Q: Who likes trivia?
A: Horn Book editors do!
(And we hope you do too!)

As part of our centennial celebration in 2024, we'll be quizzing our readers on Horn Book trivia every Tuesday. We plan to dig through the Magazine's archives for some "fun facts" through the decades that will test your Horn Book knowledge about children's books, our roots, past contributors, controversies and kerfuffles, and more — including, hopefully, some doozies that may surprise everyone. We hope you'll share your guesses with us in the comments below and/or on our social media [facebook.com/TheHornBook | @thehornbook on Instagram | @HornBook on X (formerly Twitter)]. Check back here late Tuesday afternoons for each week's answer. Let the game begin! 

1/2/24 Q: What's a horn book?
A: Our website holds the answer! (And as a bonus, here's an example of a fancy one in the Library of Congress's collection.)

1/9/24 Q: How much did the first issue of the Horn Book Magazine cost? (Bonus Q: What was that first year's subscription price?)
A: The answer (to both questions) is on this page featuring Bertha E. Mahony's first editorial.

1/16/24 Q: What was the nickname of The Bookshop for Boys and Girls' book wagon?
A: Learn the answer to this week's question in a caption within Barbara Bader's 1999 Horn Book Magazine article "Treasure Island by the Roadside." And check out these Book Caravan clippings and diary transcriptions for more book wagon history!

1/23/24 Q: When did the first "Hunt Breakfast" appear in the Magazine?
A: Volume II, Number 4 (November 1926). Hunt Breakfast was the precursor to the current Impromptu section of the Magazine. Read the very first Hunt Breakfast here!

1/30/24 Q: Who was Alice-Heidi?
A: Doll, contributor, editor...Alice-Heidi had many roles at the Horn Book.

2/6/24 Q: What's the first year of the Magazine with an annual index?
A: 1930. 1924–1929 were indexed together according to a note in the February 1930 issue (Volume VI, Number 1).

2/13/24 Q: What year did the Magazine become a bimonthly publication?
A: 1934. Fun fact: the masthead in November 1933 changed to list the publication as being bimonthly, but that year the Magazine was still published quarterly.

2/20/24 Q: When did children’s literature critic Anne Carroll Moore begin "The Three Owls’ Notebook" column in the Magazine?
A: November/December 1936. See the announcement from the previous issue here.

2/27/24 Q: Which issue of the Magazine featured the first departure from Randolph Caldecott’s cover art?
A: November/December 1937.

3/5/24 Q: The first Horn Book Fanfare included the best books from which year?
A: 1938.

3/12/24 Q: In which issue did the Magazine first celebrate an anniversary/milestone?
A: The May/June 1944 issue, which was the Horn Book’s 20th anniversary.

3/19/24 Q: When did the Horn Book, Inc., publish its first book and what was the title?
A: A Little History of the Horn-book by Beulah Folmsbee (1942), which could fit in the palm of your hand and included black-and-white illustrations plus two fancy foldouts.

3/26/24 Q: What was the Horn Book League?
A: Our 75th anniversary issue in September/October 1999 delved into this topic in the Horn Book Reminiscences column.

4/2/24 Q: There have been two periods in our history during which the Horn Book did not publish Fanfare. When were they?
A: No lists were published from 1941–1944, or 1954–1957, most likely due to World War II and the start of the Vietnam War. Interestingly, when the regular list resumed with 1958, the editors also created a special "five-year Fanfare List" that they offered (via this Hunt Breakfast notice) to mail to subscribers upon request. So technically a list for 1954–1957 exists, just not in the print magazines. Oh how we wish we could get our hands on that special list!

4/9/24 Q: Margaret M. Scoggin began the regular "Outlook Tower" column of book reviews in January/February 1948. For which age level was she highlighting books? (Bonus Q: Where did the name Outlook Tower come from?)
A: Here is her first column, which notes the intended audience at the top. (And that issue's edition of The Hunt Breakfast explains the origins of the column title.)

