John Newbery

Lore & Background

He educated himself and was apprenticed at sixteen to printer William Ayers. The book reflected John Locke's belief that play was better than physical discipline, and included a system for children to record their behavior with pins. Newbery bound his books in Dutch floral paper and advertised other products within the stories. About one-fifth of the five hundred books he produced were children's stories, including ABC books, novels, and magazines. He published his own works as well as those by Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith. Newbery also published a series by 'Tom Telescope' based on emerging science, the most famous being The Newtonian System of Philosophy Adapted to the Capacities of Young Gentlemen and Ladies.

Reader's Guide

John Newbery's significance lies in his transformation of children's literature from a marginal sideline into a sustainable, profitable category within the publishing industry. By producing child-sized books with brightly colored covers, incorporating games and rewards, and advertising his other titles within the stories, he created a new market. His works, though didactic by modern standards, were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, often featuring virtuous orphans who rise through industry. Newbery also derived substantial income from patent medicine, notably Dr. Robert James's Fever Powder, which he advertised in his books. He used his fortune to assist writers such as Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith. After his death, his son Francis, stepson Thomas Carnan, nephew Francis, and later his nephew's widow Elizabeth continued the business, though with less cooperation than Newbery had anticipated.

Did You Know?

• Newbery was one of the most successful merchants in England, partly due to sales of Dr. Robert James's Fever Powder, which he advertised in his children's books.
• Scholars have speculated that Oliver Goldsmith or Giles and Griffith Jones may have written Newbery's most popular book, The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes.
• Newbery's son Francis attended both Cambridge and Oxford Universities, funded by the success of the publishing business.