Inspiring Older Readers

posted on 27 Apr 2018

The Limited Editions Book Club and Heritage Press

I’ve written before on this site about my admiration for many of the books produced by the Folio Society. The combination of classic texts, specially commissioned illustrative art and admirable production values make them, in my opinion, lovely things to own. I also think that book collector snobbery prevents them from being valued in the way that many deserve to be – although I do sense a change has slowly been taking place over recent years in these regressive and elitist attitudes and some volumes are now greatly admired.

The core idea behind The Folio Society’s reproduction of what are essentially high quality reprints of classics isn’t one which is exclusive to the UK and I’ve recently been doing a bit of squirrelling around to find out a bit more about the US equivalent – The Limited Editions Book Club and its spin-off, the Heritage Press.

The Limited Editions Book Club was founded in 1929 in New York by George Macy and survived right through to 1985. Founding a rather expensive and elitist book club in what was one of the most economically challenging eras in US history might look like a bit of a reckless enterprise but despite the hostile financial climate, the club flourished. It did so, I think, because it dedicated itself to two key principles – keep the numbers very limited ( never more than 1500) and get the most prestigious illustrators and artists to contribute. If it was also possible to get the books signed as well, then all the better.

It was a model that resulted in the magnificent collaborations and some of these books are now the most sought-after editions – frequently exceeding the value of the original, unillustrated, first editions. The artists Macy managed to commission is like a roll-call of the greats – all of them eager for the work in lean times. A brief article on the second-hand book trading site, Abebooks, names a few of them:

"Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Edward Ardizonne, Thomas Hart Benton, Rockwell Kent, Reginald Marsh, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, Norman Rockwell, Edward Steichen and Grant Wood"

It also notes that:

"Other highlights include the editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass that were signed by Alice Hargreaves, who inspired the books as a child. "

Personally, I find myself drooling over a limited edition of James Joyce’s Ulysses illustrated by Henri Matisse and signed by the artist. Good value if you’ve got the odd two or three thousand pounds to spare.

There’s no denying that the Limited Editions Book Club catalogue is the equivalent of bibliophile pornography – but in reality most of them are beyond the average book buyer’s reach.

The fact that these lovely books were limited and too expensive for a general public who, nonetheless, wanted to have them prompted Macy to strike out on another enterprise, The Heritage Press, which would offer the same titles in a cheaper, unlimited, unsigned format. From 1937 to 1982 slipcase editions looking not unlike those produced by The Folio Society in the UK were released in some quantity and can be found quite easily in second hand bookshops today.

I would personally argue that Heritage Press editions do not have the same quality of paper or finish as Folio achieved, especially on the reproduction of the illustrations. However, if you are discriminating in your choices there are plenty of interesting ones that can be picked up for relatively low prices – and if you can’t afford a top notch edition of the original they may well represent a good alternative.

Both Heritage and Folio Society books have often been characterised as books for furnishing rather than reading and have been seen as suburban middlebrow books with pictures for people who don’t really like real books. I think this is a travesty really and says more about just how much illustration is undervalued as a companion to a classic text. I’m sure history will be much kinder to these books and so it might be a wise move to buy ones you like before they become unaffordable.

 

Terry Potter

April 2018