1. John Newbery, considered "The Father of Children's Literature", was an English publisher of books who first made children's literature a sustainable and profitable part of the literary market.
20 Facts About John Newbery
1. 2.
John Newbery supported and published the works of Christopher Smart, Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Johnson.
3.
In recognition of his achievements the Newbery Medal was named after him in 1922.
4.
John Newbery was born in 1713 to Robert John Newbery, a farmer, in Waltham St Lawrence, Berkshire, England, and an unknown mother.
5.
John Newbery was apprenticed to a local printer, William Ayers, at the age of sixteen.
6.
Two years later, John Newbery married William Carnan's widow, Jordan Mary.
7.
John Newbery adopted Mary's three children, John, Thomas and Anna-Maria.
8.
John Newbery published several adult books, but he became interested in expanding his business to children's books.
9.
Newbery, like John Locke, believed that play was a better enticement to children's good behaviour than physical discipline, and the child was to record their behaviour by either sticking a pin in the red side for good behaviour or the black side if they were bad.
10.
In developing his particular brand of children's literature, John Newbery borrowed techniques from other publishers, such as binding his books in Dutch floral paper and advertising his other products and books within the stories he wrote or commissioned.
11.
In 1745 John Newbery moved his firm to a more upmarket address at 65 St Paul's Churchyard and named it the Bible and Sun, continuing to publish a mix of adult and children's titles.
12.
John Newbery's success allowed his son Francis to attend both Cambridge and Oxford Universities.
13.
About one-fifth of the five hundred books John Newbery produced were children's stories, including ABC books, children's novels and children's magazines.
14.
John Newbery published his own books as well as those by authors like Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith.
15.
John Newbery published a series of books written by "Tom Telescope" that were wildly popular, going through seven editions between 1761 and 1787 alone.
16.
John Newbery is buried in his birthplace of Waltham Saint Lawrence.
17.
John Newbery's prosperity did not just come from publishing; he was one of the most successful merchants in England at the time.
18.
John Newbery used his fortune to help writers through financial difficulties.
19.
John Newbery's tales seem didactic today, but were popular and enjoyed by children of the 18th and 19th centuries.
20.
In 1922, the John Newbery Medal was created by the American Library Association in his honour; it is awarded each year to the "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children".