Nineteenth-Century American Children & What They Read

Greetings from Brooklyn on a perfectly sunny yet not too hot nor windy beginning of summer day!

Today's site is the charming work of Pat Pflieger, the creator of Nineteenth-Century American Children & What They Read. The site is a treasure trove of transcriptions of major works of children's literature from 1800 - 1872, inlcuding books, magazines, and articles about children. Also included are annotated bibliographies and scholarly writings about Victorian children's literature and its impact on American culture. A subject index and title list provide additional browsing support.

Focusing heavily on the seminal children's literature magazine of the time, Robert Merry's Museum, the site's contents paint an entertaining, informative and oftentimes cringe-inducing portrait of the American Victorian worldview as it was re-packaged to influence and educate the next generation.

Selections:

The Slave's Friend, a children's magazine published by the American Anti-Slavery Society in the 1830's.

Diary of a Little Girl in Old New York