Peter and Iona Opie

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Peter Mason Opie (1918 – 1982) and Iona Archibald Opie (born Iona Archibald, 1923 - ) were a husband-and-wife team of folklorists, who applied modern techniques to children's literature, summarized in their studies, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959). They are also noted anthologists, and assembled large collections of children's literature, toys and games.

Peter, who was educated at Eton College, was an English specialist in children's literature, and the customs of schoolchildren. He was joint winner of the £1000 Chosen Books competition, with his autobiographical discursion The Case of Being a Young Man (published in paperback, 1946).

Iona is a world-renowned researcher and writer on European folklore and children's street culture. She is considered an authority on children's rhymes, street & playground games and the Mother Goose tradition.

The couple met and married during World War II. They worked together closely, from their home in Alton, Hampshire, conducting primary fieldwork, as well as library research, and interviewing thousands of children. In pursuing the folklore of contemporary childhood they directly recorded rhymes and games as they were currently being played. They collaborated on a number of celebrated books and, combined, produced over 30 works.

The Opies' collection of children's books and ephemera covers the 16th to 20th century and is the richest library of children's literature. It was begun in 1944, amounting in the end to 20,000 pieces. During 1988, it was donated to the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, after a two-year public appeal raised the £500,000 cost; currently, the books are being transferred to microfiche. Their large collection of historic toys and games is still owned by Iona Opie.

[edit] Selected Works

  • Peter Opie, author, 1946. The Case of Being a Young Man, a discursion (Chosen Books, competition prize winner)
  • Iona and Peter Opie, collectors and editors, 1947. I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth (Williams & Norgate Ltd)
  • Iona and Peter Opie, editors, 1951. The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press)
  • Iona and Peter Opie, editors, 1959. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (Oxford University Press)
  • Iona and Peter Opie, editors, 1974. The Classic Fairy Tales (Oxford University Press). Presents the texts of twenty-four familiar fairy tales as they were first published in English; summarizes the history of each tale, especially from the textual point of view.
  • Iona and Peter Opie, 1985. The Singing Game (Oxford University Press).
  • Iona and Peter Opie, Maurice Sendak illustrations, 1992. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book (Walker Books, London)
  • Iona Opie, 1993. The People in the Playground (Oxford University Press, USA)
  • Iona Opie, 1996. My Very First Mother Goose (Cambridge, Mass:Candlewick)
  • Iona Opie, 1999. Here Comes Mother Goose (Cambridge, Mass:Candlewick)
  • Iona and Peter Opie, 2000. I Saw Esau: The Schoolchild's Pocket Book (Cambridge, Mass:Candlewick)

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