A Golden Legacy: The Story of Golden Books

by Leonard S. Marcus

Back in print, the fascinating history of Little Golden Books, in celebration of their 75th anniversary in 2017! With a Foreword by Eric Carle.
Eminent children's historian Leonard Marcus' "A Golden Legacy" chronicles the fascinating story of the creation, marketing, and worldwide impact of Little Golden Books, the most popular children's books of all time. Launched during the dark days of WWII, Golden Books such as "The Poky Little Puppy "were an instant sensation. Hallmarked by their superlative quality yet affordable to nearly all, they changed the cultural landscape even as they mirrored our quickly changing postwar culture: the powerful influence of television, the post-"Sputnik" renaissance in American science education, and the birth of the civil rights movement. Lavishly illustrated with the iconic Golden Book covers and colorful artwork that generations of children have pored over, "A Golden Legacy" is a compelling tale of mavericks, innovators, and renowned authors and illustrators. . . a stirring celebration of the humble books in which we scrawled our names, with the cardboard cover and the shiny gold-foil spine.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Books About Books, Childrens, Art, Writing, Historical

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2007

About the author

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world's leading writers about children's books and their illustrations. His many books include The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy; Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy; Dear Genius; and others. His essays, interviews, and reviews appear in the New York Times Book Review, among other publications. Leonard S. Marcus lives in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book contains a lot of information, there is also much that is not included, and the curious but unsatisfied reader is forced to look elsewhere to hunt down things.

For example, the magnificent (and very influential) Deluxe Golden Books of the late 1950s and 1960s really ought to be the subject of a separate presentation. Here they are treated as an aside, at best. There is absolutely no mention of The Golden Treasury of Natural History, The World We Live In, The Epic of Man, The Golden Book of Lost Worlds: Great Civilizations of the Past, Man and Power, The Golden Book of the Renaissance, The Golden Book of America, The American Indian, The Golden Book of the American Revolution, The Golden Book of the Civil War, The Second World War, The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments, or The Golden Book Of Science. Although there were some connections (through authors like Jane Werner Watson), these were books of an entirely different character than the Little Golden Books.

Other wonderful titles like the Tenggren King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and the Benvenuti The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood are also unmentioned. This gives a somewhat unbalanced view of what the publisher managed to accomplish over the years. Given some time, I'd be able to come up with several more issues.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife (the children's author and illustrator) was reading this book and laid it on the bed. I happened to see a couple of illustrations and I was hooked. This book will drive you into the depths of nostalgia like nothing else. Gorgeous covers -- you can skim most of the text, which while interesting, relates to a lot of the business aspects of Golden Books -- of all those books we loved and treasured as children. Remember The Color Kittens and The Poky Little Puppy? Golden Books created a sensational business model that sold thousands of books at very inexpensive prices in supermarkets and began careers for many illustrators like Richard Scarry and the Provensons. At one point they were so successful that the Little Fat Policeman was given to every rookie NYPD cop in their orientation packet in the fifties.

By the late nineties, however, a company that had enthralled two generations of children was on hard times and subject to takeover bids and buyouts. A desperate attempt was made to capture the school market with the Road-to-Reading series (my wife's Little Prince Know It All was part of that series although she did not illustrate that title.) Unfortunately, when Random House took over the remnants of Golden Books they discontinued that series and replaced it with their own. (The conspiratorialists among us would argue they did it to eliminate competition. Whatever.)

I remember loving Golden Books as a child. My kids did, too. I remember Marc, now thirty and always a stickler for detail, pointing out a mistake. "But Dad, it says he hit his finger." The illustration showed a banged up thumb.

You will love this book.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit that I gave up reading at one point and just looked at all the pictures. These were pictures from books at my grandmother's house, of books always on the shelf at home. Fresh-faced, apple-cheeked children, colorful, smiling animals...a good journey back in time.

The story is an interesting look at the publishing industry - how it has changed, and how it continues to change, especially with the introduction of new technology.

I wonder if there will be favorite picture books that children only experience in electronic form. I have managed to integrate the electronic media format into my life, but I am still most in love with the pictures I see in physical books.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty thorough overview of the history of the Golden Books, Little and otherwise. The only thing missing was a comprehensive list of every title for collecting nerds like me. But the overview of what books made it and why, why certain publishing decisions were made, etc, was really fascinating.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children's books are one of my passions. I found Marcus' Story of Golden books fascinating. It's interesting how librarians and big name publishers so looked down on Little Golden Books; My local library still doesn't stock them. The magic of these books wasn't that they were examples of great literature, but that they were books parents could afford and young children loved. Little Golden Books are responsible for helping three generations of children fall in love with books. The book is divided into sections that approximate the seven decades they've been around. Beautifully illustrated, it brought back memories of the books I loved as a child, the ones my children grew up with, and now my grandchildren are reading. One warning- Amazon advertises it as for ages 3-7; Altho children might like looking at the pictures, this is an adult book.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more about the founding and history of the company, and its personalities, than about the actual books themselves. However, when some of the notable titles are briefly discussed (or there are also pages with cover artwork) it will probably trigger a blast of nostalgia. Scuffy, Tootle, and many others have lived on in print for decades and I'd like to think they'll stick around for many more years.

