Guide to the Emanuel Haldeman-Julius Publishing Records
Special Collections & Archives
University Library
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8326
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Emanuel Haldeman-Julius Publishing Records
Creator:
Haldeman-Julius, E. (Emanuel), 1888-1951
Identifier/Call Number: SC.EHJP
Extent:
1.26 linear feet
Date: 2012-06-07
Abstract: The
Emanuel
Haldeman-Julius Publishing Records
consists of a small number of business records,
the personal records of Jack Botwin, the printing plates for one title, and articles about
the Haldeman-Julius Collection at the Leonard H. Axe Library (formerly the Porter Library)
at Pittsburg State University, Kansas.
Language of Material: English
Biographical Information:
Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, a newspaper publisher, opened a publishing house in Girard,
Kansas, in 1919 where he published small, inexpensive paperback books, including classic
works of literature and essays on myriad topics, for the working and middle classes. For his
first printing project, he selected fifty classic and socialist works. In 1923 he named the
series "Little Blue Books." Little Blue Books measure 3½" x 5" and took their name from
their blue covers. They fit into a pants or shirt pocket, and were especially popular across
the US through the 1930s and 1940s, especially with travelers. He began issuing the Big Blue
Books in 1925. They were 5 ½" x 8 ½."
Haldeman-Julius felt there was no subject too controversial to be in print. Customers
could order titles from mail order catalogs or visit one of the outlet stores in Cincinnati,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Venice, Colorado. The Los Angeles store opened in 1924 in
the downtown Mercantile Arcade Building (recently converted to loft apartments).
Scope and Contents
The
Emanuel Haldeman-Julius Publishing Records consists of a
small number of business records, the personal records of Jack Botwin, the printing plates
for one title, and articles about the Haldeman-Julius Collection at the Leonard H. Axe
Library (formerly the Porter Library) at Pittsburg State University, Kansas. The collection
is divided into four major series:
Business Records,
Jack Botwin Records,
Haldeman-Julius Collection
at Kansas State College,
and
Printing Plates
.
Series I,
Business Records, consists of cancelled checks,
publisher's catalogs, correspondence, photographs, and advertisements.
Series II,
Jack Botwin Records, consists of the personal
records of Jack Botwin, a Haldeman-Julius salesman.
Series III,
Haldeman-Julius Collection at Kansas State College,
consists of articles about the Haldeman-Julius Collection at Kansas State's Porter Library,
which has subsequently been replaced by the Leonard H. Axe Library, Pittsburg State
University, Kansas.
Series IV,
Printing Plates, consists of one complete set of
copper-electro printing plates (16 plates) for Little Blue Book no. 930, Mark Twain's
An Idle Excursion.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Business records
Series II: Jack Botwin Records
Series III: Haldeman-Julius Collection at Kansas State College
Series IV: Printing Plates
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Norman Tannis and Jack Botwin.
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Related Material
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera
Documents
Series I: Business Records
Box 1, Folder 4
Little Blue Books catalogs
Series II: Jack Botwin Records
Series III: Haldeman-Julius Collection at Kansas State College
Box 1, Folder 10
"Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of the First Little Blue Book"
Box 1, Folder 11
"Four Hundred Million Books," by Norman Tanis
Series IV: Printing Plates
Box 2, Folder 1
Copper-Electro Printing Plates for
An Idle
Excursion
by Mark Twain (Little Blue Book no. 930)
Box 3, Folder 1
Copper-Electro Printing Plates for
An Idle
Excursion
by Mark Twain (Little Blue Book no. 930)
