aka/ Macmillan’s Sevenpenny Series
aka/ Macmillan’s 7d. Net Series
Macmillan & Co. Ltd. (London, UK)
Series dates: 1909-1914
Size: 4” x 7.25″
The bloom in cheap series around 1905 was seen, by traditional trade publishers, as a commercial threat and some, such as Macmillan, responded with their own series of low-cost reprints. This copy of F. Marion Crawford’s Sant’ Ilario has a date of 1911, the first printing in their 7d Series. Like many other similar series, the jackets are illustrated. In this case, the jacket is somewhat less boisterous than those from other series at the time. A very dark blue ink illustration of what does not seem to be a particularly exciting scene from the book is used on the jacket front. The price is on the spine and the series name boldly included at the bottom of the jacket front. Advertising for Macmillan’s new Shilling Library takes up the front jacket flap.
The back of the jacket lists up to #30 in the 7d. Series, including #29, this Crawford title. Another dozen or so titles were probably published before the series was phased out in the late teens. As a more distinguished publisher, Macmillan had a stronger back catalog of authors to draw from for its series, including Edith Wharton and H.G. Wells.
Bindings are of fair quality, cloth debossed and stamped in gold. The series name is not included on or in the book itself.
The half-title page:
The same illustration used on the jacket faces the decorated title page. The date of printing, 1911, is included below the printer’s imprint.
The copyright page includes original printing dates (from the actual first printing in 1889) for all issues of this particular title, ending with the first printing in this reprint series in 1911.