[Eloise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful history of Golden Books made more meaningful by having met Leonard Marcus and hearing him speak in July.

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden Legacy was written to celebrate 65 years of publishing books for children in 2007. The Little Golden Book was a part of everyone's childhood from 1942 onwards, made possible by the then radical idea of mass producing books for everyone's budget. Originally priced at .25 cents a book, the Goldens upended the industry, ticked off the snobbish librarians, who thought they had no literary value, and became a part of the collective memories and imagination of children of the past several decades. The Poky Little Puppy went on to become the biggest selling children's book of all time.
Marcus' book reviews the technological changes that made mass production possible, and highlights several of the authors and illustrators who contributed to the Goldens. And the list is long - Margaret Wise Brown, Ruth Krauss, Garth Williams, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkin to name a few of the most famous artists. The Goldens also had marketing deals with Disney, and cashed in on the commercial value of Hollywood properties (Sesame Street, Lassie, Donny and Marie). The writers and Illustrators were super talented, but not necessarily treated well in this publishing culture that emphasized mass production. The publishing house maintained the rights to the stories and illustrations (except in rare instances, the talent was paid a flat fee). I think that point summarizes the pros and cons of the Goldens, that is, they appealed to a large number of kids and were affordable because they were produced under a 'group' mandate - individuality and artistry were secondary concerns.
Marcus also highlights the changes over the decades. The one issue that surprised me is that inclusivity was a major concern back in the 1970s!! Fifty years later, it is still a hot topic and we are discussing ideas that are not new, but keep getting buried and dug up in the sands of time.
The Goldens live on, currently published by Penguin Random House, continuing to feed the pop culture experience and memories of all of us.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough look at the history of Little Golden Books accompanied by large lavish illustrations. There’s plenty of info on the innovativeness of Western Publishing Company and on my favorite illustrators. I was fascinated to learn about many of the editors and business people behind the phenomenon of Little Golden Books, such an important part of my childhood. I think Home for a Bunny written by Margaret Wise Brown, and illustrated by Garth Williams, is one of the best books ever written!

Surprisingly, one of my brother’s and my favorite uses of our Little Golden Books was to build towers with them and our wooden blocks— the books make great floors for each level—and knock them down. I’m surprised my mother let us treat books that way, but they managed to survive and I still have some of ours to share with my granddaughter.

Sadly, the business changes towards the end of the 20th century, as, with most businesses,it gets bought and sold and becomes part of a bigger business, and individuals come to matter less while the bottom line, always important, becomes seemingly the only thing that matters.

The exact relationship between Western, Whitman Publishing and Simon & Schuster was not very clear, so I had to read the Wikipedia entry on little golden books to get it straight.

Each chapter ended with an interview entitled so-and-so remembers so-and-so (one of the significant authors or illustrators), but I didn’t know who most of the people were. Both these elements lend the sense that either the author is so immersed in the children’s publishing industry he doesn’t realize most people don’t know these things or that the intended audience is the children’s publishing industry.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of the iconic Golden Books that we all knew & loved - if not when we were kids, when we had kids. I'm especially fond of Eloise Wilkin's illustrations and this book provided more insight into her work and character. It also made me appreciate how radical these inexpensive, yet creative and artistic books were in their time.

Something I learned from the book: Scientists thought they knew all there was in 1918 about dinosaurs, and that area of study became less popular. But there was a renewed interest after a huge mural was painted at Yale in the 1940's, followed by the 1960 Giant Golden Book, Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Reptiles, written by Jane Werner Watson & illustrated by Zallinger: “Men learned about dinosaurs from fossils in rocks. It was a bit like learning to read. The rocks of earth are like a huge book. The rock layers are its pages. Hidden in them is the story of the earth’s past. But to learn that story, men had to learn to read the book of the rocks.”

The book ends with a quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: “It is a great thing to start life with a small number of really good books which are your very own.”

Golden books provided that for many kids, just as Dolly Parton's book program, and others like it do today.

[Tibby]

An interesting, but sometimes confusing, look at the history of the Little Golden Books. I was fascinated to follow it's professional and commercial/public progression. Western (the publishing company? see my complaints about the book) was often very innovative in its marketing and ideas and had their finger on the pulse of what kids and parents wanted.

I think my biggest complaint is that the text skipped around between a bunch of people I couldn't keep straight. The photographs (and illustrations) often didn't match up with what was being discussed in the text so that didn't really help keep the people straight. And then it would get into the weeds of all these subsidiaries of Golden Books/Western that did a variety of tasks within publishing books, but they all had very similar names so it was hard to keep those straight too. So I guess on reflection there were interesting tidbits and I got the gist of the arc of the Golden Books, but it could have been done in a less confusing way. I also wish there had been a list of all the books they had published over the years (maybe minus the licensed character books since there were a lot of those).

