If you like children's books, there is no question about it; you need a copy of the second edition.
Bookwitch, Ann Giles
perhaps best of all, Hahn has preserved the agreeably donnish atmosphere of the original version, with its long entries on obscure authors or titles all written with love as well as erudition... I would not ... Read moretherefore ever want to be without the Oxford Companion, not so much despite but because of its endearing eccentricities, with its second edition admirably following up the charm and achievements of the first.
Books for Keeps, Nicholas Tucker
A tremendous achievement and a very worthy successor to the original. You should buy a copy.
Achuka, Michael Thorn
This is one reference work that no one interested in the world of children's books should be without.
Oxford Times, Jaine Blackman
a learned and totally addictive guide
Times, Alex O'Connell
It remains an indispensable, comprehensive and readily comprehensible Companion for old hands and new, crafted with loving care. It is a distillation of knowledge of a depth and breadth that makes you boggle anew at what one book can do.
Guardian, Lucy Mangan
an erudite, passionate dictionary of children's literature that runs from Aesop to Harry Potter... excitingly up to date
Daily Telegraph, Simon Mason
a vast, rich yet contained network, in which new worlds can be discovered, and old worlds savoured afresh.
Times Literary Supplement, Philip Womack
the volume that Hahn has put together does a very good job in balancing the influential writers of the past with newer voices, and offering a real sense of how children's literature has grown over the years.
A Hermit's Progress, Victoria Addis 07/06/2015
Every public library should have one [and] it is an essential purchase for any self respecting school library or English Department genuinely interested in promoting reading for pleasure.
School Librarian, Joy Court
Anyone who wants to know more about the children's book world today will find this edition essential and one that will be dipped into time and time again.
Carousel, Chris Riddell
rarely a day goes by without me consulting this fascinating, invaluable treasure.
Joy Court, Books for Keeps
Daniel Hahn's Oxford Companion adds up to a wonderful assemblage of past glories, present enchantments, intriguing rediscoveries, useful annotation, informed opinion and pointers to the future of a fascinating branch of English literature.
Irish Times, Patricia Craig
a treasure trove of information on the stories behind the stories and the people behind the pen names
Folio Books
a treasure chest which everyone seriously interested in children's literature will want to own
Children's Literature Association Quarterly
a substantial achievement
Times Literary Supplement
invaluable ... it is hard to imagine a more needed or attractive companion
School Library Journal
It is written with a lightness of touch exactly suited to its subject, and with an instinct for selecting the most human and interesting facts about children's books and their authors
Iona Opie
Review from previous edition a wonderful book ... deserves to become a classic
The Economist
Show Less