Books of Wonder

Have you ever seen the movie You've Got Mail? The bookstore set in that film was directly modeled on the New York City children's bookstore Books of Wonder. Opening as a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop in 1980, its founder Peter Glassman intended for it to be devoted primarily to antique children's books, but soon expanded to offering new as well. The store grew quickly, moving in 1982 to larger quarters, adding a second location in 1986, consolidating to a still larger building in 1996 and moving once more in 2004, to the location they still have on West 18th Street. They've managed to host an incredible array of author appearances over the years, and their story is quite the inspiration to a bookstore like our own. 

But what makes them particularly of interest to us is their publishing line. In 1985, Books of Wonder established a joint imprint with William Morrow & Co. Starting with one title per season, the imprint grew until it included 67 (that we know of) titles. These books were not designed as inexpensive "value" books. They were beautifully crafted and many of them offered new artwork for the books, featuring then up-and-coming artists like Barry Moser, Michael Hague, Paul O. Zelinsky, Michael Foreman, Jerry Pinkney and Trina Schart Hyman. Other more established artists included John Tenniel, Jessie Willcox Smith, Arthur Rackham and N.C. Wyeth. BoW also became the first to republish all 15 titles in the Wizard of Oz series with John Neill's original art.

Unfortunately, when HarperCollins acquired Morrow in 1999, many of their titles went out of print, so they have become something of a treasure trove to seek out. Unlike other series—Illustrated Junior Library, Children's Classics or Scribners, for example—the books don't all have a consistent look on a shelf; some are more tall or slim, and the dust jackets don't always match. Though they can be pricey on occasion, they're not usually too difficult to locate and they're a lot of fun to find and read. We list the entire collection (with ISBNs) for your searching convenience. Happy hunting!

 

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39 Items found Print
Active Filters: 7th grade (Ages 12-13)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Books of Wonder
by Jules Verne, translated by Anthony Bonner and illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
from HarperCollins
Science Fiction for 5th-10th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Books of Wonder
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Books of Wonder
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Barry Moser
from HarperCollins
for 7th-12th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Books of Wonder
by Mark Twain, illustrated by Barry Moser
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Arabian Nights
Books of Wonder
by Brian Alderson, illustrated by Michael Foreman
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
Around the World in Eighty Days
Books of Wonder
by Jules Verne, illustrated by Barry Moser
from William Morrow & Company
Adventure for 6th-10th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Black Beauty
Books of Wonder
by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Lucy Kemp-Welch
from William Morrow & Company
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Christmas Carol (condensed)
Books of Wonder
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Carter Goodrich
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Emerald City of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #6
by L. Frank Baum (illustrated by John R. Neill)
Facsimile from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Enchanted Castle
Books of Wonder
by E. Nesbit (illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky)
from William Morrow & Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Five Children and It
Books of Wonder
by E. Nesbit (illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky)
from William Morrow & Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Gift of the Magi and Other Stories
Books of Wonder
by O. Henry (illustrated by Michael Dooling)
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-10th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Glinda of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #14
by L. Frank Baum (illustrated by John R. Neill)
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Great Ghost Stories
Books of Wonder
by Barry Moser (selection & illustrations)
from William Morrow & Company
for 6th-10th grade
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)
Jungle Book
Books of Wonder
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
from William Morrow & Company
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
King Stork
Books of Wonder
by Howard Pyle (illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman)
from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-8th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Books of Wonder
by Washington Irving, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from HarperCollins
for 5th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
Lost Princess of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #11
by L. Frank Baum (illustrated by John R. Neill)
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Magic City
Books of Wonder
by E. Nesbit (illustrated by H. R. Millar)
from Books of Wonder
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Ozma of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #3
by L. Frank Baum
Library Binding from HarperCollins
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Patchwork Girl of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #7
by L. Frank Baum (illustrated by John R. Neill)
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Rainbow Fairy Book
Books of Wonder
by Andrew Lang, editor (illustrated by Michael Hague)
from William Morrow & Company
Fairy Tales for 3rd-8th grade
Rinkitink in Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #10
by L. Frank Baum
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Rip Van Winkle
Books of Wonder
by Washington Irving (illustrated by N.C. Wyeth)
from William Morrow & Company
for 5th-9th grade
Road to Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #5
by L. Frank Baum
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Scarecrow of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #9
by L. Frank Baum
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Sea Fairies
Books of Wonder
by L. Frank Baum
from Books of Wonder
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Secret Garden
Books of Wonder
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by S. Saelig Gallagher
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Sky Island
Books of Wonder
by L. Frank Baum (illustrated by John R. Neill)
from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Story of Doctor Dolittle
Books of Wonder
by Hugh Lofting (illustrated by Michael Hague)
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Tales of King Arthur: Excalibur
Books of Wonder Tales of King Arthur #3
by Hudson Talbott
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Tales of King Arthur: King Arthur and the Round Table
Books of Wonder Tales of King Arthur #2
by Hudson Talbott
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Tales of King Arthur: Lancelot
Books of Wonder Tales of King Arthur #4
by Hudson Talbott
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Tales of King Arthur: Sword in the Stone
Books of Wonder Tales of King Arthur #1
by Hudson Talbott
from Books of Wonder
for 3rd-7th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Tik-Tok of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #8
by L. Frank Baum
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Tin Woodman of Oz
Books of Wonder Wizard of Oz #12
by L. Frank Baum (illustrated by John R. Neill)
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
Books of Wonder
by Hugh Lofting, illustrated by Michael Hague
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
1923 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Water-Babies
Books of Wonder
by Charles Kingsley (illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith)
from William Morrow & Company
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Wizard of Oz Book 1
by L. Frank Baum
100th Anniversary Edition from HarperCollins
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)