[Kimberly Yoghourtjian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful account about the history of Golden Books. I grew up with Little Golden Books, and they primed me to love the written word. I am from Racine, WI, and Western Printing was a household name. When I grew up and had a daughter in the 1980's, I would take her to Western Printings discount...over flow store called The Boat House. I would grab a cardboard box and fill it up with Golden Books...she was 3 months old and would actually sit still to listen to me read.

This book explains the extraordinary vision of the people who ran with the Golden Book idea to make it affordable for every family. The book covers topics such as the people who ran the company, the business side of printing and publishing, the writers, the illustrators, and the books themselves.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of the Golden Book Empire is well documented in this fully illustrated (more pictures than text actually) coffee table book. From its early beginnings as a small printer in Racine Wisconsin, to its huge nation wide presence in more than just inexpensive picture books, this is a thorough story - people, places, and problems all take center stage. If you remember Golden Books as a child, you will find a lot of book covers full of memories and nostalgia, and some great stories about the authors and illustrators. This is not a children’s book, however - the use of some very advanced vocabulary made it a challenging read.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marcus, Leonard S. Golden Legacy : The Story of Golden Books, 245 pgs. Penguin Random House, 2007. $40.00. Content: G.
If you remember Golden Books as a child, you will find a lot of book covers full of memories and nostalgia, and some great stories about the authors and illustrators. This is not a children’s book, however, the use of some very advanced vocabulary made it a challenging read.

ADULT - GIFT Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

Cross-posted on reviewers personal GoodReads account

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are stunning and brought me many smiles and much appreciation. The narrative was interesting, if occasionally dry. I frankly lost track of all the companies and mergers and acquisitions and closings. I was very interested in the link with Bank Street College and the philosophies of what is good for children. It is too bad those authors and illustrators who worked so hard and created lovely books were not very well compensated. Overall, a good read and "look." So glad they did the bigger size to make the illustrations shine.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not feel like this book was organized very well. I found this book in the juvenile nonfiction area of my library and after reading it I am shocked at this shelving. As an adult I had a hard time making sense of this scattered story. I would not recommend this book to an average reader. I felt like I was missing the background knowledge needed to enjoy this book. This is the kind of book that gives nonfiction a bad name. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it.

[Robin Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a delightful reminder of books of my past and books I still love! The story behind how Golden Books came to be and came to be a staple in the homes of so many, is nicely told by Leonard Marcus. The best part of this book, however, are the reprints of the illustrations of so many books and the photographs of the artists and writers behind them. Check out the artwork of Feodor Rojankovsky - one of the early illustrators.

[C. Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a great deal of nostalgic fondness for Little Golden Books, both as a young reader and as a parent reading them to my children, but until I read this, I knew very little about the company that produced them. This was a great introduction to the people and events that brought these books to the world. It's beautifully illustrated and contains enough detail to be intriguing without overwhelming a reader with too many facts and figures.

[Joe Keefhaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite first impressions, this is actually a book about the companies that developed to concept of quality, but inexpensive "Little Golden Books," and the writers and illustrators whose work these companies made famous. These books, at first shunned by librarians and critics, changed the entire way in which books were marketed. In addition, there are page after page of beautiful art from the classic books.

[Michelle Ule · Rating 3 out of 5]

The magic of this heavy lavish book are the Golden Book covers, nostalgia from my childhood. Marcus has written a thorough book, but I prefered to look at the photos and read the memories of children associated with the artists and authors.

It made for a splendid hour of page turning and remembering.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many nostalgic pictures in this book about the history of how the "Little Golden Books" publication was started and the many changes over the years since 1942. I read some of the narrative and skipped through some, but enjoyed all the pictures of the book covers, recognizing many of the books I had read as a child.

[Jen Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid collector Little Golden Books, this is an invaluable work. Marcus’s research and insights into the history of children’s book publishing is second to none. You gain a larger perspective and interpretation of how the evolution of these seemingly simple books paralleled American society in the 20th century.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great concept for a book. But slow and uneven. Still, it told a story I didn't know that I was interested in. But it hinted at lots of other stories - about artists and writers and other publishers. It showed a bunch of the art but not nearly enough. The form of the book was big which made the art pop but also made the book heavy and unwieldy. 3.5 of 5.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book after attending a special presentation at our local library on the 75th anniversary of Golden Books. This is a fascinating history of the beloved children’s books with wonderful illustrations.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for Golden book collectors. I use as a reference whenever someone gives me a new book.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful history of Children's book publishing in America and a trip down memory lane to see the book covers of so many books I've enjoyed and authors and illustrators I still admire

[Sonia Jarmula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and informative read. Brings back a lot of great memories.

[Lynn Cansler · Rating 4 out of 5]

History as told through the lens of a golden book. The art is just beautiful!

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B-. nonfiction, children's literature

[Rae]

Publishing industry. Richard Scarry. Margaret Wise Brown. Racial and gender stereotyping. Sweet childhood reading memories.