4/16/24 Q: When did Jennie D. Lindquist take over from Bertha E. Mahony Miller as the second Editor of the Horn Book?
A: January 1, 1951, according to BMM's announcement in the November/December 1950 editorial. See also JDL's first editorial in the January/February 1951 issue, and her bio in the Virtual History Exhibit.

4/23/24 Q: Who was Thomas Todd III and what was his connection to The Horn Book, Inc.?
A: Mr. Todd was the Magazine's printer when it was founded in 1924 and served as treasurer of The Horn Book, Inc., for many years. The Thomas Todd Company also printed books published by The Horn Book, Inc. Here is his obituary notice from Jennie D. Lindquist's editorial in the August 1956 issue and an earlier appreciation of him by Bertha Mahony Miller in her March–April 1950 editorial.

4/30/24 Q: When did Ruth Hill Viguers take over from Jennie D. Lindquist as the third Editor of the Horn Book?
A: July 1, 1958. It was announced in The Hunt Breakfast of the June 1958 issue. See also and Bertha's editorial salute to Jennie D. Lindquist in that same issue and Ruth Hill Viguers's bio in the Virtual History Exhibit.

5/7/24 Q: When did "The Three Owls’ Notebook" columnist Anne Carroll Moore pass away?
A: January 20, 1961 according to The Hunt Breakfast in the April 1961 issue.

5/14/24 Q: Who became president of The Horn Book, Inc., after Bertha Mahony Miller?
A: Mary E. Manthorne, Bertha's niece-in-law, became president of the company in 1962 and served until her death on August 24, 1978. Here is her obituary from the October 1978 issue.

5/21/24 Q: When did Paul Heins take over from Ruth Hill Viguers as the fourth Editor of the Horn Book?
A: The December 1967 issue. Here is Ruth Hill Viguers’s goodbye editorial and a notice in The Hunt Breakfast from the October 1967 issue, as well as notice of the official change in the December issue and Paul Heins’s first editorial in that issue. See also Paul Heins's bio in the Virtual History Exhibit.

5/28/24 Q: When did the Horn Book's founder, Bertha Mahony Miller, pass away?
A: May 14, 1969. Read then-current Horn Book editor Paul Heins’s editorial from the August 1969 issue, which served as her obituary notice; an entire issue in tribute to her followed in October 1969.

6/4/24 Q: When did the third editor of the Horn Book, Ruth Hill Viguers, pass away?
A: February 2, 1971 per notice in the April 1971 issue's Hunt Breakfast, which included a tribute by husband Richard T. Viguers. Frances Clarke Sayers also wrote a guest editorial for that issue about Viguers's passing entitled "Well Done, Old Squirrel!"

6/11/24 Q: When did the Horn Book Magazine covers switch completely to color?
A: Color covers began in 1973. While still featuring Randolph Caldecott’s art, one background color was chosen for each issue: blue (Feb), green (Apr), gold (Jun), turquoise (Aug), orange (Oct), and red (Dec); this tradition continued with only slight variations until Maurice Sendak’s illustrated cover in 1985.

6/18/24 Q: When was the "Letters to the Editor" page officially added to the Magazine?
A: December 1971. As Paul Heins noted in his editorial that issue, the page would "include replies from the editor whenever necessary. The continuance of this page, of course, will depend upon the number and kinds of letters sent to the editor."

6/25/24 Q: When did Ethel L. Heins take over from Paul Heins as the fifth Editor of the Horn Book?
A: The December 1974 issue. Here are President Mary E. Manthorne’s note about “Changing the Guard” and Ethel’s first editorial in that issue. See also Ethel L. Heins's bio in the Virtual History Exhibit.

7/2/24 Q: When did the Horn Book, Inc., publish a biography of its founder, Bertha Mahony Miller, and what was it called?
A: The Spirited Life: Bertha Mahony Miller and Children’s Books by Eulalie Steinmetz Ross was published in 1973 and was reviewed in the October 1973 issue of the Magazine.

7/9/24 Q: The Horn Book office officially moved off Boylston Street in which year?
A: 1977. Since its founding, the office had been at various locations on the same Boston street (Boylston). There was a notice about the move to 31 St. James Avenue in the Hunt Breakfast of the April 1977 issue, which, extra fun fact, was also the Bookselling Issue.

