Golden Legacy: The Story of Golden Books

by Leonard S. Marcus

Overview

Back in print, the fascinating history of Little Golden Books, in celebration of their 75th anniversary in 2017! With a Foreword by Eric Carle.

Eminent children's historian Leonard Marcus' Golden Legacy chronicles the fascinating story of the creation, marketing, and worldwide impact of Little Golden Books, the most popular children's books of all time. Launched during the dark days of WWII, Golden Books such as The Poky Little Puppy were an instant sensation. Hallmarked by their superlative quality yet affordable to nearly all, they changed the cultural landscape and mirrored our changing postwar culture: the powerful influence of television, the post-Sputnik renaissance in American science education, and the birth of the civil rights movement. Lavishly illustrated with the iconic Golden Book covers and colorful artwork  generations of children have pored over, Golden Legacy is a compelling tale of mavericks, innovators, and renowned authors and illustrators. . . a stirring celebration of the humble books in which we scrawled our names, with the cardboard cover and the shiny gold-foil spine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375829963
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	02/14/2017
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	10.25(w) x 10.13(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

LEONARD MARCUS is one of the world's most respected historians of children's books and the people who create them. His own award-winning books include Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon and Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom. A frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and Horn Book Magazine, Marcus has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, ABC's Good Morning America, and BBC Radio 4. He is a founding trustee of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and is the curator of landmark exhibitions at the New York Public Library and elsewhere. He teaches at New York University and the School of Visual Arts, and lectures about his work throughout the world. Marcus holds degrees in history from Yale, and poetry from the University of Iowa Graduate Writers Workshop. Visit him at leonardmarcus.com.

Editorial Reviews

Review, The New York Times Book Review, November 11, 2007:
"The book includes a wonderful selection of archival photos and artwork that convey the depth and breadth of the creative talent working there in those early years."

Starred Review, School Library Journal, December 2007:
"This winning combination of nostalgia and clear-eyed, meticulously researched history breaks new ground, and should have broad appeal."

From the Publisher

Leonard Marcus's research is rich and exhaustive, and the story he tells is a good one, if at times just a bit too celebratory—perhaps to be expected, since Golden Books itself is the publisher of this detailed portrait of its history. The book includes a wonderful selection of archival photographs and artwork that convey the depth and breadth of the creative talent working there in those early years. After reading Golden Legacy, some readers might be spurred on to find some of the best Little Golden Books they missed as children.
—The New York Times

Elizabeth Spires

The Little Golden Books began as a unique experiment in publishing for children, combining entertainment, commercialism, licensing, and mass marketing with entertainment and education. In this lavishly illustrated, handsomely designed volume, Marcus presents a complete history of these books, starting with the 1910 founding of Western Printing in Racine, WI, and ending with the sale of Golden Books to Random House in 2001. The author unearths some startling facts. For example, Janette Sebring Lowrey received a $75 flat fee for writing The Pokey Little Puppy (Golden Bks., 1942), a consistent best seller. Golden Legacy is informed by the author's many past interviews with children's literature professionals and his broad knowledge of publishing in the last half of the 20th century, particularly that segment in conflict with the library/literary establishment. Marcus's general tone is as admiring as his subtitle, with little space or credence offered to the many contemporary detractors of Golden Books. Each chapter concludes with a celebratory personal reminiscence concerning one Golden Book title or artist. The highly readable narrative is documented with thorough and detailed footnotes. Because all bibliographic information is embedded in the footnotes, with the first citation the only complete one, readers and researchers who follow the notes from random places in the text will be frustrated by the lack of a separate bibliography. This winning combination of nostalgia and clear-eyed, meticulously researched history breaks new ground, and should have broad appeal.-Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

"To me, they are like this big lump of warmth. They were my friends! . . . I loved those little cardboard covers . . . And of course, that little strip of gold." So says author/illustrator William Joyce about Golden Books in this treasure of a history. The Poky Little Puppy, the bestselling picture book of all time, was published in 1942 by Simon & Schuster as one of 12 Little Golden Books in a joint venture with the publishing arm of Wisconsin's Western printing company. This new line was a bold, controversial experiment in mass-marketing-to produce quality children's books and sell them for 25 cents each. In this painstakingly researched but nonetheless sprightly volume that commemorates the brand's 65th anniversary, eminent children's-book historian Marcus tells the truly fascinating, multifaceted tale of the gutsy entrepreneurs behind Golden Books; their business strategies; their profitable licensing agreements with Disney and others; their librarian foes; and of course, the many renowned authors and illustrators who contributed their talents. (Several interviews with contemporary illustrators shed more light on old favorites.) Crisply presented full-color reproductions of Golden covers and interiors abound, and historical photographs bring the grand drama's players to life. An irresistible feast, especially catnip-like for children's-book history buffs. (foreword by Eric Carle, miscellaneous appendices, notes, acknowledgments, index) (Nonfiction. Adult)

Kirkus Reviews