Introduction

This is not (entirely) a list of books published during the Baby Boomer era (1946–1964). Rather, it is my attempt to reconstruct a list of the books that I, a Baby Boomer born in 1963, read as a child – that is, by 1981.

Given that I read thousands of books as a child, this is a formidable task. But my task is made much easier by a card catalogue of my home library that I began compiling in my mid-teens. I rarely discarded books back then, so the catalogue is a nearly comprehensive record of the books I owned from the time I was born. (I still own my baby books.) Additional titles come from my memories, my childhood papers, and my journals, which I started at age eleven.

The booklist is a work-in-progress. Unattributed quotations below come from the book descriptions in my teen card catalogue. I was a writer-in-training; I was doing my best to master the art of the blurb. Publication information is usually copied from my teen card catalogue, so there may be errors.

One of my sources for books, especially adult science fiction, was our local used bookstore, Riverdale Bookshop. When my family first started going there in the 1970s, paperbacks cost a nickel. Even by the standards of that time, Riverdale books were a steal.

Most of these books I first borrowed from Greenbelt Library, our local public library in Maryland, which at that time had one of the best-stocked children's departments in the USA. (I can safely say this, having visited the children's departments of major public libraries during my twenties.) Greenbelt Library's collection dated back to the founding of the city in 1937. I got the definite impression as a child that the library had scarcely discarded a single book since that time. As a result, the books of nearly every major children's author from the 1940s to the 1970s (and quite a few minor authors from that period) were stocked by Greenbelt Library – often every book released by those authors. When Greenbelt Library began selling off about a third of its children's collection around the time I graduated high school, I eagerly snatched up as many of my childhood favorites as I could. Those titles ended up being recorded in my card catalogue.

So this is a window back to what it was like to be a Baby Boomer reader in the 1960s and 1970s. If you had walked into a well-stocked US public library during those decades, these are the sorts of books you would have seen.

Books for children: Picture books

Roz Abisch.

• Open Your Eyes (1964). Illustrated by Boche Kaplan. Parents' Magazine Press. Contemporary fiction. "Playmates find rainy-day entertainment in colors." Some time during my earliest years, my mother signed me up for the Parents' Magazine Press Book Club; hence the presence of this and many other books from that press on this list.

Joy Adamson.

• Elsa and Her Cubs (1965). New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1965. Memoir with photographs. Given to me by my parents when I was quite young. The movie Born Free was shown regularly in the community where we lived.

Hans Christian Andersen.

• The Nightingale. Translated by Eva Le Gallienne. Illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. Harper & Row, 1965. Fantasy. "A beautifully illustrated edition of Andersen's famous tale." Given to me by my parents.

Edward Ardizzone.

• Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain (1936). Illustrated by the author. Adventure. This is a series that I didn't fully appreciate till I was an adult, but my younger brother collected the series when I was a teen, and I glanced at it.

Books for children: Novels and story collections (including young adult fiction)

Richard Adams.

• Watership Down (1972). Puffin, 1975. Fantasy. 1973 Guardian Award; 1973 Carnegie Medal. "A group of rabbits search for a new home in the hills of England, led by the fearless Hazel." A gift from my father; he brought the novel back from England.

Nan Hayden Agle and Ellen Wilson.

• Three Boys and Space (1962). Illustrated by Marian Honigman. Contemporary fiction, related to science fiction. "The triplets help their classmates organize a space club, enter a national essay contest, and witness the telecast of Commander Shepard's flight into space." —WorldCat. I read a number of books in the Three Boys series. I can't remember whether this was one of the books I read, but I certainly would have read it if it was available to me.

Joan Aiken.

• The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1962). Illustrated by Pat Marriott. Doubleday. Young America Book Club edition. Alternate history. "When evil Miss Slighcarp, the new governess, comes to live at Willoughby Chase, Bonnie and Sylvia brave wolves and other dangers to seek help." First read at age fourteen. I'm not sure how far I got in reading this series, but the titles below are ones that I bought.
• Black Hearts in Battersea (1964). Illustrated by Robin Jacques. Doubleday. Alternate history. "When Simon comes to live with Dr. Field in London, he discovers that the doctor has disappeared and that the other members of the household are acting mysteriously."
• Nightbirds on Nantucket (1966). Illustrated by Robin Jacques. Doubleday. Alternate history. "Dido recovers to find herself on a ship from Nantucket which carries a formidable stowaway and whose captain is in pursuit of a pink whale."
• The Cuckoo Tree (1971). Illustrated by Susan Obrant. Doubleday. Alternate history. "Returning to England, Dido's carriage is overturned on its way to London, and she must seek help for a captain in a decidedly unfriendly district."

Louisa May Alcott.

• Little Women (1868). Illustrated by Shirley Hughes. Puffin, 1953. Contemporary fiction. "Four sisters struggle through adolescence during the Civil War." First read at age fourteen.
• Little Men (1871). Grosset & Dunlap. Contemporary fiction. "Sequel to Little Women: Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer, run an unusual school for boys." First read before I read Little Women.

Lloyd Alexander.

• Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason Gareth (1963). Illustrated by Bill Sokol. New York: Holt. Fantasy. "Cats don't have nine lives, they can visit nine lives; so Jason's cat Gareth takes him to visit nine times."
• The Book of Three (1964). New York: Holt. Fantasy. "#1 of the Chronicles of Prydain: Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper, sets out to become a hero."
• The Black Cauldron (1965). New York: Holt. Fantasy. "#2 of the Chronicles of Prydain: Taran joins others in seeking to destroy the Black Cauldron, chief implement of the evil Arawn."
• The Castle of Llyr (1966). Fantasy. #3 of the Chronicles of Prydain. "When Princess Eilonwy is sent to the Isle of Mona for training, she is bewitched by the evil enchantress Achren, so Taran and other friends must try to rescue her." —WorldCat summary.
• Taran Wanderer (1967). New York: Holt. Fantasy. "#4 of the Chronicles of Prydain: Taran goes in quest of his parentage."
• The High King (1968). New York: Holt. Fantasy. "#5 of the Chronicles of Prydain: Taran and Prince Gwydion march against Arawn's army."

Hans Christian Andersen.

• Andersen's Fairy Tales. Illustrated by Arthur Szyk. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1945. Fantasy. "The endearing fairy tales that have won their way into the hearts of children worldwide." Given to me by my parents during my early childhood.

Mary Buff and Conrad Buff.

• The Apple and the Arrow (1951). Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1951.

Books for children: Nonfiction

History

Ruth Brindze.

• The Story of Our Calendar (1949). Illustrated by Helene Carter. Probably read in late elementary school, when I was especially interested in calendar history.

Books for children and adults: Miscellaneous categories

Cartoons and humor

Norman Bridwell.

• How to Care for Your Monster (1970). Illustrated by the author. Scholastic. "How to care for a Frankenstein monster ('He will feel better the first night if you rattle a chain and shriek a little'), mummy, vampire ('They enjoy bat-minton'), and werewolf ('Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow')." Probably bought by me at school through the Scholastic Book Club.

Lewis Copeland and Faye Copeland.

• 10,000 Jokes, Toasts and Stories (1940). Garden City, NY: Garden City Books. "Arranged by subject and indexed." As a child, I systematically read my way through much of this book.

Poetry and lyrics

Percy Buck (editor).

• The Oxford Nursery Song Book (1931). Illustrated by Klara. London: Oxford University Press, 1961. "Lyrics and melodies to nursery rhymes." Given to me by my parents in the summer of 1969, when I was six and we were living in England.

Religion

Bible.

• The Golden Children's Bible. The illustrated Bible given to me when I was very young. It simplified the Bible but was fairly faithful to the original text.
• The New Testament in Modern English. Translated by J. B. Phillips. One of the Bibles that my mother owned, and which I dipped into as a teen.

Books for adults: Novels and story collections

Douglas Adams.

• The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979). Pan. Science fiction. "When Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspatial bypass, Earthman Arthur Dent find that his friend Ford Prefect is from the planet Betelgeuse, and not from Guildford after all. But this is nothing to discovering that Earth is all a ten-million-year experiment run by white mice . . ." Bought by me in England during my late teens.
• The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980). Science fiction. "In search of the Ultimate Question to the Ultimate Answer of Life, the Universe, and Everything (the Answer being '42'), an assortment of aliens and exiled ape descendants (Earthlings) explore the galaxy. Second in the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series." Bought by me in England during my late teens.

Isaac Asimov.

• I, Robot (1950).
  
