If you visit New York City over the holidays or shortly thereafter, be sure to take in a terrific new exhibition at the Grolier Club: One Hundred Books Famous in Children’s Literature.

“Powerful narrative, unforgettable characters, illustration that stirs the imagination, and insights that engage the mind and heart – literature for children is forged from the same enduring elements as literature for adults. Children’s books with these qualities often shine for generations, with some achieving landmark fame; and a few such books ultimately go on to enter the canon of classics of children’s literature. … These classics and others – many famous today, some only in their time – will delight adults and children alike” [Grolier Club short press release/information sheet, accessed 21 December 2015; the banner illustration, above, also is from the Grolier Club’s exhibit website and press releases].

UCLA Library Special Collections loaned four items from its Children’s Book Collection (CBC). About one-tenth (1,865) of the CBC’s titles and editions have been digitized and made freely-available through the Internet Archive, of course, but an exhibition such as the Grolier’s allows one to see and appreciate physical books alongside manuscripts, ephemera, original artwork, and “50 historic artifacts which demonstrate the relationship between the 100 books and the culture of their time” (Note from WorldCat catalog record 897364212).

Curator Chris Loker has posted eye-popping photos of the show and the Grolier’s lovely exhibition hall at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/grolierclub/sets/72157649705140911/ .

The published catalog for the show is available at the Grolier and its exclusive distributor, Oak Knoll Books (think, “Valentine’s gift”!). Libraries, collectors, and researchers no doubt will use the catalog as an important reference tool, following the Grolier’s other “One Hundred Books Famous in …” or “Grolier 100” catalogs including English Literature (1902), Science (1964), and Medicine (1995).

For media coverage of the exhibition, read reviews in the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly.  The New York Times suggests its review will appear Friday, December 26^th.

The Grolier Club is located at 47 East 60^th Street, a short walk from the Museum of Modern Art. The library and exhibit hall are closed on holidays.

If you make a special trip to New York to visit the Grolier (and who wouldn’t!), consider going during “Bib Week” (Bibliography Week, 20-24 January 2015).

The exhibition will be on view through 7 February 2015.

Russell Johnson Curator/Librarian

History & Special Collections for the Sciences

UCLA Library Special Collections

rjohnson@library.ucla.edu