Little Leater Library
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Little Leather Library - History
The Little Leather Library Corporation of New York was founded in 1916 by Albert Boni, Harry Scherman and Maxwell Sackheim. It was one of the first attempts to mass-market inexpensive books in the United States. The selection of book titles included in the Little Leather Library collection was generally limited to older classics for which the publisher did not pay any copyright royalties.
Soon after the Little Leather Library was founded, Albert Boni sold his interest in the business and went on to establish the Modern Library publishing company, which ultimately spawned Random House Publishers as a subsidiary company.
Initially the books were sold through the Woolworth's chain of retail stores. This first two editions of the Little Leather Library volumes appear to have been bound in real leather. The retail price for these first editions is not known.
By the early 1920's the Little Leather Library was being advertised in popular magazines and sold directly by mail order. There is some indication that single volumes were included as promotional items in cereal boxes as a means of advertising the collection.
The books were advertised on the back cover of National Geographic magazine ten different months from January 1922 to October 1924. By then the genuine leather covers originally used had been replaced with an early type of imitation leather consisting of latex coated canvas on the outside with flocking on the inside. No doubt this change was made to reduce the cost of the books.
A 1922 advertisement for the Little Leather Library stated, "the binding is a beautiful embossed Croft which, though NOT leather, looks even more handsome, and more durable."
In 1923 the Little Leather Library Corporation published "The Sidewalks of New York" by Bernardine Kielty for the Bowman Hotels of New York City for use by the hotels' guests.
A boxed set of 30 of the little faux leather volumes could be purchased for about $3.00 plus postage, insurance and C.O.D. charges. .
Sometime between March 1924 and October 1924, Robert K. Haas, Inc., Publishers took over the Little Leather Library collection, at the same New York business address. Mr. Robert Haas had joined the original Little Leather Library Corporation in 1922 and he also later worked with Scherman and Sackheim at the Book of the Month Club.
Hass continued to sell the inventory of green "Redcroft" books (Type III) at least through the middle of 1925. When the supply of green books was exhausted, Haas re-issued the volumes with red leatherette covers. On these red books, Haas changed the name to "Little Luxart Library."
Scherman and Sackheim, the other two co-founders of the Little Leather Library, continued with the business until Haas took it over in 1924. They also helped create the Book of the Month Club in 1926.
There appears to have been at least four different editions of the Little Leather Library. The least commonly seen these days were the early editions bound in genuine leather that were sold through retail stores. The green and red mail order version are more plentiful.
History