We might think of children’s books as a modern phenomenon, but that's far from the case! Books written specifically for and targeted to children have existed since the 17^th century, though children would often have read adult books before that point. In particular, books such as things based on the Bible and legends would have been popular.

Initially, the top books common amongst children were moralising – things like Aesop's Fables or variants on 'lessons for children'. As the 17^th century turned into the 18^th century, more books ended up being aimed at children – to the point where by the end of the century it had become its own separate part of the issue. Around fifty children’s books a year were being published, which may seem like a low number now but at the time it was very substantial. There's also a huge upgrade in quality – works such as The Infant's Library published in 1800 has detailed, engraved illustrations that were hand-coloured.

To today's readers, the books published during the 18^th century may seem very unlike what we expect children to enjoy! However, they're very different from books aimed at the adults of the time – they have a very different tone, and often have illustrations as well as layouts that are more suited to younger readers.

Before the 18^th century, many books that would have been read by children include chivalric romances, fairy tales or religious instruction. In the first section of the 18^th century, a move towards rhyming tales and riddles began, and then in the 1740s a spate of new books were published- including Tommy Thumb's Pretty Song Book, which is the first known nursery rhyme collection.

If it's the top books of 18^th century you're looking for, then the best place to start looking is at the works of one John Newberry His first book has one of the longest titles you've probably seen on a children’s book – it was titled A Little Pretty Pocket-Book Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy and Pretty Miss Polly. A combination of educational work and humour, it sums up the essence of the century – a goal towards blended entertainment with learning.  He didn't just publish books, however – he also was responsible for the first childrens periodical (the Lilliputian Magazine), as well as something often considered to be the first novel targeted at children – The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes.

Outside of this major publishing aspect, something known as 'chapbooks' were also popular. These were cheap, anonymous and generally poor-quality. Things such as woodcut prints, counting songs and fairy tales were common for this. These were generally more common among the lower end of the middle class. The slightest higher-up end of the middle class is where you'd find works like Isaac Watts' Divine Songs – a moralising work akin to those mentioned earlier.

It's in the wake of these books that William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience was published, as an almost satire and inversion of these moralising texts. Whilst Blake's work is not itself necessarily aimed at children, it had a big influence of other writers of the era – for instance, Christopher Smart's Hymns for the Amusement of Children; we find the text is less patronising and more suited to the younger audience.

In general then, we see that the top books of the 18^th century begin as the moralising, often religious based texts before moving into a blend of entertainment, humour and educational work. Fairy tales and famous romances were also popular, though perhaps somewhat less so than the other ones. The 18^th century was a time of great change in the publishing era, with it being the first time children’s books were published in their own right. It's from this big change that we move into the 19^th century, where children’s publishing really comes into its own – with works like Treasure Island, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and The Jungle Book. None of this could have happened, however, without the huge changes brought about by men such as John Newberry, and the commentary brought about by William Blake. This change throughout the 18^th century led to some of the top books today, and it’s a vital part of the history of children’s publishing.