Barnlitteraturens små pionjärer

Häftespubliceringen av Barnbiblioteket Saga

Abstract

^{Theme: The Children’s Library Saga and the Swedish Teachers’ Magazine’s Publishing House. Logo: The Swedish Institute for Children's Books}

The Small Pioneers of Children’s Literature: The Instalment Publishing of Barnbiblioteket Saga

Barnbiblioteket Saga (The Children’s Library Saga) was one of the most long-lived and acclaimed book series for children in 20^th-century Sweden. One key factor to the series’ success was publishing the books in instalments, ensuring affordable prices and a wider reach through mail distribution. The instalments were shaped like small magazines, consisting of one serialized story and eight pages of miscellanea that was not supposed to be included in the finished book. The aim of this article is to examine how the miscellaneous material was used to communicate with the reader and further the publishing company’s brand. With inspiration from theories in serial publishing, I explore the content and form of the instalments during the first five years of the series (1899–1903). My analysis shows that editorial messages and advertisements are used to establish the company as a reputable publisher of quality literature. By addressing these and many of the other texts in the miscellaneous section directly to children, the editors show that they take children seriously and endeavour to include them in a community of Saga readers. Furthermore, the diversity of fiction and non-fiction serves an important function in the early stage of the series, realizing the ambition to provide readers with a broad range of reading matter. Although the miscellaneous texts are not of the same literary quality as the serialized stories, they are designed to capture the reader’s attention in the here and now. By doing so, the miscellanea contributes to fostering a long-term engagement in the series.