Bruce Peel Special Collections

A unique collection of children’s literature in which two publishers’ names recur quite frequently: SPCK (i.e., Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge) and RTS (i.e., Religious Tract Society). Since almost half of the 1,500 books in the collection were issued by religious publishers, their content is often moralistic or religious. Even though works of fiction comprise the majority of the holdings, the collection also includes biographical and historical works, and includes select volumes of The Girl’s Own Annual and The Boy’s Own Annual. Printed bookplates with handwritten notes reveal that some of these books were originally given away by Sunday schools and other such institutions as prizes for good conduct or regular attendance. Approximately two-thirds of the authors whose names and gender are known are women. The Victorian and Edwardian Children’s Fiction Collection offers insights into an important early phase in the mass production and circulation of books as well as detail about life in Victorian and Edwardian England. The collection is augmented by the George James Collection of Children’s Books, also housed in the Peel library. 

Getting started: Most student researchers will want to employ a series of keyword searches in the University of Alberta Library catalogue in order to find relevant print and digital materials in all U of A library locations and collections, including the Peel library. For more information about research in the Peel library, see Finding and Requesting Peel Library Materials.

Collection Formats: 18th Century, 19th Century, Books -- click to see other collections with this format