7/16/24 Q: When did the Magazine’s cover tagline become our current “About Books for Children and Young Adults”?
A: June 1977. Read Ethel L. Heins’s editorial from that issue, which mentions the change. Prior to that it had been “About Children’s Books and Reading.” From January/February 1993–November/December 1996 the tagline temporarily changed to “Recommending Books for Children and Young Adults.”

7/23/24 Q: When did the second editor of the Horn Book, Jennie D. Lindquist, pass away?
A: February 8, 1977 per a remembrance by Virginia Haviland in the June 1977 issue. Bonus trivia: Lindquist is the only Horn Book editor who has won a Newbery Honor, for writing 1955's The Golden Name Day.

7/30/24 Q: Who became the third president of The Horn Book, Inc., after Mary E. Manthorne?
A: Horn Book treasurer Thomas Todd (son of Thomas Todd III; also called Mr. Todd) added the role of president to his title in 1979. He served as president and treasurer of the company until July/August 2001, president and publisher until July/August 2003, publisher until July/August 2006, and finally publisher emeritus until he passed away on September 9, 2007. Here is his obituary from Roger Sutton’s editorial in the November/December 2007 issue.

8/6/24 Q: When did the Horn Book Magazine begin printing acceptance speeches by the Newbery and Caldecott winners?
A: The first Newbery acceptance speech the Magazine printed was by Cornelia Meigs in July 1934 and the first Caldecott acceptance speech printed was by Dorothy P. Lathrop in July/August 1938. See “All About Awards” for more information.

8/13/24 Q: When did the long-running column "Views on Science Books" begin? Bonus question: Which famous author was its first columnist (and an associate editor of the Magazine)?
A: February 1961. Here is the first article, penned by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.

8/20/24 Q: Who wrote the "Letter from England" column from 1972–1984?
A: Author Aidan Chambers.

8/27/24 Q: One of our current columns, "A Second Look," began in what year? Bonus question: What was the title of the first book discussed?
A: October 1975. Ethel L. Heins wrote about it in her editorial and then John Rowe Townsend took “A Second Look” in that issue at The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban.

9/3/24 Q: One of our most well-known Controversies & Kerfuffles involved author and critic Eleanor Cameron and which famous author and their popular book?
A: Roald Dahl and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Visit this page of our Virtual History Exhibit for more information about the classic battle from 1972–73.

9/10/24 Q: "News from the North," the Magazine's column about Canadian children's books began in February 1984, was published three times a year, and was written by which current Magazine reviewer?
A: Vancouver-based writer and critic, Sarah Ellis. Ethel L. Heins explained the need for this new column in that issue's editorial. Learn more about Horn Book Magazine reviewers here. Bonus: In March/April 1990, former Horn Book managing editor Karen Jameyson began writing the Magazine’s similarly themed column "News from Down Under" about Australian children’s books.

9/17/24 Q: When did Anita Silvey take over from Ethel L. Heins as the sixth Editor of the Horn Book?
A: The January/February 1985 issue. Here is President and Treasurer Thomas Todd’s note about “Sixth in Sixty-one” and Anita’s first editorial in that issue. See also Anita Silvey's bio in the Virtual History Exhibit.

9/24/24 Q: Who was the first illustrator to design an original cover for the Magazine? (Bonus Q: For which issue(s)?)
A: Maurice Sendak. His homage to Randolph Caldecott ran from November/December 1985 to September/October 1986. Here is the cover.

10/1/24 Q: Who were the next seven illustrators to follow Maurice Sendak on the Magazine's cover in the late 1980s–early 1990s, each creating an original illustration that ran for a year?
A: William Steig, Arnold Lobel, Nancy Ekholm Burkert, David Macaulay, Margot Zemach, Vera B. Williams, and Allen Say. Fun fact: David Macaulay’s cover ran for seven issues (from November/December 1989–November/December 1990), presumably to get future cover artists onto a calendar year schedule.

