Old Books: Little Leather Library

What is the history of the Little Leather Library ?

The Little Leather Library Corporation, which was founded in New York City in 1915, published a series of pocket-sized books that were popular in the early 20th century. Their first prototype was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In 1916, Whitman's Candy Company ordered 5,000 copies of Shakespeare's various plays, which they included in their candy sampler boxes. Soon, retail companies were selling the miniature volumes; Woolworth's chain of department stores was one of the largest distributors. During the early 1920s, the Little Leather Library Corporation began marketing the books by mail and by 1925, no new titles were published. Although its heyday was brief, the company’s successful marketing strategies meant that many households were able to have their own Little Leather Libraries. 

What made The Little Leather Library unique?

One of the key features of The Little Leather Library was its size. Measuring only 3.25 inches by 4 inches, these tiny books were perfect for carrying around and reading whenever the mood struck. Each book contained a complete work of literature, making them a popular choice for book lovers on the go. The Little Leather Library books were originally bound in leather. With an increased demand for leather during World War I, the Corporation switched bindings to a leatherette material. In 1916, single volumes sold for 25 cents and 30 book sets were only $5.95, PLUS a free book rack! By 1920, the price for a 30 volume set dropped to $2.98. 

How many books were in The Little Leather Library collection?

The Little Leather Library marketed collections of 30 or 60 volumes; in total, 101 different titles were published between 1915 and 1925. A 1921 collection included the following titles: 

1. Short Stories, Guy de Maupassant
2. Courtship of Miles Standish, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
3. Dreams, Olive Schreiner
4. Emerson’s Essays, Ralph Waldo Emerson
5. The Rubiyat of Omar Khayham, Edward FitzGerald
6. Lays of Ancient Rome, Thomas Babington Macaulay
7. Bab Ballads
8. Enoch Arden, Alfred Tennyson
9. The Coming of Arthur, Alfred Tennyson
10. The Gold Bug, Edgar Allan Poe
11. Will O’ The Mill, Robert Louis Stevenson
12. A Child’s Garden of Verses, Robert Louis Stevenson
13. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
14. Salome, Oscar Wilde
15. The Happy Prince, Oscar Wilde
16. Ballad of Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde
17. Fifty Best Poems of America
18. Fifty Best Poems of England
19. Poems, Robert Burns
20. Poems, Robert Browning
21. Barrack Room Ballads, Rudyard Kipling
22. Lincoln’s Speeches and Addresses
23. Washington’s Speeches and Letters
24. The Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
25. Friendship and Other Essays, Henry Thoreau
26. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare
27. The Tempest, William Shakespeare
28. Greatest Thing in the World, Henry Drummond
29. Man Without a Country, Edward Everett Hale
30. Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle