W. B. Rands

David Allan Rands (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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W. B. Rands (1823-1882), the Victorian “Laureate of the Nursery”, was a prolific and versatile writer in several genres. He is mostly remembered now for his many children’s verses and his two-volume

Chaucer’s England

(1869), but his largest output was in the field of essays, some specifically for children. An intuitive teacher, his stories, essays and poems for children displayed a perceptive, empathic understanding of the child’s mind. He wrote frequently about current social and philosophical topics with acute analysis, and some of his literary criticism for

The Contemporary Review

is worth re-reading. For example, in his preface to the

Complete Poems of George Eliot

(1888; ed. “Matthew Browne”), his observations led him to the conclusion that she was not a natural poet.

573 words

Citation: Rands, David Allan. "W. B. Rands". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 April 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3707, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3707 W. B. Rands 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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