10/8/24 Q: Which illustrator created these six original covers for the Magazine's 1994 issues?
A: Barbara Cooney.

10/15/24 Q: Which illustrator created these six original covers for the Magazine's 1995 issues?
A: Jerry Pinkney.

10/22/24 Q: Which illustrator created these six original covers for the Magazine's 1996 issues?
A: Rosemary Wells.

10/29/24 Q: Which illustrator created these six original covers for the Magazine's 1997 issues?
A: Petra Mathers.

11/5/24 Q: Which illustrator created these six original covers for the Magazine's 1998 issues?
A: Chris Raschka.

11/12/24 Q: When did the Horn Book Magazine begin starring books?
A: May/June 1985. Editor Anita Silvey discussed it and the book review process in her March/April 1985 editorial.

11/19/24 Q: What year did the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards begin?
A: 1967. See the first announcement in the December issue's Hunt Breakfast. Learn more about the awards here.

11/26/24 Q: When did the Magazine begin printing entirely in color?
A: January/February 2010. This issue also saw the introduction of Leonard S. Marcus's Sight Reading column, the debut of the Books in the Home column, and our first installment of Impromptu (the successor to The Hunt Breakfast).

12/3/24 Q: 1985 was a singular year in that four new columns began in the Magazine. What were their names?
A: “Young Adult Books” and “A Picture Is Worth Several Hundred Words” in the January/February issue, as noted in Anita Silvey’s editorial in that issue, a bookseller’s “Musings” in the March/April issue, and “A Publisher’s Perspective” in the May/June issue, as noted in Anita Silvey’s editorial in that issue.

12/10/24 Q: When did two of the Horn Book’s other long-running publications, The Horn Book Guide and Notes from the Horn Book, each begin?
A: The Horn Book Guide was first published in Spring 1990 and continued until Fall 2018; it now lives on as the Guide/Reviews Database. Anita Silvey wrote about the new publication in her July/August 1989 Magazine editorial. Notes from the Horn Book (with the first Five Questions interview featuring Jon Scieszka) began in February 2008 and still continues today (subscribe!); read Roger Sutton’s editorial about this newsletter in the March/April 2008 Magazine issue.

12/17/24 Q: When did the fourth editor of the Horn Book, Paul Heins, pass away, and when did the fifth editor of the Horn Book, Ethel L. Heins, pass away?
A: Paul Heins died on April 28, 1996, per notice in the July/August 1996 issue's Hunt Breakfast; the issue also included a remembrance by Gregory Maguire. Ethel L. Heins died on May 1, 1997, per notice in the July/August 1997 issue’s Hunt Breakfast; the issue also included a tribute by Martha V. Parravano.

12/24/24 Q: Annual special issues in the Magazine began in what issue/year? (Bonus Q: What was that year’s theme?)
A: March/April 1997 with the theme Family Reading. Prior to that, special issues were infrequent and generally reserved for anniversaries and commemorating particular people in the industry. View our cover gallery, featuring the annual special issues since 2000.

12/31/24 Q: When did Roger Sutton take over from Anita Silvey as the seventh Editor in Chief of the Horn Book, and when did Elissa Gershowitz take over from Roger Sutton as the eighth Editor in Chief of the Horn Book?
A: Roger Sutton became Editor in Chief with the May/June 1996 issue. Senior editors Lauren Adams and Martha V. Parravano announced his hiring in their March/April 1996 editorial and here’s Roger’s first editorial from the May/June issue. During his tenure, Roger maintained his Read Roger blog and began the newsletter Talks with Roger (his first interview was with Kadir Nelson on November 24, 2011), and also started Publishers’ Previews, the special advertising section in each Magazine that began in September/October 2014. Upon his retirement to editor emeritus status, the staff paid tribute to Roger in the January/February 2022 issue.
Elissa Gershowitz became the current Editor in Chief on October 3, 2022. Get to know her in this Five Questions interview.
See also Roger Sutton's and Elissa Gershowitz's bios in the Virtual History Exhibit.