Summary

The astonishing success of J. K. Rowling and other contemporary children's authors has demonstrated how passionately children can commit to the books they love. But this kind of devotion is not new. This timely volume takes up the challenge of assessing the complex interplay of forces that have created the popularity of children's books both today and in the past.The essays collected here ask about the meanings and values that have been ascribed to the term popular. They consider whether popularity can be imposed, or if it must always emerge from children's preferences. And they investigate how the Harry Potter phenomenon fits into a repeated cycle of success and decline within the publishing industry. Whether examining eighteenth-century chapbooks, fairy tales, science schoolbooks, Victorian adventures, waif novels or school stories, these essays show how historical and publishing contexts are vital in determining which books will succeed and which will fail, which bestsellers will endure and which fade quickly into obscurity. As they considering the fiction of Angela Brazil, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl and J. K. Rowling, the contributors carefully analyze how authorial talent and cultural contexts combine, in often unpredictable ways, to generate - and sometimes even sustain - literary success.

Classification

• Dewey Decimal: 820.99282

Book Details

• Physical Description: 6.3"x9.3"x1.2"; 1.9 lb; 356 pages
• Edition Info: Hardcover; 2008-06-13

Subjects

• Children's Books -- Literature -- Children's Literature Guides
• Children's Books -- General
• Literature & Fiction -- History & Criticism -- Criticism & Theory -- General
• Literature & Fiction -- World Literature -- British -- General
• Literature & Fiction -- World Literature -- United States -- History & Criticism -- Literary Theory
• Literature & Fiction -- General -- General

Buying This Book

We query many merchants so that you can instantly compare prices and availability. You can even check historic prices and subscribe for notifications. For a manual check, clicking on a link will open a new window with a search for this book on the merchant's site of your choice.

• Amazon.com by title or by ISBN - widest selection, reliable service, good prices
• Abebooks.com by title or by ISBN - good source for rare and out-of-print books
• Textbooks.com by title or by ISBN - large inventory of new & used textbooks
• Alibris.com by title or by ISBN - their slogan is "books you thought you'd never find"
• eCampus.com by title or by ISBN - they specialize in textbooks, used and new
• BN.com by title or by ISBN - Barnes & Noble has a wide selection of new and used books