The American Tract Society. The Child’s Paper. 143 issues. Vol. 11, Nos. 2–12; Vol. 12, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 13, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 14, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 15, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 16, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 17, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 18, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 19, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 20, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 22, Nos. 1–12; Vol. 23, Nos. 1–12. New York, et al: The American Tract Society, February 1862–December 1871 and January 1873–December 1874.

Most issues 4 pages, folio. Contemporary one-quarter black morocco with marbled boards.

A substantial run of twelve years of The Child’s Paper, the American Tract Society’s principal periodical for young readers, issued during the Civil War and Reconstruction. First published in 1852, the Child’s Paper combined moral and religious instruction with commentary on contemporary events, and was among the most widely circulated juvenile religious publications of the era.

The present collection captures the paper at a critical historical moment, with issues addressing the plight of orphaned children, calls for prayer on behalf of Union soldiers and President Lincoln, and practical guidance on supporting the war effort. The pages also contain articles denouncing slavery, reports on fugitives and freedmen, and reflections on the duties of Christian charity in a nation at war and in the process of reconstruction. As such, the run offers a vivid window into how evangelical Protestantism shaped childhood reading and moral education during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.

A substantial list of content is available upon request. A rare collection. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Broadsides, Ephemera, Printing, Posters, Handbills, Documents, Newspapers] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [Pamphlets, Publications, Ephemera, Books, Rare Books, Tracts]

Front board detached. Scuffing, wear to extremities. Chips and separations along old folds frequent.