"Books for Children: Transnational Encounters, 1750-1850. Part II," a Cotsen Children's Library symposium, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2

 Transnational Encounters, 1750-1850. Part II

Join us for "Books for Children: Transnational Encounters, 1750-1850. Part II," a Cotsen Children's Library symposium, Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, in Louis A. Simpson International Building, Room A71. Find more information about organizers, schedule, livestreaming, papers, and registration here

Traditionally research into pre-20th century children’s literature has focused on titles written and consumed in a particular country. However, most 18th- and 19th-century children, parents, and teachers would not have necessarily used a book’s national origin as the chief criterion for selection. In the majority of European countries, children read books in more than one language, so in reality there was a transnational corpus of children’s books crossing language groups, political borders, and the seas, their texts and illustrations translated and transformed. In order to better understand the world of children’s print culture from both the perspectives of the young reader and of the “children’s book business,” its transnational character should be taken into account. 

This symposium is a continuation of the May 2018 symposium of the same title held at the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters in Copenhagen, where the presentations and discussions made clear that the collaboration ought to continue in order to reach a wider audience.