Warman's Little Golden Books Identification and Price Guide

Little Golden Books are one of my top picks for folks looking for a fun and affordable collectible. You can find them online, at garage sales and flea markets. Although most Little Golden books may not worth a lot in monetary value, wouldn't it be nice to quickly figure out what you have and what it's worth? Who knows, you just might have some real treasures and "Warman's Little Golden Books" by Steve Santi is the resource needed to decide what they're worth.

Browsing through this book was a trip down memory lane for me. Although I don't remember the books I had as a child, I certainly do remember the books my children had. Little Poky Puppy, Baby's Book, Bambi, and numerous others, all filled their books shelves. They were affordable enough (and still are) to purchase on impulse and we certainly did!

Steve Santi has long been considered the expert on Little Golden Books and his price guide lives up to this status. It has everything -- prices, pictures and history.

According to Santi, the history of Golden Books starts long before their initial release in 1942. Western Publishing got it's start in 1907 and over the years produced children's books, games and products. But it was the search for an affordable book that children could handle and read that lead to the much-loved Little Golden Books. Their popularity can be measured in the numbers sold -- 1.5 million in five months!

Although collectors always want to know the "value" of their items, in this book values are not what first caught my eye. It was the history of the books, the pictorial method of assessing condition, and the stories about the different series that I particularly enjoyed. For instance, I didn't realize how many different series of books were under the Little Golden Book umbrella, Santi's book helps one understand the differences.

Shown are the first 12 Little Golden Books sold in 1942, most are still familiar titles.

1. Three Little Kittens
2. Bedtime Stories
3. The Alphabet Z - Z
4. Mother Goose
5. Prayers for Children
6. The Little Red Hen
7. Nursery Songs
8. The Poky Little Puppy
9. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales
10. Baby's Book
11. The Animals of Farmer Jones
12. This Little Piggy

Warman's Little Golden Books is not only a resource that will be used numerous times, but also a book that's enjoyable to read. The memories alone are worth it.