Coyle, William. "Ruskin's King of the Golden River: A Victorian Fairy Tale."

In The Scope of the Fantastic—Culture, Biography, Themes, Children's Literature, edited by Robert A. Collins and Howard D. Pearce. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985. This article gives a comprehensive account of the biographical background of the tale. It also includes critical analysis, some of which may be more useful to teachers and adults than to younger students.

Knoepflmacher, U. C. "Resisting Growth Through Fairy Tale in Ruskin's The King of the Golden River." Children's Literature 13 (1985): 3-30.

Leon, Derrick. Ruskin: The Great Victorian. Hamden, CT: Archon, 1949.

This is still probably the most comprehensive biography of Ruskin.

Rosenberg, John D. The Darkening Glass: A Portrait of Ruskin's Genius.

New York: Columbia University Press, 1961. This is one of the better critical studies of Ruskin's life and work, though it would probably be more useful...