Collection of 365 Little Blue Books

Item Details

Girard, KS, E. Haldeman-Julius, Softcover

Very Good

Collection of 365 small, paperback volumes published in by E. Haldeman Julius as part of the Little Blue Books and related series, including the People's Pocket Series and the Ten Cent Pocket Series. All volumes measure 5" x 3.5" inches. Fifty-five (55) of them are Library of Congress duplicates and have related markings, but are otherwise in very good condition. The other 310 are all in very good or better condition. They cover a wide range of subject matter, including classics, literature, religion, philosophy, self-help, and contemporary social issues. There are some duplicates, but we estimate there are at least 325 different titles. Among them is a 16-page Haldeman-Julius catalogue titled A Catalog of 435 Great Books in Fit-the-Pocket Size at Five Cents Each. 

Journalist Emanuel Haldeman-Julius (1889-1951) began publishing Little Blue Books in Girard, Kansas, in 1919. "These were small inexpensive pocket-sized booklets on a variety of subjects. Although the emphasis in the early numbers was on socialism, these books would also feature works by well-known writers. Over the next several decades they would change the reading habits of America, and be instrumental in helping citizens self-educate themselves, especially during the Great Depression. By the time of his death in 1951, the “Little Blue Book” series included over 2,000 titles, and it is estimated he sold over 500,000,000 copies during his lifetime. In 1925 Haldeman-Julius also started a series of “Big Blue Books” that would total over 1,000 titles. Due to many having socialism, sex, and free-thought themes, many of these Haldeman-Julius publications were controversial at the time they were published. Its mission was the self-education of the American public" (Pittsburg State University Haldeman-Julius Collection website).