Descriptive Summary | |
Title: Little Blue Book collection | |
Creator: Haldeman-Julius, E. (Emanuel), 1888-1951 | |
Inclusive Dates: 1920-1939 | |
Language(s): English | |
Extent: 3 Linear Feet 5 boxes | |
Collection Number: ms2900 | |
Repository: Hargrett Library |
The Haldeman-Julius 'Little Blue Books' were published at the Girard Publishing Plant in Girard, Kansas from 1915-1975. Though they were at first covered in paper of differing colors, by mid-1921 the books were produced with a plain blue exterior from whence their name derives.They were printed in standardized lengths of 32, 64, 96, or 128 pages, in keeping with the limitations of the presses used in the Girard plant. The series was aimed at Mr. Average Man, and so the books were very reasonably priced from the outset, first costing $0.25, and later, when production was at its peak, only $0.05 per book. Both re-printed classics and original works were included, and were referred to as a "University in Print" by Haldeman-Julius. The series' creator, Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, directed their production for 32 years, during which time 500 million Little Blue Books, representing more than two thousand different titles, were printed in his factory for distribution across the country. They were at the height of their popularity under his direction in the 1920s and 1930s
The collection consists of books from the Little Blue Book series, all edited by E. Haldeman-Julius in the 1920s and 1930s. These books are only a portion of the complete series and are on various subjects such as drama, science, poetry, and philosophy.
Little Blue Book collection, ms2900, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.
Finding aid prepared on: 2009 November 13.