Abstract: Classic children's literature continues to hold a strong appeal for scholars, publishers, educators, and readers in the United Kingdom. Since the turn of the twentieth century several British publishers have presented individual works in a series titled classics , which have received limited critical attention. The paper reports on a research project that used descriptive statistical analysis to draw conclusions about the titles included in series. This approach and focus required the compilation of a large data set of information about British series of children's classics from the start of the twentieth century. An analysis of the data set reveals that the composition of series is significantly influenced by commercial factors, namely copyright. Furthermore, it shows that British series of children's classics in the twenty-first century are generally more homogenized, as they focus on a small group of titles from the "Golden Age" of children's literature.
Amy Webster (Mon,) studied this question.