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Vintage Fiction & Literature

The definition of vintage from Merriam- Webster states, “denoting something of high quality, especially something from the past or characteristic of the best period of a person’s work.” This means vintage is an older item that was designed or manufactured in its prime time. A real leather jacket from the 1940s would be considered vintage clothing. Dictionary.com offers several definitions of the word antique: “of or belonging to the past; not modern;” “dating from a period long ago;” and “noting or pertaining to automobiles approximately 25 years old or more.” This means antique represents an item that is significantly older of date. It’s understandable why people interchange these two phrases so much, they seem very similar! However, certain items are differentiated between these definitions.

We've purposely used the word "vintage" for this section, and for our purposes are defining that as 50 years or older. As of 2024, that means we include books here from 1974 or before. We would describe books that were printed 100 years or more ago as antique and want to make it clear that you won't find many of those here (though you may find a few).

Children's literature is said to have had a "Golden Age" starting in the 1860s and lasting until about WWI. It was during this time that perennial favorites like Alice in Wonderland, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Pinocchio, Treasure Island, and Tom Sawyer were published. The latter part of this period coincided with the establishment of Howard Pyle's "Brandywine School" of Illustration, out of which came such artists as N.C. Wyeth, Jessie Willcox Smith, Ethel Franklin Betts, Frank Schoonover, Edward A. Wilson, and numerous others. These artists in turn influenced further generations of illustrators.

During this period and into the sixties, numerous collections of children's literature were published: Scribners Illustrated Library, Junior Deluxe Editions, Rainbow Classics, Windermere Series and Illustrated Junior Library were among them. Mystery series like Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Bobbsey Twins proliferated. Anthology collections like Best In Children's Books, My Book House, Collier's Junior Classics, and the Children's Hour became popular. The Newbery and Caldecott Medals were established. And for adults, the Heritage Press volumes (which later became Easton/Franklin) filled many a spot in their libraries. There are, of course, many others, but these are the sorts of books you'll generally find in thus section.

We primarily offer copies in generally good condition here. They're usually hardcover but won't always (or even often) have their original dust jackets. We love to find a range of printings and illustrators, so sometimes you'll have a few options!

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Parent Categories

Vintage & Collectible

Vintage Fiction & Literature

Fiction & Literature

Vintage Fiction & Literature

Subcategories by Grade

2nd grade (Ages 7-8)

3rd grade (Ages 8-9)

4th grade (Ages 9-10)

5th grade (Ages 10-11)

6th grade (Ages 11-12)

7th grade (Ages 12-13)

8th grade (Ages 13-14)

9th grade (Ages 14-15)

Subcategories

Children of All Lands / Children of America

Companion Library

D'Oyly Carte Opera Books

Educator Classic Library

G&D Famous Dog Stories

Illustrated Junior Library

Junior Deluxe Editions

Land of the Free Series

Macmillan Classics

Metropolitan Opera Guild Books

Rainbow Classics

Travel and Adventure Library for Young Folks

Walter J. Black Classics Club

Weekly Reader

Windermere Series

92 Items found Print

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1st grade (Ages 6-7)

