Brian Alderson has authored many scholarly works on the history of children’s literature, as well as writing and translating a number of children’s books.

Some of his most notable works include:

The Juvenile Library. In 1966 Brian began editing this series for Oxford University Press. It consisted of the following facsimile editions of early children's books, each with substantial editorial apparatus by a chosen scholar:

          John Newbery A little pretty pocket-book ed. M. F. Thwaite

          Victor Neuburg The Penny Histories [with four facsimiles of chapbooks]

          Johan Amos Comenius  Orbis sensualium pictus ed. John Sadler

          Sarah Fielding The governess ed. Jill Grey

          Isaac Watts Divine songs ed. J. H. P.Pafford

          Nancy Cutt Mrs Sherwood and her books for children

Hürlimann, Bettina.  Three centuries of children's books in Europe. Translated [and re-edited] by Brian W.Alderson. London: Oxford University Press, 1967

Hürlimann, Bettina.  Picture-book world. Translated and edited by Brian W.Alderson. London: Oxford University Press, 1968

Alderson, B. Looking at Picture Books 1973. London: The National Book League, 1973

Alderson, B. Cakes and custard: children’s rhymes. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. London: Heinemann, 1974

Andrew Lang ed.  The blue fairy book. Revised and annotated by B. Alderson. Illustrated by John Lawrence. London: Kestrel, 1975. This was the first of five revisions of Lang's Colour Fairy Books with extensive notes on the sources of the stories:

          The red fairy book, illus. Faith Jaques. London: Kestrel

          The green fairy book, illus. Antony Maitland. London: Kestrel

          The yellow fairy book, illus. Erik Blegvad. London: Kestrel

          The pink fairy book, illus. Colin McNaughten. London: Longman

Lear, Edward. A book of bosh. Lyrics and prose chosen by Brian Alderson. London: Kestrel Books / Puffin Books, 1975

Grimm, J. and W. Popular folk tales. Translated by B. Alderson. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. London: Gollancz, 1978. 2nd edition, as Brothers Grimm Folk Tales, Dorking: Templar, 2012

Harvey Darton, F. J. Children's books in England; five centuries of social life. Third edition revised by B. Alderson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982

Alderson, B. Hans Christian Andersen and his Eventyr in England. Wormley: Five Owls Press for the International Board on Books for Young People, 1982

Alderson, B. Sing a song for sixpence: the English picture book tradition and Randolph Caldecott. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the British Library, 1986

Alderson, B. The Arabian nights. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. London: Gollancz, 1982, 2nd edition Dorking: Templar, 2013

Andersen, H. C. and Drewsen, G. Christine's Picture Book; footnotes and postscript by Erik Dal. Translated by B. Alderson. London: Kingfisher Books, 1984

Alderson, B. Ezra Jack Keats; artist and picture-book maker. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1994

          with Ezra Jack Keats; a bibliography and catalogue, 2002

Andersen, H. C. The swan's stories. Translated by B. Alderson. Illustrated by Chris Riddell. London: Walkeer Books, 1997

Alderson, B. The tale of the turnip. Illustrated by Fritz Wegner. London: Walker Books, 2000

Alderson, B.Edward Ardizzone; a bibliographic commentary. Pinner: The Private Libraries Association, 2003

Alderson, B. and de Marez Oyens, F.  Be merry and wise: origins of children’s book publishing in England, 1650 – 1850. New York: The Pierpont Morgan Library and the Ameican Bibliographical Society; London: the British Library, 2006

Andersen H.C. Fairy Tales. Translated by B. Alderson. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. Dorking: Templar, 2013

Immel, A. and Alderson, B. Tommy Thumb’s pretty song-book: the first collection of English nursery rhymes: a facsimile edition with a history and annotations. Los Angeles: Cotsen Occasional Press, 2013

Johnson, L and Alderson, B.The Ladybird story: children's books for everyone. London: British Library, 2014

Alderson, B. A Lilliputian miscellany: bio-bibliographical notes on a collection. Newcastle: Newcastle University and Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children's Books, 2017. You can buy a copy of this publication on the Newcastle University Webstore.