Children of All Lands Series

The Children of All Lands Series is an eighteen title series which chronicles the tales of children in their native lands. The stories take the readers on a geographical and historical tour of the title country. The text is complemented by numerous photographs. The stories are simply told for children.

The first fourteen books were written by Madeline Brandeis (1897-1937), the author of four of the six volumes of the Children of America Story series. After her death in 1937 (from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident) , other authors were enlisted to write the last volumes in each series. Brandeis took the photographs that appeared in her books.

The original copyright of fifteen of the eighteen books was held by A. Flanagan Company, a Chicago publisher. Both Flanagan and Grosset and Dunlap simultaneously published these titles between 1928 and 1939.The last three titles in the series were only published by Grosset and Dunlap.

Between 1941 and 1943 the format of the volumes was changed. The previous 8.75" x 7" books were reduced in size to 8.50" x 5.5". Except for the first editions of the first six books, the earlier larger books have the named series "The Children of All Lands Stories" lettered on the bottom of the dust jacket. The smaller books omit the word "The" and cut the picture off accordingly.

Interestingly two titles were deleted during the series run. Mitz and Fritz of Germany as well as Little Tony of Italy appear on lists as late as 1943. Sometime within the following year they were no longer on the booklist. Clearly the war caused their deletion.

All 18 books were published in both Grosset and Dunlap formats. The date of publication can generally be determined by reviewing the titles on the back of the dust jacket. The first six titles do not have a book list (1928-1929). Later books have the series list. I am still trying to determine the exact dust jacket booklist for the Grosset and Dunlap first editions. Some of these titles list up to the previous title. See number 16 below. I believe others have a book list that includes the volume in hand. This is to be determined.

A. Flanagan Company books:
The Flanagan books are 7.25" x 5.5".

The content of the Flanagan books is identical to the Grossett and Dunlap volumes. The endpapers of both publishers' books are also the same.

Grosset and Dunlap books (First format)

The first edition of the first six books (1928-1929) state at the bottom of the dust jacket front cover "Author of …." a title in the series. The back of the jacket does not list any titles but rather has a picture of Brandeis and her daughter as noted here:

#1 First Edition	#1 Later Edition

#2
#3
#4 (First edition)
#4 Later Edition
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15

#16. The first edition of this book only lists 15 titles in the series. Note Little Greta is the last one in the dust jacket ad.

#16
#17
#18

Grosset and Dunlap- Second Format
These smaller books were first published between 1941 and 1943. The wartime conditions' notice first appeared In May,1943.

#1
#17
#18