This is a selective list of predominately printed reference sources relating to children's literature which are available in the Humanities Reading Room or Rare Books & Music Reading Room. Electronic resources can be accessed on British Library workstations within these Reading Rooms. The shelfmark of each item is given at the end of each citation.
| Collections | Biographical sources |
| Bibliographies and catalogues | Historical surveys |
| Characters | Illustrators |
| Companions, dictionaries and encyclopaedias | Miscellaneous |
Collections |
Dolores Blythe Jones, Special collections in children's literature: an international directory. 3rd ed. Chicago; London: American Library Association, 1995. |
HUR026.8 |
Bibliographies and catalogues |
| English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC) |
The Nineteenth Century (see: "Children's Literature Collection") |
| The New Cambridge bibliography of English literature. 5 vol. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969-1977. |
| - Vol. 1: 600-1660. Col. 953, 2399. - Vol. 2: 1660-1800. Col. 282-3, col. 1013-1034 [by Iona and Peter Opie] - Vol. 3: 1800-1900. Col. 1085-1110 [by Roger Lancelyn Green] - Vol. 4: 1900-1950. Col. 783-820 [by Brian Alderson] |
HLR820.16 & RAR 820.16 |
| Cambridge bibliography of English literature. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. |
| Vol. 4: 1800-1900. Section 4.v: Children's books [by Diana Dixon]. |
HLR 820.16 & RAR 820.16 |
| The Osborne Collection of early children's books: a catalogue. Prepared by Judith St. John. 2 vol. Toronto: Toronto Public Library, 1975. (Vol. 1 is a reprint with corrections of the 1958 ed.). |
HLR011.62 |
Brian Alderson and Felix de Marez Oyens, Be merry and wise: origins of children's book publishing in England , 1650-1850 . London: British Library, 2006. [Exhibition catalogue] |
RAR 809.892 |
Companions, dictionaries and encyclopaedias |
| Humphrey Carpenter and Mari Prichard, The Oxford companion to children's literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984. |
HLR809.89282 |
| International companion encyclopedia of children's literature. Edited by Peter Hunt. 2nd ed. 2 vols. London: Routledge, 2004. |
HLR809.89282 |
| Stella Lees and Pam MacIntyre, The Oxford companion to Australian children's literature. Melbourne; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. |
HLR820.9 |
| Lexikon der Kinder-und Jugendliteratur.../ herausgegeben von Klaus Doderer. 4 vol. Weinheim: Beltz, 1975-1982. |
HLR809.89282 |
| The Oxford encyclopedia of children's literature. Jack Zipes, editor in chief. 4 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. |
HLR 809.89282 |
| Victor. Watson, Cambridge guide to children's books in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. |
HLR820.99282 |
Historical surveys |
| F.J. Harvey Darton, Children's books in England: five centuries of social life. 3rd ed. rev. by Brian Alderson. Reprinted with corrections. London: British Library, 1999 |
HLR028.534 |
| Percy Muir, English children's books 1600-1900. London: Batsford, 1954. |
HLR820.99282 |
| John Rowe Townsend, Written for children: an outline of English-language children's literature. 6th ed. London: Bodley Head, 1995. Reprinted 1997. |
HLR820.99282 |
Biographical sources |
| See for general sources and for further resources. |
| Dictionary of literary biography. Detroit: Gale, 1978-. |
Vols. 141, 160, 161, 163 [British children's authors] 22, 42, 52, 61 [American authors] |
HLR809 |
| Brian Doyle, Who's who of children's literature. London: Hugh Evelyn, 1968. |
HLR809.89282 |
| St. James guide to children's writers. 5th ed. [i.e. of: Twentieth-century children's writers.]. Editors Sara and Tom Pendergast. Detroit; London: St. James Press, 1999. |
HLR810.99282 |
| St. James guide to young adult writers. 2nd ed. [i.e. of: Twentieth-century young adult writers.]. Editors Tom and Sara Pendergast. Detroit; London: St. James Press, 1999. |
HLR820.9 |
| Martha E. Ward et al., Authors of books for young people. 3rd ed. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1990. |
HLR809.89282 |
Characters |
| Raymond E. Jones, Characters in children's literature. Detroit; London: Gale Research, 1997. |
HLR823.009 |
| Arthur D. Mortimore, Index to characters in children's literature. Bristol: Mortimore, 1977. |
HLR823.009 |
Illustrators |
| Alan Horne, The Dictionary of 20th century British book illustrators. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1994. |
HLR741.64 |
| Simon Houfe, The Dictionary of 19th century British book illustrators and caricaturists. Rev. ed. Woodbridge: Antique Collectors' Club, 1996. |
HLR741.64 |
| Brigid Peppin and Lucy Micklethwait, Dictionary of British book illustrators: the twentieth-century. London: John Murray, 1983. |
HLR741.64 |
| Joyce I. Whalley and Tessa R. Chester, A History of children's books illustration. London: John Murray with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1988. |
HLR741.642 |
Miscellaneous |
| For information about bookshops, organisations and periodicals (for example) which was previously found in The Children's book handbook see the Booktrusted website (follow the link to 'Information'). |
| The Encyclopaedia of school stories. Edited by Rosemary Aucmuty and Joy Wotton. 2 vols. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000. |
| Vol. 1: The Encyclopaedia of girls' school stories. Sue Sims and Hilary Clare. |
| Vol. 2: The Encyclopaedia of boys' school stories. Robert J. Kirkpatrick. |
HLR823.009 |
| Elizabeth James and Helen R. Smith, Penny dreadfuls and boys' adventures: the Barry Ono Collection of Victorian popular fiction in the British Library. London: British Library, 1998. |
HLR823.8 & RAR 823.8 |
See also the webpages covering the Barry Ono Collection of Penny Dreadfuls |
| Jennifer Madden and Margaret Hobson, Children's fiction index. 7th ed. Newcastle-under-Lyme: AAL Publishing, 1993. (Previous editions on closed access, first four as Junior fiction index). |
HLR823.914 |
| Helen Morris, The New where's that poem: an index of poems for children. 4th ed. 1992. Repr. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes, 1994. |
HLR821.008 |
| The Oxford companion to fairy tales. Edited by Jack Zipes. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. |
HLR 398.2 |
| The Oxford dictionary of nursery rhymes. New ed. Edited by Iona and Peter Opie. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. |
HLR398.8 |
| Susan Roman, Sequences: an annotated guide to children's fiction in series. Chicago: American Library Association, 1985. |
HLR808.83 |
| Margaret Woodcock, Children's sequel. [9th ed]. [London]: Career Development Group, 1999. |
HLR 808.83 |
