134 Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 3/ Account of Voyages to Newfoundland

134 Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 3/ account of voyages to Newfoundland. But for what little I know and have been able to discover in relation to the great mass of material here, such oversights are uncommon. The catalogue provides locations at the major North American and British libraries, and some smaller collections in the U.K. Some other libraries could perhaps have been mentioned as well. The library at Mwemorial University, for instance, has an outstanding collection of early Newfoundland imprints. I am sure this kind of specialization is also true for libraries in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. There was a concerted effort in the post-World-War-II era amongst many Canadian libraries to build up collections of early books and documents. The focus of these collections may be narrow, yet they are often rich in materials printed in Britain (we have in St John's, for instance, multiple copies of the books by early settlers and colonists of the early seventeenth century). Enhanced location listing is one way in which the book could be improved and added to in an electronic version. This work, then, contains a great deal of information that could be greatly enhanced by indexing and updating, preferably by the work's being made available in electronic form. That said, the information has been subjected to a scrutiny and editorial care that may get lost in the new era of electronic texts. The material form of the book certainly forces authors to a higher degree of attention than is usually found in electronic work (where the feeling is that the work is in continuous draft stage). So there is a good side to the fixed material form of this work. One senses throughout a shaping intelligence. One is grateful to Professor Simmons for the care and thoroughness which he has given to this compilation. WEILLIAMBARKER Memnorial University ofN\ewfoundland

Sheila A. Egoff and Ronald Hagler, comp., with the assistance of Margaret Burke and Joan Pert. Books that Shaped Our Minds, a Bibliographical CatalogueofSelections Chiefly frorn theArkley Collection ofEarly and HistoricalChildren's- Literature in the Special Collections and University Archives Division, the University ofBritish Columbia Library. Occasional publication, no.3. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Library, 1998. 304 pp.; $95.00 (paper). ISBN 0- 88865-2I3-5-

Books that Shaped Our Minds complements Sheila Egoff's 1992 Canadian Children'sBaoos, 179-1939p~ in that it is a selection of influential British and American children's publications chosen from the University of British 135 Books in Review / Comptes rendus

Columbia's Special Collections and Archives, primarily from The Arkley Collection of Early and Historical Children's Literature. In pursuing its four objectives - (I) 'to show that the University of British Columbia has a working collection for study and research comprehensively illustrating the development of children's literature in England and the United States,' (2) 'to provide, in conjunction with [the] catalogue of Canadian items, the basis for comparative study of British, American and Canadian trends in children's writing and publishing,' (3)'to emphasize children's books as important pieces of social history,' and (4) 'to direct special attention to the work of graphic artists,' - this bibliographical catalogue provides an attractive and interesting overview of British and American publishing for children to 1939- The method of bibliographical description is described in detail, but is not related to a particular authority (except for Sadleir's terms and guidelines for binding from his XZX Century Fiction), and must be read carefully. Unlike Canadian Children's Books, title page transcription includes upper and lowercase, and italic and black letter type, although bold type, small capitals and type sizes are not identified. Collation statements describe signatures and gatherings whenever possible. The pagination section is particularly complex. Copyright, illustrations, series, binding, and provenance (where useful for establishing imprint date) are provided for each entry. There is no indication that copies of the books other than those in the University of British Columbia Special Collections have been examined. Illustrations include sixteen pages of colour plates and a number of black-and-white reproductions. There are some very minor typographical errors. The 364 entries are divided into sixteen subject areas, covering most aspects of children's literature. Within each category, the entries are ordered chronologically except for the illustrated books category which is alphabetical by author. The categories are broad, sometimes encompassing several related genres, such as 'Myth, Folk and Fairy Tale: Varieties of the Oral Tradition' and 'Periodicals, Annuals, Serials, Gift Books: A Plethora of Publishing.' There is no separate category for 'Fables.' Three indexes - for 'Author- Title-Series,' for 'Illustrators and Engravers,' and for 'Printers and Publishers' - include brief biographical annotations. The strength of this catalogue lies in the annotations, which supply rich background information on British and American children's literature. These informative notes frequently include references to bibliographical and literary authorities. The wide range of entries follows the pattern of successive genres in children's literature. Hence, early traditional tales of 'Romance and Legend' such as The Renowned History of Valentine and Orson and Roberte the Deuyll are followed by 'Myth, Folk and Fairy Tales,' such as Torn Thurnb, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales, and Grimm's Fairy Tales. 'Religious Instruction' includes fifteen titles by authors 136 Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 38/I from the Puritan era to 1894, from John Bunyan and James Janeway to Mrs. Barbauld and Hannah More. The 'ABCs and Primers' section has been rounded out with Tuer's History of the Hornbook· followed by Arkley holdings of battledores and primers. Among the dozen 'Chapbooks' dating from I790 onwards are The Sleeping Beauty and Jack~ the Giant Killer, though no early rhyme chapbooks for very young children are listed. In describing the 'Moral Tale,' the compilers have loosely applied the range 'late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.' The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes, Day's Sandford and Merton, and works by Arnaud Berquin, Maria Edgeworth, Mrs. Sherwood, Hesba Stretton (pseud. of Sarah Smith), A.L.O.E. (pseud. of Charlotte M. Tucker), and Mary Wollstonecraft provide a good overview of the classic moral tale. Catherine Sinclair's Holiday House provides an effective crossover example of the entertaining story constrained by the conventions of the approved moral fiction of the day, but the inclusion in this category of The Life ofRichard Turpin as an example of the sensational stories that 'could be read as moral or cautionary tales' is questionable. Such material would probably not be given to children as a means of moral instruction, nor was it likely that they would read it, stealthily or not, as such. 'Information Books' begins with Dodsley's influential The P)receptor and Comenius's popular illustrated guide to visible objects for the young, Orbis Sensualiurn Pictu~s. There are examples of works by popular authors - Tom Telescope (pseud.), Sarah Ellis, and H.G. Wells - but some of the best-known and most frequently parodied instructional writers are omitted; Samuel Griswold Goodrich, Richmall Mangnall, William Pinnock, and Agnes Strickland are not represented. The introduction to the lengthy 'Poetry and Verse' section states that 'poetry, unlike verse, cannot be imitated and Walter de la Mare must stand alone as the children's poet of his time with Peacock· Pie (1913). Then A.A. Milne became the icon of children's verse with a bit more cleverness and cuteness in When Ye Were Very Young (1924).' Walter de la Mare is represented in this section, but the only catalogue entries for Milne are for his books of prose which are listed in the 'Illustration' category: A Gallery of Children and Winnie-the-P'ooh. The wide range of notable authors represented includes Nathaniel Cotton, Sarah Hale, Isaac WSatts, Jane and Ann Taylor, Thomas Hood, Edward Lear, William Cowper, and Lucy Fitch Perkins, together with lesser-known poets. Kate Greenaway's Marigold Garden (not her better-known Under the Window) is listed in the 'Illustration' section, but Christina Rossetti will only be found in 'Moral Tales' and 'Girls' Books.' The difficulty in splitting fiction into 'Boys' Books' and 'Girls' Books' is that many authors and titles defy such classification. The 'Boys' Books' section offers titles by Daniel Defoe, Captain Marryat, R.M. Ballantyne, W.H.G. Kingston, Mark Twain, Gordon Stables, Manville Fenn, Frederick 137 Books in Review / Comptes rendus

