We’ve got a lot of books here at Scholastic headquarters in New York City. (Understatement of the week? Quite possibly!) But when most people head down to our Archives (which contain almost all of the books Scholastic has ever published!), they’re usually shown our copy of Boy Dates Girl from 1952.
Its condition reflects its age: the front and back covers aren’t attached to the spine anymore, so it must be delicately removed from the small manila envelope that holds all its pieces. The pages are frayed and yellow, and the librarian opens it just enough so visitors can peek inside to read its content. So why is this little book such an important part of Scholastic’s history?
Boy Dates Girl began as a teen etiquette column in The Scholastic magazine in the 30s. Margaret Hauser, writing under a pen name, would answer questions ranging from topics like dating, hosting parties, dealing with parents, and popularity. Collections of her answers were printed in the 30s and 40s, but it was in 1948 when Scholastic introduced the Teen Age Book Club (or, TAB) and changed everything.
Initially, TAB mainly sold books from other publishers. But then, Scholastic looked back to its archives to start selling original titles. Boy Dates Girl was one of the very first original Scholastic books to be sold as a mass market paperback through the book club. The 1952 edition – the one housed in our archives – is a revised edition, but is still considered one of Scholastic’s first books. Scholastic Reading Club is still going strong, and still brings a wide variety of books – Scholastic or otherwise – to excited young readers!
Special thanks to Scholastic librarian Deimosa Webber-Bey for her help with this series!
