Jonathan Cape's old Travellers' Library

Extollager

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This is a third thread on vintage hardcover book series that seem to be precursors of the Penguin Classics (which have two threads of their own). See elsewhere for Everyman's Library and World's Classics.

The Cape series is, I think, much less common than these others, but it has its attractions. First, I like the prospectus: "A series of books in all branches of literature designed for the pocket, or for the small house where shelf space is scarce. Though the volumes measure only 7 inches by 4 3/4 inches, the page is arranged so that the margins are not unreasonably curtailed nor legibility sacrificed. The books are of a uniform thickness irrespective of the number of pages, and the paper, specially manufactured for the series, is remarkable opaque, even when it is thinnest.

"A semi-flexible form of binding has been adopted, as a safeguard against the damage inevitably associated with hasty packing. The cloth is an attractive shade of blue and has the title and author's name stamped in gold on the back [i.e. the spine]."

The series included Arthur Machen's Dog and Duck, a collection of essays.
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http://thedabbler.co.uk/2015/03/the-travellers-library-series-a-snapshot-of-literary-fashion/
 

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