The Collector's Book of Boys' Stories

Studio Vista, London, first edition, 1973. Cloth, large 8vo, 30 cm,. 160 pp, ills. A well-illustrated study of fiction for boys, The contents include: Historical Background; Redskins and Pioneers; Ballantyne the Brave; The Treasure Seekers; Mark Twain and the American West; The Tide of Adventure; The Public School Saga; Science Fiction Stories; The Minors and the Moderns; togrether with a Bibliography and an index. From the blurb: "In The Collectors Book of Boys' Stories, Eric Quayle traces the development of this fiction genre, and proves that it is as rich a source of pleasure for the book collector as for the young reader. Surprisingly few authors are at the core of boys' fiction, yet their output was tremendously prolific. Reaching back into history as far as Homer, Eric Quayle examines the precursors of boys' fiction before discussing the pioneers who pitched their stories directly at a young audience: authors like Frederick Marryat, R M Ballantyne, Captain Mayne Reid, Mark Twain, and Robert Louis Stevenson. He goes on to chronicle the achievements of later authors who consolidated and developed the genre, until the advent of film, and later television, put an end to its existence. The Collector's Book of Boys' Stories is full of lively anecdote, and generously illustrated from copies of 'classic' and not-so-classic boys' books. Slight mustiness, otherwise Good in a price-clipped and slightly torn dustwrapper.