• The Stars, Like Dust (1950). Fawcett Crest. Science fiction. "Biron Farrill, Artemisia Hinriad, and Gilbret Hinriad escape from the domineering Tyranni to search for the Rebellion World."
• Foundation (1951). Avon. Science fiction. Hugo Award for Best All-time Science Fiction Series. "First of the Foundation trilogy: The Galactic Empire is falling, and Hari Seldon, a psychohistorian, creates the Foundation to save the Universe from the Dark Ages.
• Foundation and Empire (1952). Avon. Science fiction. "#2 of the Foundation books. The Foundation struggles with petty kingdoms."
• Second Foundation (1953). Avon. Science fiction. "#3 of the Foundation books. The Second Foundation sets out to defeat the tyrant mutant."
• The Caves of Steel (1953). Fawcett Crest, 1954. Science fiction. "Lije Bailey series. A murder has been committed in the outlying Spacetown by a future New Yorker. Policeman Lije Bailey must solve the mystery before war breaks out – with the help of an unusual partner."
• The End of Eternity (1955). Fawcett Crest. Science fiction. "The Eternals weren't supposed to have emotions. They couldn't: not when their dealings with time could kill millions of individuals. But Eternal Andrew Harlan had fallen in love, and was determined that nothing should stop him from achieving it – even if he had to destroy Eternity."
• The Naked Sun (1956). Fawcett Crest. Science fiction. "Lije Bailey series. Companion to The Caves of Steel: Bailey joins Daneel once again to solve a murder on a planet that has no murders – and very little love.
• Earth is Room Enough (1957). Bantam. Science fiction. "Science fiction is traditionally supposed to deal with space. But this collection shows that when it comes to thrilling SF stories, Earth is room enough."
• Nine Tomorrows (1959). Fawcett Crest. Science fiction. "SF deals with possible futures. This collection deals with nine of them."
• The Hugo Winners: Volume I (1962) and The Hugo Winners: Volume II (1971). Edited by Isaac Asimov. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. Science fiction. "Stories selected by the yearly World Science Fiction Convention for thee Oscar of the science fiction world."
• Eight Stories from The Rest of the Robots (1964). Pyramid. Science fiction. "In I, Robot Asimov introduced his famous Three Laws of Robotics. Here are his other robot stories not included in the first book."
• Asimov's Mysteries (1968). Doubleday. Science fiction and mystery. "Asimov's perfect blend of mystery and science fiction in The Caves of Steel established him as a good mystery writer in addition to his other titles (e.g., writer about: the Bible, Shakespeare, mathematics, physics, chemistry, Gulliver's Travels); here he collects his mystery stories into a single volume."
• Nightfall and Other Stories (1969). Fawcett Crest, 1969. Science fiction. "'Nightfall' is probably Asimov's most famous short story. Here it is, along with nineteen other short stories by the master of science fiction."
• The Gods Themselves (1972). Fawcett Crest, 1972. Science fiction. "Man's new unlimited, non-polluting energy, sent by beings from another universe, is ultimately a time-bomb – but Man will not heed warnings. Asimov's novelette-turned-novel, awarded the distinction of Best Science Fiction Novel of the Year" (by the Nebula Awards).
• The Early Asimov (1972). Fawcett (multiple volumes). Science fiction. Description of the first volume: "A collection of Asimov's early stories, with an autobiographical account of his life from the sale of his first book at nineteen to Hiroshima."
• Before the Golden Age (1974). Edited by Isaac Asimov. Fawcett Crest, 1974 (three volumes). Science fiction. Description of the first volume: "Some of the stories Asimov read in his yearly years that shaped his writing, alternating with autobiographical material on his childhood and early teens." Description of the second volume: "More science fiction stories that Asimov read at thirteen and fourteen." Description of the third volume: "The last of Asimov's collection of pre-Campbell stories and autobiographical commentary, ranging from his graduation from high school at fifteen to the sale of his first story."
• Tales of the Black Widowers (1974). Fawcett Crest, 1974. Mystery. "Six amateur detectives and their brilliant waiter Henry solve twelve mysteries at their monthly Black Widowers dinner.
• Buy Jupiter and Other Stories (1975). Panther, 1975. Science fiction. "Jupiter becomes a giant billboard— A monkey helps settle a disagreement between a writer and an editor— Mount Everest is inhabited by Martians— All this and more in Asimov's collection of short shorts, along with his commentary on how each story was written." This was the first book I read by Asimov, at age thirteen.
• Murder at the ABA (1976). Fawcett Crest, 1976. Mystery. "A three-day mystery in several short scenes where a writer tries to prove to himself that he is not responsible for the death of his hated protégé. Among possible suspects is Isaac Asimov himself."

Lloyd Biggle, Jr.

• The Metallic Muse (1972). Science fiction collection.

John Brunner.

• Stand on Zanzibar (1968). Science fiction.

Robert Buckner.

• Starfire (1960). Science fiction.

Books for adults: Nonfiction

History

Leslie Alcock.

• Arthur's Britain: History and Archaeology, AD 367–634 (1971). Penguin. "The director of the archaeological excavations at Cadbury Castle (long said to be Camelot) assembles information about the historical King Arthur." Bought by me in Britain, probably in the summer of 1979 at age sixteen.

Geoffrey Ashe.

• The Quest for Arthur's Britain (1968). St. Alban's, Hertfordshire. Edited by Geoffrey Ashe. Granada / Paladin, 1968. "Essays on the literature, history, and archeology of King Arthur." Bought by me in Britain, probably in the summer of 1979 at age sixteen.

Graham Ashton.

• The Realm of King Arthur (1974). Newport, Isle of Wight: J. Arthur Dixon Ltd, 1974. Bought by me in Britain, probably in the summer of 1979 at age sixteen.

George Bellew.

• Britain's Kings and Queens (1969). Pitkin Pride of Britain Books. London: Pitkin Pictorials, 1969. "A brief history of the 63 reigns over 1100 years." This slim volume was either given to me by my parents (probably my father), or else it drifted over from their book collection into mine. It was my main source of nonfiction information on British history until I entered high school.

Memoirs

Muriel Beadle.

• These Ruins are Inhabited (1961). "An American professor and his family spend a year in Oxford." First read by me at age fourteen in 1977, before my family's semester-long stay in Oxford.

Josef Berger and Dorothy Berger (editors).

• Small Voices: A Grownup's Treasury of Selections from the Diaries, Journals and Notebooks of Young Children (1966). New York: Erissson, 1966. Given to me by my father in 1974, when I was eleven, around the time I started my own journals.
  

Vera Brittain.

• Testament of Youth (1933). Victor Gollancz (Seaview). "#1 of the Testament series. Oxford and love concern a young woman more than the new World War." Probably first read by me when I was seventeen in 1980, when the BBC adaptation was shown as part of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS.