literature scholar Anne Lundin explains that at the end of the 19th century, as toy books became more elaborate, contemporary reviewers said of them, "Art for the nursery has become Art indeed", in contrast to books of a few decades earlier, described as "plain and clumsy to ugliness in their exterior". By 1882 the Magazine of Art contrasted ornately illustrated contemporary toy books, characterized by the use of quality paper and good colour printing, to earlier 18th century books produced "when expectations were low". The more elaborate toy books, such as Walter Crane's The Baby's Opera, brought higher prices, selling for as much as five shillings. Gallery References Sources Anderson, Vicki. (2005). The Dime Novel in Children's Literature. Macfarland. Bodmer, George. (2003). "Victorian Illustrators and their critics". Children's Literature. 31.1, 181–185 Briggs, Julia, et al. (2008). Popular children's literature in Britain. Aschgate. Butts, Dennis. (1995). "The Beginning of Victorianism". in Hunt, Peter (ed). Children's Literature: An Illustrated History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Carpenter, Humphrey, and Mari Prichard. (1984). The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. New York: Oxford University Press. Desmarais, Robert J. (2006). Randolph Caldecott: His Books and Illustrations for Young Readers. Alberta: Alberta UP. Hunt, Peter, et al. (1996). International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. Routledge. Lear, Linda. (2007). Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature. St Martins. McLean, Ruari. (2004). "Evans, Edmund (1826–1905)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. McLean, Ruari. (1967). "Introduction" in The Reminiscences of Edmund Evans. Oxford University Press. External links Toy and Movable (T&M) Books — instruction regarding use of the Library of Congress Subject Heading for current acquisitions Book terminology Book arts Children's books