Pictures By the Author / By Edith Francis Foster. Salem, Mass.: S.E. Cassino, c1903.
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Mother Goose Finger Plays Mother Goose Finger Plays / Selected and Adapted By Irene Margaret Cullison. Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Co., [1915].
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My Very First Little German Book My Very First Little German Book. New York, Hodder & Stoughton [19–?].
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Our Flag Our Flag: Its History and Changes From 1620 to 1896. 2d ed. New Haven, Conn., Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1896.
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Our Old Nursery Rhymes Our Old Nursery Rhymes / the Original Tunes Harmonized by Alfred Moffat; Illustrated By H. Willebeek Le Mair. London: Augener; New-York: G. Schirmer, c1911.
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The Pied Piper of Hamlin The Pied Piper of Hamelin / By Robert Browning; Illustrated by Kate Greenaway. London; New York: Frederick Warne and Co., [1910].
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A Little Pretty Pocket-Book

A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy, and Pretty Miss Polly / Printed at Worcester, Massachusetts. By Isaiah Thomas, and Sold, Wholesale and Retail, at His Bookstore, 1787.
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The Raven The Raven / By Edgar Allan Poe; Illustrated By Gustave Doré; With comment By Edmund C. Stedman. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1884.
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Le Corbeau Le Corbeau = The Raven: Poëme / Par Edgar Poe; Traduction Française de Stéphane Mallarmé; Avec Illustrations Par Édouard Manet. Paris: R. Lesclide, 1875.
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The Rocket Book The Rocket Book / By Peter Newell. New York: Harper & Brothers, c1912.
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The Secret Garden The Secret Garden / By Frances Hodgson Burnett. New York: F.A. Stokes, 1911.
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The Slant Book The Slant Book / by Peter Newell. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1910.
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The Song of Sixpence Picture Book The Song of Sixpence Picture Book: Containing Sing a Song of Sixpence, Princess Belle Etoile, An Alphabet of Old Friends / With the Original Coloured Designs by Walter Crane, including a Preface and Other Embellishments. London; New York: John Lane, The Bodley Head, [1909].
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The Square Book of Animals The Square Book of Animals / By William Nicholson; Rhymes By Arthur Waugh. New York: R. H. Russell, 1900, c1899.
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Stories from Hands Andersen Stories From Hans Andersen / With Illustrations By Edmund Dulac. London: Hodder & Stoughton, [c1911].
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The Story of the Three Little Pigs The Story of the Three Little Pigs / With Drawings By L. Leslie Brooke.
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The Twelve Magic Changlings The Twelve Magic Changelings / By M.A. Glen. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., c1907.
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Uncle Tom's Cabin for Children Uncle Tom’s Cabin for Children / By Harriet Beecher Stowe; Adapted By Helen Ring Robinson; designed By W.M. Rhoads. Philadelphia: The Penn Publishing Co., [c1908].
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Vieilles Chansons pour les Petits Enfants Vieilles Chansons pour les Petits Enfants: Avec Accompagnements / de Ch. M. Widor; Illustrations Par M.B. de Monvel. Paris: E. Plon, Nourrit et Cie, [191-].
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A visit from Saint Nicholas A Visit From Saint Nicholas. Illustrated From Drawings By F.O.C. Darley. New York, J. G. Gregory, c1862.
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William Tell told again William Tell Told Again / By P.G. Wodehouse; With Illustrations In colour By Philip Dadd, Described In Verse By John W. Houghton. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1904.
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A wonder book for girls & boys A Wonder Book For Girls & Boys / By Nathaniel Hawthorne; with 60 designs By Walter Crane. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1893, c1892.
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The wonderful wizard of Oz The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / By L. Frank Baum; With Pictures by W.W. Denslow. Chicago; New York: G.M. Hill Co., 1900, c1899.
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