Every profession should remember its beginnings, the origins of its ideals and the difficulties and circumstances of their forging. Patty Campbell traces the lives and careers of two early pioneers of young adult librarianship, Mabel Williams and Margaret Edwards.

The first section draws upon an interview with Mabel Williams conducted by Mary K. Chelton in 1975, in which Williams talks candidly about her career and how young adult library services became a reality in the first half of the 20th century.

The second section consists of an essay entitled "Reconsidering Margaret Edwards: The Relevance of The Fair Garden for the Nineties." Sections of this essay were originally published in the Wilson Library Bulletin in June 1994, but the entire essay appears here for the first time. In the essay, Campbell evaluates The Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts, first published in 1969, against a backdrop of changing times and changing ideas in librarianship.

An important and interesting work for academics and professionals in YA librarianship, this book presents a coherent look at the past, present, and future of the field.