Most of the private libraries to which I've been introduced over the past four decades have been the passion of folks who were introduced to the joy of books at a very young age.
These folks, when they re-encounter such books decades later, often are flooded with very fond memories: the smell of cookies baking, perhaps, or a beloved relative reading to them, or hiding under a sheet with a book and a flashlight so they could read just one more page:
Of course, because such books are written for children, they receive very hard use, and it is rare that these books survive childhood in anything approaching Fine condition. When encountered decades later, fond memories notwithstanding, it often takes both patience and deep pockets to build a private library of books that were central to one's childhood.
Over the next few posts, we will explore the history of children's book publishing, and more importantly for present purposes, how one might best go about collecting such books....
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