Here’s an outstanding collection of book scans dating back to the late 1800′s…

Collection home page:

http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/UFDC.aspx?c=juv&m=hh

Browse entire collection by thumbnails:

http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/UFDC/UFDC.aspx?c=juv&m=hbhall

Description from the site:

The Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature in the Department of Special Collections at the University of Florida’s George A. Smathers Libraries contains more than 100,000 volumes published in Great Britain and the United States from the early 1700s through the current year. Its holdings of more than 800 early American imprints is the second largest such collection in the United States.

The product of Ruth Baldwin’s 40-year collection development efforts, this vast assemblage of literature printed primarily for children offers an equally vast territory of topics for the researcher to explore: education and upbringing, family and gender roles, civic values, racial, religious, and moral attitudes, literary style and format, and the arts of illustration and book design.

A great strength of the collection is the many English and American editions of the same work. Other strengths of the collection include 300 editions of Robinson Crusoe, 100 editions of Pilgrim’s Progress, fables, juvenile biography, 19th century science and natural history, 19th century alphabet books, moral tales, fairy tales, 19th century juvenile periodicals, 19th century boys’ adventure stories, 20th century boys’ and girls’ series, Little Golden Books, and juvenile publications of the American Sunday School Union and other tract societies. Scholars, students, and researchers from the University of Florida and worldwide continue to request assistance from this collection.

PERMISSIONS FOR USE OF UFDC RESOURCES

The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) holds digital resources made from source materials contributed by the libraries, archives and museums of the University of Florida and its many partner institutions.

Some source materials are protected by copyright and have been digitized with the permission of the copyright holder. When this is the case, this information is given in the “Full Citation” (available on the side bar of item display), following the label “Rights Management.” Please note that even if the materials do not list copyright information within “Rights Management,” copyright restrictions may still apply. Before using any materials for uses other than those expressly permitted by Fair Use, contact UFDC to ascertain copyright and secure permissions if needed.

Many of the digital resources were created from public domain materials – that is, materials not protected by copyright. However, in many other cases the materials are still within copyright and the owners have only granted permissions to the University of Florida for Internet Distribution. Copyright laws vary by country and type of material, so the information here cannot address the complexity of the law. Users are responsible for respecting all copyright restrictions.

Bottom line here – if you determine a book here is in the public domain, you’re free to use it in any manner you wish.

Here’s a few examples of what you can expect to find in this collection…it’s a childrens’ literature extravaganza!

A few choice cover scan samples…

Tip for usage…

Clicking on book’s thumbnail image will bring up the actual book so that you can start browsing the page scans. Clicking on the citation tab will give you the books publishing details including the title, author, publisher, and most importantly, the year and country of publication as shown below.

In an earlier post, I was talking about my plans for republishing vintage Public Domain children’s books – you know I’m all over this one!

Enjoy!

P.S. – I laughed when I saw this…if I had attended grammar school in 1881 surely my teacher would have made sure that I spent most of my time sitting in the corner with this book… : )

Some things never change no matter what century you live in!

I wonder if there was a version for “Bad Girls“?

About The Author:

Logan Andrew is an online entrepreneur, information publisher, and author that has been using Public Domain material to create profitable products and businesses since 2001. He is also co-author of "The Public Domain Treasure Hunter's Survival Kit" available here. For more info Logan, click here.

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