Many beloved classics of children's literature, including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and The Tale of Peter Rabbit, were written at the end of the nineteenth century, an era known as the "Golden Age" of children's literature. Notable figures like William Godwin, Harriet Martineau, Christina Rossetti, and Charles Dickens contributed to children's literature while juvenile periodicals first appeared to young readers during this time.

This is the first comprehensive reference work about the Golden Age of children's literature and the emergence of juvenile literature as a major publishing phenomenon. Alphabetical entries include foundational figures like Sarah Trimmer, Maria Edgeworth, and Mary Martha Sherwood, who helped establish the market for children's literature. New genres for the time like the moral tale, religious fiction, children's poetry, school stories, and prolific authors like Hesba Stretton, L. T. Meade, and G. A. Henty are also included.