Balderdash!

An illustrated history of John Newbery and "the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books," Balderdash! proves it understands the genre at the heart of its story by being itself one of the finest picture books we have encountered here at Postscript headquarters. Although none of us contemporary readers knew a time without that genre, the picture book did not exist until the end of the eighteenth century. As printers ourselves, we are tickled by young Newbery's delight in "type sticks and type stands and chases and quoins." We share it! And Newbery hit upon a fine idea in his printing studio, for the first book he published for children -- A Little Pretty Pocket-Book -- well!  The "children gobbled them up like plum cakes." Which you will do with this book, too. And that is decidedly NOT balderdash. We promise!