Cassell & Company, Ltd. (London, UK)
Series dates: 1895-1955
Size: 4.75″ x 7″
Cassell’s Pocket Library, edited by Max Pemberton, was issued originally around 1895, then revised and reissued in 1928 (with no editor noted). Titles were issued at a rapid rate in 1928-1931, then slowly through the late 1940s. The series was redesigned in 1949.
Arnold Bennett’s Lord Raingo is a September 1928 first printing in the Pocket Library. The book was initially published by Cassell in October 1926 and reprinted three times that same month. A cheap, 3/6 edition was then issued in February of 1928, followed by this Pocket Library edition.
Brick and creme colored jackets are common to the series. Cassell’s logo is included on the front of the jacket, as is the series name. The jacket spine also includes the series name and price (3/6). The front jacket flap contains a brief note on the series and offers to send notice of new series titles.
The rear jacket includes five titles recently added to the series. An additional nine titles are listed on the rear jacket flap. Titles were also available in Lambskin at 5/- net each.
The color of the jackets carries over to the book itself. Type and decorations are in gold. The publisher but not series name is not on the bookbinding.
The half-title page:
A two-color title page:
The copyright page includes all dates of printing for this book, including the series and edition.
Printer information is included on the last page.
F.L. & Prudence Lucas’ From Olympus to the Styx was issued in 1949 in the “entirely redesigned” Cassell’s Pocket Library. Jackets in the redesigned series are common to each title, with the color of the patterns varying from title to title. The series name is not on the spine or front of the dust jacket. The front jacket flap advertises the redesigned series and the initial titles to be issued in the newly designed series. Price of 6/ net is indicated on the front jacket flap.
Additional titles from the original series format are available for 5/ net and listed on the rear jacket flap. The back of the jacket indicates the series name and the serial number of the title.
The design of the book mimics the jacket.
The half-title page:
The title page is spread over two pages, with a color border. The series name and publisher is on the left page. The book title and authors on the right.
This title first published in 1934, in this series in 1949.
