Historic Treasure of the Week - December 6, 1992
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - December 6, 1992
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Cloth books were sturdy companions
American children become acquainted with books at an early age.
Parents read to their children when they are only a few months old, and books are given as gifts for birthdays and at Christmas, even though it may be some time before the child understands the written word. Books are enjoyed as a physical plaything, too, and may receive treatment ordinary paper books could not endure.
Cloth books probably were invented because of the young child’s physical responses. Cloth books are difficult to pull apart and hard to tear. They may be tasted, but it is almost impossible to shred them. If they get smudged they can easily be washed because they are covered with a protective coating.
The books that are the historical treasure this week are taken from an early childhood collection at the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley. They are typical of available titles.
"Mother Goose" was the most popular title with alphabet and number books following closely. Picture books of animals and birds also were in demand.
As most cloth books were designed for the very young child, they have more pictures than words. Some have one word with each picture, while others have a short sentence, and a few may present a simple story illustrated with pictures.
Mother Goose and her nursery rhymes first appeared in America in 1785 and have remained popular through the years. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm have been enjoyed since the time of the Civil War. They have been shortened and revised and they still have universal appeal.
A few months ago this column featured a story about alphabet blocks and the statement was made that they were a tool for learning letters and numbers. The same thing can be said of early childhood books of cloth or linen.
Cloth books were very popular during 1920s and then sort of disappeared for a few years and reappeared during the 1940s. There seemed to be some controversy about the toxicity of the paints used. This problem evidently was solved as cloth books are being published today by several good houses.
Today’s books have titles similar to the older ones and the favorite book is "Baby’s Mother Goose." Other titles are "Spot’s Toys," "Kitten’s Animal Friends," "Baby Talk" and "Baby’s First Cloth Book."
Some of the new books have noisemakers built in and others have small toys that are removed for play. The pages and the covers may be of vinyl although they are referred to as cloth books.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.