Why did the LEC publish this?

Not all the books published by the LEC were classics. Some, in fact, must have puzzled--perhaps even annoyed--the subscribers. Macy commented that many felt Whittier's "Snow-Bound" was a very slight work to be presented as a monthly selection, and to us today, when Whittier's stock isn't what it was in 1930, we probably feel the same.

But even "Snow-Bound" seems a plausible choice compared to some other works. One has to wonder why Macy, who was Jewish but not rabidly so, would have thought the subscribers would want a selection from the Talmud (this was published in 1960, and perhaps Helen Macy put this on the schedule and her late husband had no intention of doing so). Although Bernal Diaz' History of the Conquest of New Spain is a deserved classic, what about "The Conquest and Settlement of the Island of Boriquen or Puerto Rico"? (And how many of us who have this book have read it?--I haven't, yet.) And though a lot of people were excited by Wendell Wilkie's "One World," which painted a hopeful picture of the future during the cataclysm of WW II, it has long since been forgotten.

Other odd choices (I'll keep to the period when the Macy family controlled the Club, as things got stranger after the Macys): "Paul Bunyan," "Popul Vuh" (fascinating, but definitely a work for specialists), and "The Dead Sea Scrolls," likewise of specialist's interest. We are puzzled by the choice of "Anthony Adverse" which hardly anyone reads today, but when the LEC issued it, almost everyone did read it.

Do any members have other suggestions along the lines of "what were they thinking?"

There were many questionable selections in the George Macy LEC bibliography which is why it pays to purchase LEC books very selectively. If you can tell me why Macy found it necessary to publish six works by James Fenimore Cooper or ten works by Alexandre Dumas..........

Well, you get the idea.

Well, Cooper is a major figure in U.S. literature, and it makes as much sense to publish him as it does to publish another out-of-favor author, Sir Walter Scott. (And actually, although his dialog is godawful, Cooper tells engrossing stories.) The same goes for Dumas.

I think there are plenty of literary-minded subscribers who would see very good reasons for publishing these works, as well as Smollett's "Peregrine Pickle," Surtees' "Jorrocks Jaunts," and Meredith's "The Shaving of Shagpat," though these are not on the level of great literature, but the ones I mentioned in the original post seem to me to have a very limited appeal.

I find it stranger that Macy would publish all of the Leatherstocking Tales except The Pioneers or all the Thomas Hardy novels for the LEC except for The Return of the Native which was only published by the HP.

Also, why all the doubles/repeats?

All of the Dumas tales are rollicking good tales, but of the total of the 48 novels Dumas published some are absolutely boring.

I love to read Cooper, but The PIONEERS is the worst of the lot. Sort of glad it was left out.

The Return of the Native should have been an LEC, but I have it as an Easton Press.

I absolutely LOVE the lesser known works. In fact, I find lesser known works typically more exciting than "oh, another limited edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales -yay, just what the world needs". Now don't get me wrong, very well known works can be exciting, but there's something to be said about exploring new authors and unknown works. Of course, it is likely that I am in the minority and most people probably just want their "canonical/famous" work. However, it wouldn't surprise me if Macy wanted to expose readers to new ideas and new authors, but perhaps he was unable to because as you noted many readers were "puzzled--perhaps even annoyed". Let's face it, Shakespeare sells, John Greenleaf Whittier not so much. That said, have you read Snow-Bound? I thought it was apt for an LEC, but again, I wish the LEC had more diversity using lesser known authors and works.

>4 kdweber: I think the repeats were due to the fact that the tittle in question was in demand and the member base of the club inevitably changed throughout the years. Take for example The Three Musketeers. It was issued in 1932 followed by another version in 1953. Likely some (perhaps many) of the LEC subscribers in the 50's were not subscribers in the 30's and they wanted a fine edition of this classic. Same goes for Don Quixote. The Arabian Nights Entertainment on the other hand was done as a tribute to the artist.

I'm with astropi on this. One of the delights of exploring the repertoire of the fine press movement is finding so many little-known, wonderful and sometimes downright bizarre books that seized the imagination of the proprietors. Such as The Right Eye of the Commander and The Adventure of Padre Vicentio from the Bentleys' Archetype Press; or the Grabhorn/Valenti Book of Job, or a very large part of the output of the Golden Cockerel Press. Admittedly, George Macy tended to promote the Limited Editions and Heritage Clubs as collections of classic works that subscribers would want to pass on to their heirs; but he also continually stressed that their importance lay in their being "designed and printed by the foremost book illustrators, book designers and book printers" of the day. Snow-Bound was one of the first LECs I bought and remains one of my favourites because the designer (Carl Purington Rollins) made it such a pleasure to look at and read. The same can be said of Old Creole Days, Batouala, The Voice of the City, Aucassin and Nicolette and The History of Amleth, all of them works I might never otherwise have come across had they not inspired someone - editor, artist, typographer, designer, printer - to produce a book that demands to be read.

One World remains the real oddity among all the other LECs, in that it is the most contemporary of books, a snapshot of its time. I don't think it had been announced as part of the fifteenth series, but was rushed in to fill a gap when the pressures of war led to the announced schedule falling apart.

