This literary analysis of the representation of ‘Gypsies’ in juvenile literature is unique in its comparative scope, as well as in the special attention to rare pre-1850 narratives, the period in which juvenile literature developed as a specific genre. Most studies on the subject are about one national literary tradition or confined to a limited period. In this study Dutch, English, French and German texts are analysed and discussed with reference to main academic publications on the subject. Emphasis is on the rich variation in narrative presentations, rather than on an inventory of images or prejudices. An important topic is the fundamental difference between early English and German narratives. Important because of the wide dissemination of German stories. Jean Kommers (Radboud University Nijmegen) is an anthropologist, participating in a research project on the history of "Gypsies": Paradojas de la ciudadanía (University of Seville). He specializes in ethnography and image formation about ‘exotic’ peoples. His Ph.D. thesis is about the Dutch Colonial Administration in the former East Indies, 1800-1830, with special attention to the ethnographic knowledge that officials pretended to possess.