In March 1955 the Opies wrote to the Camberwell Public Libraries [Opie reference 834] to enquire if they could use the essays written by children on the subject of 'Comics' for the libraries' 1954 Junior Essay Competition as background information for their research on the lore, language and games of school children. The library not only gave the 'Comics' essays to the Opies to keep with their collection of children's papers, but also sent the essays on the other 1954 competition topics, as well as essays from previous years. The Opies later also received the essays from the 1955, 1956 and 1961 competitions - hundreds of essays each year.

The essays were originally submitted to one of the Camberwell Public Library branches, usually via a school in the south London area (then the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell). Most of the children writing were between 9 and 12 years old, but there are also some essays by younger children (age 6-8) and by teenagers (age 13-14 and very few age 15-16).

Few of the essays are dated, but they can be attributed to competition years via the topics. The Camberwell Public Libraries Essay Competition topics, as represented in the Opies' papers, were:

1951: 'What I did on November 5th', ' The best way to spend a winter evening'; 1952: 'Why I like television', 'Three books on a desert island', 'What I want to be when I leave school'; 1954: 'Comics', 'My friends and why I like them', 'All about my neighbourhood'; 1955: 'My camping holiday', 'Who I would like to be, and why', 'One Pound to spend, and how to spend it'; 1956: 'Why I like Camberwell', 'The country I would most like to visit', 'A visit to the moon', 'My favourite hero'; 1961: 'The games I play with my friends'.

The competitions in 1951 to 1956 seem to have started in autumn each year, with a closing date in the next year. Most of the essays from the 1954 competition, for example, would have been written in November or December 1954, or in January 1955.