MINDERS OF MAKE-BELIEVE: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children's Literature.

New York & Boston:: Houghton Mifflin,, 2008.. Hardcover first edition -. Near fine in near fine dust jacket (lower corner slightly bumped). First printing. A book about a battle that is still being fought - "What should children read? the three-hundred-year-old question that sparked the creation of a rambunctious childrens book publishing scene in Colonial times. and the issue that went fueled the transformation of 20th century childrens book publishing from a genteel backwater to big business. A history of the visionaries - editors, authors, librarians, booksellers, and others - whose passion for books has transformed American childhood and American culture" Includes interviews with dozens of editors, artists, and other key publishing figures whose careers go back to the 1930s, including Maurice Sendak, Ursula Nordstrom, Margaret K. McElderry, and Margret Rey as well as a look at the pivotal events and books in each decade of the 20th century. Extensive notes, index. xi, 402 pp.