	Adventures of Robin Hood / Pinocchio (adapted) by Eleanor Graham Vance, illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum from Random House for 1st-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Aesop's Fables Illustrated Junior Library Series 2 by Aesop, illustrated by Fritz Kredel from Grosset & Dunlap for Nursery-2nd grade in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
	Aesop's Fables by Aesop, illustrated by W. Kirtman Plummer 1970 printing from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-3rd grade in Companion Library (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Apple Blossoms and Other Stories by Edmund Stanley and A. R. Taylor from Scott, Foresman & Co. for 1st-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Arthur and the Super Chimp Contest An I Can Read Book by Lillian Hoban from Harper & Row for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Arthur's Christmas Cookies I Can Read! Level 2 by Lilian Hoban from Harper & Row for Preschool-2nd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Atlantic Treasury of Childhood Stories by Mary D. Huchinson Hodgkins (selector and editor), illustrated by Beatrice Stevens from Atlantic Monthly Press for 1st-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Bloy Graham from Harper & Row for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
	Beno, the Riverburg Mayor from Henry Holt and Company for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $18.00 (1 in stock)
	Binky Brothers and the Fearless Four I Can Read books by James Lawrence; illustrated by Leonard Kessler from Harper & Row for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
	Carmen of the Golden Coast Children of America Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Curious Critters by Patricia Lauber, illustrated by Don Madden from Garrard Publishing Company for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $36.00 (1 in stock)
	Double Birthday Present from J.B. Lippincott Co. for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	East of the Sun and West of the Moon by P. C. Asbjornsen & Jorgen E. Moe, illustrated by Tom Vroman from Macmillan for 1st-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	ECL: Sleeping Beauty and other Tales and other Classic French Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Wayne Brown from Classic Press for 1st-6th grade in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL)
	Fireside Stories by Veronica S. Hutchinson, illustrated by Lois Lenski from Minton, Balch & CO. for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	George the Babysitter by Shirley Hughes from Prentice Hall for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends by Anne Terry White; illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen from Golden Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Gollywhopper Egg by Anne Rockwell from Macmillan for Preschool-2nd grade in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Good Neighbors by Diane Redfield Massie from American Education Publications for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $11.00 (2 in stock)
	Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd from Weekly Reader for Nursery-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Big Elephant & the Very Small Elephant by Barbara Seuling from Crown Publishers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Gregory, the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey from Simon and Schuster for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Gus and the Baby Ghost by Jane Thayer, illustrated by Seymour Fleishman from William Morrow & Company for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Gus Loved His Happy Home by Jane Thayer, illustrated by Seymour Fleishman from Linnet Books for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson, illustrated by Jiri Trnka 5th Impression, 1965 from Paul Hamlyn for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Happy Little Family Fairchild Family Series #1 by Rebecca Caudill 1^st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Happy Little Family Fairchild Family Series #1 by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Decie Merwin 1^st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham from Harper & Row for Preschool- 3rd Grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Heidi by Johanna Spyri, illustrated by Clara M. Burd from John C. Winston for 1st-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	How to Scare a Lion by Dorothy Stephenson, illustrated by John E. Johnson from Follett for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
	Impunity Jane by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Adrienne Adams from Viking Press for 1st-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Indian Sleep-Man Tales by Bernice Anderson, illustrated by Sears Frank from Bramhall House for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Jiggy Likes Nantucket by Jane Quigg, illustrated by Zhenya Gay from Oxford University for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Joey Runs Away by Jack Kent from Prentice Hall for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Journey Cake, Ho! by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Robert McCloskey from Viking Press for Preschool- 3rd Grade 1954 Caldecott Honor Book in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (3 in stock)
	Kiya the Gull by Fen H. Lasell from Addison Wesley for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Little Anne of Canada Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Dutch Tulip Girl Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Erik of Sweden Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Farmer of the Middle West Children of America Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Greta of Denmark Children of All Lands Stories by Bernadine Bailey from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Indian Weaver Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Jeanne of France Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little John of New England Children of America Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Lauri of Finland Children of All Lands Stories by Bernadine Bailey from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Mexican Donkey Boy Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Pepito of Central America Children of All Lands Stories by Gladys Shaw Erskine from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Philippe of Belgium Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Rose of the Mesa Children of America Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Spanish Dancer Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Swiss Wood Carver Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Tom of England Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Tony of Italy Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Little Woodsman of the North Children of America Stories by Bernadine Bailey from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Margot Austin's Churchmouse Stories Peter Churchmouse, Gabriel Churchkitten, Trumpet, Gabriel and the Moths, The Three Silly Kittens by Margot Austin from E.P. Dutton & Co. for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
	McBroom's Ghost by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Robert Frankenberg from Grosset & Dunlap for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Mister Penny's Circus by Marie Hall Ets from Viking Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Mitz and Fritz of Germany Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Moon Singer by Clyde Robert Bulla from Thomas Crowell Fairy Tales & Fables for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Nanook of the North by Robert Flaherty, edited from the film by Robert Kraus First Printing from Windmill Books for Kindergarten-Adult in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $24.00 (1 in stock)
	Not Regina by Christmas Carol Kauffman Fourth Printing from Pathway Publishers in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	One Was Johnny A Counting Book by Maurice Sendak from Harper & Row for Nursery-1st grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Ootah's Lucky Day I Can Read by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Mamoru Funai from Harper & Row for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Our Lady of Guadalupe by Helen Rand Parish, illustrated by Jean Charlot 1964 Printing from Viking Press for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Part-Time Dog by Jane Thayer, illustrated by Seymour Fleishman from William Morrow & Company for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Penny and Peter by Carolyn Haywood from Harcourt Children's Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Penny and Peter by Carolyn Haywood from Harcourt Children's Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Pickle in the Middle and Other Easy Snacks by Frances Zweifel from Harper & Row for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
	Princess and the Goblin Illustrated Junior Library Series 3 by George MacDonald from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Raggedy Andy Stories Raggedy Ann #2 by Johnny Gruelle Book Club Edition from Bobbs-Merril Co Personification Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Robin Hood and His Merry Men Retold for Younger Readers Early Reader Series No. 28 from Hampster Books for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Rupert and the Magic Toy Man by Mary Tourtel from Samson Low, Marston & Co. for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Say Hello, Vanessa by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, illustrated by Lillian Hoban from Holiday House for Preschool-1st grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Shaun O'Day of Ireland Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Shepherd Boy of Australia Children of All Lands Stories by Margaret Sutton from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Stanley by Syd Hoff from Harper & Row for 1st-2nd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
	Story of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, adapted by Allan Chaffee and illustrated by Armstrong Sperry from Random House for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Swiss Family Robinson in Words of One Syllable by I. F. M. from Mcloughlin Bros. Inc for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Tales Told in Holland by Olive Beaupre Miller, Illustrated by Maud & Miska Petersham from Book House for Children for 1st-6th grade in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH) $18.00 (2 in stock)
	This Way to Christmas by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Maginel Wright Barney from Harper & Brothers for Preschool-1st grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Three Boys and a Lighthouse by Nan Hayden Agle and Ellen Wilson, Illustrated by Marian Honigman from Charles Scribner's Sons for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Three Gay Tales from Grimm by Wanda Gag from E.M. Hale and Company for 1st-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Trail Through Danger by William O. Steele, illustrated by Charles Beck from Harcourt, Brace & World for Kindergarten-5th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Treasury of Nursery Rhymes / Tom Thumb and Other Favorites by Unknown, illustrated by Charles Robinson & L. Leslie Brooke from Grolier Publishing for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Two Boys of the Ohio Valley Children of America Stories by Margaret Sutton from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	Two Brothers by Eugene Schwarz, illustrated by Gabriel Lisowski, translated by Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood from Harper & Row for 1st-4th grade in Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Children (Location: FIC-MYT)
	Wee Scotch Piper Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis from Grosset & Dunlap for 1st-4th grade in Children of All Lands / Children of America (Location: VIN-CHIL)
	What's a Ghost Going to Do? by Jane Thayer, illustrated by Seymour Fleishman from William Morrow & Company for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard 1961 Redesigned from E.P. Dutton & Co. Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne from Dutton Children's Books for Kindergarten-4th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Witch of Hissing Hill by Mary Calhoun, illustrated by Janet McCaffery from William Morrow & Company for 1st-3rd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)

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