SAMUEL GRISWOLD GOODRICH (19 August 1793-9 May 1860), author and publisher of juvenile literature, is known today for his series of Peter Parley books. Born at Ridgefield, Connecticut, Goodrich finished his formal education at age twelve and began clerking in 1808. Three years later he moved to Hartford and served briefly in the War of 1812. In 1816 he entered the publishing world by reprinting Walter Scott's Family Bible and in 1820 published John Trumbull's epic M'Fingal. He married in 1818 but his wife died four years later. During 1823-1824 he travelled in Europe. In England he met Hannah More, author of moralistic and didactic tales of instruction, and decided that his calling would be to write similar works, but for children. His first venture, The Tales of Peter Parley About America (Boston: Carter, Hendee, 1827), was an immediate success and launched Goodrich's career. Over the next thirty years Goodrich produced dozens of Peter Parley tales...