Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Newnes's Penny Library of Famous Books
- Dates:
- 1896-1899
- Abstract:
- Series of unabridged versions of classic works of English literature, published weekly—beginning with number 1 published on January 14, 1896—by George Newnes, and sold for a penny apiece. The "Penny Delightfuls" in the Penny Library of Famous Books were intended to counteract the pernicious effects of the "Penny Dreadfuls" so popular at that time.
- Extent:
- 177 Volumes (19-24 cm (crown-demy 8vo))
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Newnes's Penny Library of Famous Books (Collection 2237). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Library has nos. 1, 3-8, 11/12, 14-19/20, 22-23/24, 26-35/36, 38-45/46, 49/50-65/66, 68-79, 81/82-90, 92/93-148/149, 151-152-170, 172, 176.
Editorial note in each volume signed "C.S.C." [Charles Stuart Calverley?].
Numbers 1-46 were crown 8vo in size, and issued in cream wrappers printed in red, blue, green or purple; numbers 47-170 were demy 8vo and issued in illustrated pale blue wrappers printed in dark blue; numbers 171-177 contain the religious stories of the Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, a popular American pastor, and were issued in pink wrappers. A note in number 177 states that the series is now at an end; see XIX century fiction: a bibliographical record based on his own collection by Michael Sadleir. London: Constable & Co. Ltd. ; Berkeley and Los Angeles : University of California Press, 1951, volume II, pages 61-62, number 3643.
Advertisements on front and rear wrappers.
Spec. Coll. copy: numbers 1-48 housed in eight green cloth phase boxes in matching green slipcases; numbers 9-176 housed in 24 red cloth phase boxes in red and brown flowered paper slipcases. Forms part of the Michael Sadleir Collection of 19th Century British Fiction.
- Biographical / historical:
-
According to the TITLE OF THING,
Published weekly from January 1896, Nos. 1-46 were crown 8vo in size and issued in cream wrappers, lettered in red, blue, green or violet; Now. 44-177 were demy 8vo, issued?as to Nos. 47-170 in pale blue wrappers pictorially printed (after Menzies) in dark blue, as to Nos. 171-177 in pink wrappers pictorially printed after an unnamed artist.
This series, wholly without issue-importance and of an undistinguished appearance suitable to a popular library of the last decade of the century, is here recorded for the sake of the titles included in it. Each number has an Editorial Note signed 'C.S.C.', and every student of nineteenth-century fiction will admit that the selection of texts (for a penny-market in the 'nineties) shows both intelligence and enterprise. The list which follows omits certain titles?either obvious or eighteenth century or too recent to be relevant (e.g. a few Scott novels; such Dumas perennials as Monte Cristo and the rest; translations of Eugene Sue, Merimée, Féval, etc.; and an occasional copyright English text?by Conan Doyle, Grant Allen and others?introduced to give topical flavoring to a dish mainly revivalist). This has been done in order to emphasize the overwhelming majority of reprints of significant nineteenth-century fiction. I know of no better evidence than this series of the survival power of novels well known in their day but (one would have thought) forgotten by the mid-nineties. C.S.C. knew his subject; Messrs Newnes had the courage to trust his judgment. The longevity of the series is their justification; though it is clear the courage to trust his judgment. The longevity of the series is their justification' though it is clear that as time went on they were fighting a losing battle. It is interesting to observe that only on Jane Austen was included (evidently her revival was not yet), no Morier or Trollope of Le Fanu or Collins, and very little Marryat. Also that C.S.C. successfully resisted G.P.R. James until the eleventh hour.
- Processing information:
-
Processed bu UCLA Library Special Collections staff, 2014.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
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- Physical location:
- Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-11-18 11:17:03 -0800 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
- Terms of access:
-
Property rights to the objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Newnes's Penny Library of Famous Books (Collection 2237). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Location of this collection:
-
A1713 Charles E. Young Research LibraryBox 951575Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
- Contact:
- (310) 825-4988