Brereton, John Buchan, and Percy Westerman. Inexplicably, the most influential late nineteenth-century writer of fiction for boys, G.A. Henty, is neither represented nor mentioned in the introductory material. Rider Haggard is another surprising omission. 'Girls' Books' is more comprehensive in its introductory material. Titles for Jean Webster, Kate Wiggin, and Gene Stratton-Porter are listed (though Stratton Porter's F;reckles is arguably less of a girls' book than A Girl ofthe Limberlost, which is not listed). Louisa May Alcott's Little Men is included in 'Boys' Books,' but Little Women is not included in 'Girls' Books.' Among 'School Stories' are the important Tom Brown's Schooldays, Farrar's Eric, and Kipling's Stalky, together with the Lambs' Mrs. Leicester's School, works by Angela Brazil, Susan Coolidge, and L.T. Meade, though not the first school story, The Governess, or, The Little Female Academy by Sarah Fielding. In discussing 'Series' books the compilers focus primarily on early twentieth-century 'commercial' works, created according to guidelines by multiple authors, for which reason, perhaps, such popular and long-running series as the William books and Big;gles are not included. Works produced by the Stratemeyer syndicate (Margaret Burnham and Edith Van Dyne) are listed, among others. The 'Illustration' category, which represents a good range of illustrative styles and techniques, is complicated by offering the only listing for some authors whose books might be expected to appear elsewhere in the volume. Books by Charles Kingsley, A.A. Milne, George MacDonald, and Henry Mayhew are found only in the 'Illustration' category, together with entries for Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott, Kate Greenaway, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, and others. The problem of making choices between categorical listings is complex where options appear to be limited, thoug·h the careful 'Author-Title-Series Index' provides good access for specific author searches. In reading the annotations of the various books there are some points on which opinions may differ. For example, the note concerning Frank Stockton's Ting a Ling, first published in I869, states that 'Ting a Ling is a tiny fairy ... who rides his insect chariot to rescue veiled princesses and handsome princes with the help of a friendly giant (probably the first in children's literature).' Some might argue that St. Christopher and Bran who appeared earlier are also 'friendly' giants. The comments are thought- provoking, and they frequently include useful references to related titles for further research. A full bibliography of sources used is provided. Books that Shaped Our Minds will make a valuable addition to research collections of historical children's material. Read as a selected overview of an important collection, it is a reflection of a careful and individualistic choice and presentation of significant materials by renowned experts and their dedicated assistants. Wide-ranging commentary and listings of related research titles are used to frame the limited choice of entries within a 138 Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 38hI broader informationalcontext, providing a fine starting point for historical research in children's literature. This attractively illustrated volume is a excellent tribute to an important research collection. LESLIE MCGRATH Osborne Collection, Toronto Pu~blic Library