Three Bears

Three bears of different sizes leave their home to allow their hot food to cool and then return to find an intruder therein, but historical sources are in substantial disagreement on the bears’ relationship to one another and on the identity of the intruder.

Public‐domain bibliography

• • The Story of the Three Bears Metrically Related, with Illustrations Locating It at Cecil Lodge in September 1831, by Eleanor Mure, 1831. Illustrated manuscript, unpublished until 1967. (Toronto Public Library)

  • “The Story of the Three Bears,” part of ch. 129, “Wherein the Author Speaks of a Tragedy for the Ladies, and Introduces One of William Dove’s Stories for Children,” The Doctor &c., vol. 4, by Robert Southey, 1837. (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in A Treasury of Pleasure Books for Young Children, ed. Joseph Cundall, (Nov. 1849) 1850, with illustrations by (John Absolon and?) Harrison Weir. Silver‐hair. (Internet Archive) (1858, HathiTrust) (1858, Internet Archive)

    • Reprinted as “The Three Bears” in English Fairy Tales, by Ernest and Grace Rhys, ca. 1879, with an illustration by Herbert Cole (d. 1930). (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs, 1890, with a headpiece by John D. Batten (d. 1932). (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in The Green Fairy Book, 1892, with an illustration by Henry Justice Ford. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in Six Nursery Classics, Heath Supplementary Readers, 1900, with nine uncredited illustrations. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted with some rewritten passages in The Heart of Oak Books, 2nd bk., Fables and Nursery Tales, rev. ed., ed. Charles Eliot Norton, 1902, with an illustration by Frank T. Merrill. (HathiTrust) (Internet Archive, without text)

    • Reprinted in The Golden Goose Book Being the Stories of the Golden Goose[,] The Three Bears • The 3 Little Pigs[,] Tom Thumb with Numerous Drawings in Colour and Black‐and‐White …, 1905, with illustrations, including the frontispiece, by L. Leslie Brooke (d. 1940). Goldenlocks. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in Favorite Fairy Tales: The Childhood Choice of Representative Men and Women, 1907, with an illustration by Peter Newell (d. 1924). The decorative borders may still be copyrighted until 2024 as Francis I. Bennett died 1953 (but was American). (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in Banbury Cross Stories, arranged by Frank W. Howard, Merrill’s Story Books, 1909, with three illustrations. Golden‐hair. (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in Stories Children Love: A Collection of Stories Arranged for Children and Young People of Various Ages …, ed. Charles Welsh, 1909, with an illustration by Meta Grimball. (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted with some alterations in Best Stories to Tell to Children, by Sara Cone Bryant, 1912, with an illustration by Patten Wilson. Goldilocks. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted in Fairy Gold: A Book of Old English Fairy Tales, Everyman’s Library, ed. Ernest Rhys, 1913, with an initial and an illustration by Herbert Cole (d. 1930), but a different one than above. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

    • Reprinted as “Silver‐Locks and the Three Bears,” Journeys Through Bookland: A New and Original Plan for Reading Applied to the World’s Best Literature for Children, vol. 1, new ed., by Charles H. Sylvester, 1922, with an illustration by Herbert N. Rudeen. (The same rewritten version as Heart of Oak Books above.) (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • The Story of the Three Bears, by G. N. [George Nicol], (July) 1837. (2nd ed., 1839, Google Books) (2nd ed., 1839, Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” Aunt Fanny’s Story Book, for Little Boys and Girls, 1849. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • Harlequin and the Three Bears, or, Little Silver Hair and the Fairies, by John Baldwin Buckstone, 1853.

  • “The Three Bears,” Favourite Fairy Tales with Twelve Coloured Illustrations, [1861]. Silverhair. (Internet Archive)

    • Reprinted with slight alterations, illustrated by John Moyr Smith, in The Old Fairy Tales, ed. James Mason, [1870]. (Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” illustrated, Routledge’s Nursery Picture Book …, 1862. (Google Books)

  • “The Golden Key,” Dealings with the Fairies, by George MacDonald, 1867. (1906, Internet Archive, as standalone book)

  • “The Story of the Three Bears,” Second Book of Reading Lessons …, Canadian Series of Reading Books, 1867, with one illustration. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • “ The Three Bears, ” Aunt Friendly’s Nursery Keepsake …, illustrated by Joseph Martin Kronheim, [1870]. (ICDL) (ICDL)

  • “ Little Mabel’s Letter to Her Mamma, ” Little Folks’ Letters : Young Hearts and Old Heads, by Nannette S. Emerson, 1875. A family acts out the story and the intruder’s name is already Goldilocks. “ Most of these letters are reproduced from ‘Munro’s Girls and Boys of America,’ where they originally appeared. ” (Google Books) (HathiTrust)

  • The Three Bears, by Walter Crane, 1876. (U. Florida) (1900, Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” The Children’s Book: A Collection of the Best and Most Famous Stories and Poems in the English Language …, chosen by Horace E. Scudder, 1881. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • Golden Hair and Her Knight of the Beanstalk in the Enchanted Forest (play), by N. G. Clarke, 1887. (Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” The Book of Folk Stories, by Horace E. Scudder, 1887. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • “The Three Bears,” The Old, Old Fairy Tales, ed. Laura Valentine, [1889?]. Greatly expands the story of Golden Hair. Numerous reprinted illustrations in later edition. (HathiTrust) (Internet Archive)

  • “Scrapefoot,” illustrated by John D. Batten (d. 1932), More English Fairy Tales, ed. Joseph Jacobs (d. 1916), 1894. (HathiTrust)

  • “The Three Bears,” Stepping Stones to Literature: A Second Reader, by Sarah Louise Arnold and Charles B. Gilbert, illustrated, 1897. (HathiTrust)

  • “Silver Locks,” Child Life in Tale and Fable: A Second Reader, by Etta Austin Blaisdell (d. 1922?) and Mary Frances Blaisdell, illustrated by Sears Gallagher (d. 1955), 1899. Published simultaneously in the US and UK, so death years may be needed, although HathiTrust has determined it to be public domain. (HathiTrust)

  • “The Three Bears,” Folklore Stories and Proverbs Gathered and Paraphrased for Little Children, by Sara E. Wiltse, illustrated by Edith Brown, 1900. (Internet Archive)

  • Denslow’s Three Bears, adapted and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, 1903. (Library of Congress)

  • “The Three Bears,” The Folk‐lore Readers, bk. 1, by Eulalie Osgood Grover, illustrated by Margaret Ely Webb, 1905. (HathiTrust)

  • The Three Bears, by Mara L. Pratt‐Chadwick, illustrated by Rebecca Chase, Action, Imitation and Fun Series, 1905. (Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” illustrated by Willard Bonte, The Oak‐Tree Fairy Book: Favorite Fairy Tales, ed. Clifton Johnson, 1905. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • “The Three Bears,” For the Children’s Hour, by Carolyn S. Bailey and Clara M. Lewis, 1906. (HathiTrust) (Internet Archive)

    • Reprinted in Firelight Stories: Folk Tales Retold for Kindergarten, School and Home, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, 1907. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • “Little Golden Hair,” The Story Reader for the Second Year at School, by J. A. Bowen, 1907, with one illustration. (HathiTrust)

  • Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper/The Three Bears, illustrated by John R. Neill, The Children’s Red Books, vol. 8, 1908. (Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” The Progressive Road to Reading, bk. 1, by Georgine Burchill, William L. Ettinger and Edgar Dubs Shimer, 1909, with eight uncredited illustrations. (HathiTrust, US access only) (Internet Archive)

    • Reprinted in A First Reader, California State Series, 1910. (Internet Archive)

  • “The Three Bears,” by F. J. Harvey Darton (d. 1936), A Wonder Book of Beasts, 1909. The illustrations cannot be confirmed to be public domain as Margaret Clayton’s year of death is not known. (HathiTrust)

  • “Goldilocks; or, The Three Bears,” erroneously credited to Madame d’Aulnoy, A Child’s Book of Stories, arranged by Penrhyn W. Coussens, 1911, illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith. (HathiTrust)

  • “The Story of the Three Bears” and “Golden Hair and the Three Bears,” The Story Teller’s Book, by Alice O’Grady and Frances Throop, 1912. (Internet Archive) (1913 ed., HathiTrust, with a different title)

  • “Baby Bear’s Party,” by Frances Margaret Fox, The Youth’s Companion, vol. 86, no. 45, 7 Nov. 1912. (HathiTrust)

  • “How Mother Bear Saved Her Baby,” by Frances Margaret Fox, The Churchman, vol. 107, no. 3, whole no. 3548, 18 Jan. 1913. (Google Books)

  • “When Mother Bear Made Pickles,” by Frances Margaret Fox, The Churchman, vol. 107, no. 15, whole no. 3560, 12 Apr. 1913. (Google Books)

  • “When Little Bear Had His Own Way,” by Frances Margaret Fox, illustrated by G. A. Harker, St. Nicholas, vol. 40, no. 7, May 1913. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • The Three Bears of Porcupine Ridge: Wild Dwellers of Forest Marsh and Lake, by Jean M. Thompson, illustrated by Charles Copeland, 1913. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • “Little Bear’s Adventure,” by Frances M. Fox, The Youth’s Companion, vol. 87, no. 27, 3 July 1913. (HathiTrust)

  • “How Little Bear Went to a Picnic,” by Frances Margaret Fox, illustrated by G. A. Harker, St. Nicholas, vol. 40, no. 9, July 1913. (HathiTrust) (Internet Archive)

  • “Little Bear’s Bee‐Tree,” by Frances Margaret Fox, The Youth’s Companion, vol. 87, no. 42, 16 Oct. 1913. (HathiTrust)

  • “Grandfather Grizzly,” by Frances Margaret Fox, The Youth’s Companion, vol. 88, no. 31, 30 July 1914. (HathiTrust)

  • “Three Bears in the Enchanted Land,” by Frances Margaret Fox, The Continent, vol. 45, no. 46, whole no. 2320, 12 Nov. 1914. (HathiTrust)

  • Adventures of Sonny Bear, by Frances Margaret Fox, 1916, illustrated by Warner Carr. Reprints of “Baby Bear’s Party,” “How Mother Bear Saved Her Baby,” “When Mother Bear Made Pickles,” “Little Bear’s Adventure,” “How Little Bear Went to a Picnic,” “Grandfather Grizzly,” “Three Bears in the Enchanted Land,” “When the Storm Came” (originally published in The Youth’s Companion), “Little Bear and Bob White’s Children“ (originally published in Woman’s World). (Internet Archive)

  • The Three Bears/Les trois ours: A Play for Children in One Scene Arranged to Be Given in English or French, by Caroline Wasson Thomason, 1921. (Internet Archive) (HathiTrust)

  • A Party in Mother Goose Land: A One‐Act Play for Primary Children, by Effa E. Preston, 1922. (Internet Archive)

  • “Guilty Looks Enter Tree Beers,” Anguish Languish, by Howard L. Chace, illustrated by Hal Doremus, 1956. (HathiTrust)

Fairy story with character named Goldilocks. “Goldilocks,” Fairy Book, by Sophie May (pseud. of Rebecca Sophia Clarke), Little Prudy Series, vol. 5, 1865. (Internet Archive) (Google Books) (HathiTrust)