Jack, I agree that Old Creole Days, Batouala, The Voice of the City, Aucassin and Nicolette and The History of Amleth are worthwhile additions to any learned person's library, and as an English major, I would have, and did, acquire them in ordinary paperback editions before I found or could afford an LEC (though Batouala is one I never encountered until I started collecting LECs and only got it because of Covarrubias).

One World probably is the oddest of the Macy-era books from a literary standpoint, but considering Macy's involvement in the war effort, his intense patriotism, and his abhorrence of totalitarian regimes, it seems clear he felt this was a book which should be read.

If you are from the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana), you are more inclined to admire Snow-Bound. The grade school I went to was named Whittier so a copy of Snow-Bound was standard issue.

I have rebound my copies of Snow-Bound, Old Creole Days, and the Voice of the City since I admire the paper, typography, and illustrations; but find the binding and materials used out dated and inadequate for a modern Fine Press edition,

>1 Django6924: I am glad to have a copy of The Wisdom of the Fathers, and I have it placed on my philosophy shelf. Ancient philosophy has always been interesting to me, and the LEC published a handful of often very attractive titles, like Plato's Republic and Socrates, Marcus Aurelius and Epicurus. Obviously I'm in the minority, since these gorgeous books are seldom mentioned here or on Books and vines.

Ancient philosophy had the same role as religion and later psychotherapy had in recent history.

Modern philosophy, on the other hand, doesn't interest me at all, and when I hear the name Wittgenstein, I feel like Hanns Johst's character felt when he heard the word "culture".

The LEC published a very nice edition of Steppenwolf. I would consider that philosophy. Also, I think it is a bit of an obscure title. Some people might argue it's not obscure, since it's Hermann Hesse, but I would disagree. I applaud Macy for publishing such books and will continue to look for the obscure titles. As I said in a different thread, I wish Macy had done more science fiction (other than Wells and Verne) but I am happy he published the arguably two most beautiful editions of Bradbury that will ever be seen!

Also, I just read the following. Apparently this is what Macy had to say about Snow-Bound:

Macy wrote in 1940, that “I attribute its lack of popularity to the irritation caused the member by the fact that he was called upon to pay ten dollars for so slim a volume. But I think the book a glorious triumph. The snow paper, the type with falling snow in it, the printers’ ornaments with snowflakes in them, the binding with a snow storm on it: all of these combine into a delicious book which is, I think among the few best demonstrations of Carl Rollins’ knowledge of the arts of the book.”

It's not just the book, but the book as art. Great choice Macy!

>11 parch-ment:, I actually share your interest...you are right that I need to get some of these on B&V.

I'm new to LEC collecting and have recently begun reading the small mountain of titles I have amassed. One book that I recently read (in about an hour) that deserves to be mentioned in this thread is Monsieur Beaucaire. While I'm not exactly miffed given the peanuts I paid for it and the Fine condition of my copy, I would have been ticked off if I were a subscriber in 1961 and this showed up. Not only is it a novella, it's an entirely forgettable and insignificant novella. It's a mildly entertaining read, at least, and I loved the binding and paper. But it's such a trifle compared to a typical LEC. And there were certainly other Tarkington works much worthier of a fine treatment.

In contrast, I am now reading South Wind, another work that isn't especially significant, or remembered today. But I have been enjoying it much more that Beaucaire, not just from an entertainment standpoint but also the interesting book design (OK, the double-column text can be dense to march through, but it is interesting to me, if that makes sense lol). The numerous illustrations, in particular, have been fun to study. To echo >6 astropi: astropi above, one of the reasons I have plunged into LEC collecting is to explore previously unknown works and broaden my horizons, and South Wind has been a pleasing find.

Monsieur Beaucaire is an odd choice, when I would have opted for The Magnificent Ambersons, but I thought it entertaining enough, and Hollywood has thought enough of it to produce it twice--once straight with the silent era's biggest male star Rudolph Valentino and in a gagged-up version starring Bob Hope. (Incidentally, Macy's first publishing venture, Macy-Masius, published several books with a cinema connection, including VALENTINO AS I KNEW HIM--perhaps Macy was a fan of the silent movie, or maybe it was a request from Cleland).

South Wind is not just entertaining from a design standpoint (and Ms. Petrina's wonderful illustrations); it was a book which was published by several fine press publishers in the 1920s and 30s. It certainly gave scope to the illustrator (it was also illustrated by Valenti Angelo and John Austen), and was published in the war-weary year of 1917 when readers hungered for escape.

I bought Scott's Kenilworth, which I had never heard of, simply because I saw the LEC edition going cheap. Boy am I glad I did! One thing I love about fine book collecting is that the pleasure of the book-as-object is enough to carry me through some experimental choices that turn our boring, which opens the way for yet more experiments that turn up hidden gems.

>17 ubiquitousuk:

I had the same reaction to Scott's The Talisman, which I never would have read if it hadn't come as part of my Heritage Club membership. I had read Ivanhoe and Rob Roy while still in high school because I had seen the film versions, and was somewhat disappointed because the books seemed ponderous in comparison, so I decided I didn't care for the author. When The Talisman came, I was out of college and had gained a better appreciation of literary qualities so I thought I would give it a try one summer. It was a revelation and remains my favorite Scott novel (although I re-read Ivanhoe later and my opinion of it greatly improved).