It is becoming realised increasingly that the study and collection of historical children's books is an important facet of bibliographical studies (Library Trends, Spring 1979, was devoted entirely to this area of interest). The Library of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) has recently set up a small special collection of boys adventure stories set in areas in which the School has special interest and published between the middle of the last century and the outbreak of the Second World War.

These were the books that were introducing Africa and Asia to the school boys who were to become the colonial administrators and business men responsible for overseeing our dual mandate.