The Child Reader, 1700-1840

This insightful study offers a groundbreaking exploration of how children actually interacted with books during the formative century of children's literature. Drawing on a wealth of historical evidence, including marginalia, diaries, and publishing records, it reconstructs the authentic reading experiences of young people from 1700 to 1840. The book moves beyond the texts themselves to investigate who these child readers were, what they chose to read, and how their literary consumption was shaped by class, gender, and family dynamics. It provides a crucial social history of early youth readership, revealing the complex relationship between children and the burgeoning print culture of the era.

Grenby's research is distinguished by its focus on the child's perspective, challenging adult-centric narratives about the history of children's books. The analysis is particularly compelling in its examination of how young readers subverted or embraced the moral and instructional aims of the literature produced for them. This work will deeply resonate with historians of the book, scholars of childhood studies, and anyone fascinated by the origins of children's literary culture. It fundamentally reshapes our understanding of how the first generations of young consumers engaged with the books that were written specifically for them.