Herbert Jenkins (London, UK)
Series dates: 1924-1931
Size: 7″ x 4.5″
The Dial Press (New York, US)
Series dates: 1925-1928
Size: 7″ x 4.5″
Updated 7/4/2024
“The Fireside Library: A new series of handy volumes for the student and general reader, re-introducing famous writers of the past with prefatory essays by well-known contemporary men of letters” (1924, source).
“The Fireside Library is intended to administer to varying moods and to stand the supreme test of all book friends — the easy chair and the blazing fire” (1924, source).
Herbert Jenkins is the originator of the Fireside Library, partly co-published in the US by The Dial Press. This series shared its name with at least a half-dozen earlier series, many paperbound and issued in the 2nd half of the 19th century.
Herbert Jenkins issued 8 titles in total, the first titles in 1924 and the last reprint I can find in 1931. The Dial Press issued 6 of the titles between 1925 and 1928.
The series’ general editor is Arthur Compton-Rickett. With one exception (Blackwood’s short stories), the 8 titles in the series are anthologies and edited collections. An advertisement included in the back of a 1925 Herbert Jenkins book lays out the goals of the series and details the first five UK titles:
Eight series titles were published in the UK between 1924 and 1928, with reprints until 1931. The Dial Press issued six of the titles between 1925 and 1928. One title was published out of the series by Washburn & Thomas (UK).
Songs from the Elizabethans, J.C. Squire, ed. (HJ: 1924, 1925; D: 1925)
Robert Browning: Humanist, Arthur Compton Rickett, ed. (HJ: 1924; D: 1925)
The Old-World Pleasaunce, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, ed. (HJ: 1925; D: 1925)
A Minute a Day: Being the Anniversary Talks Broadcast by the B.B.C. During 1925, A. Bonnet Laird ed. (HJ: 1926, No US publication)
Essayists Past and Present, J.B. Priestley, ed. (HJ: 1925; D: 1925)
Samuel Johnson: A Writer, S.C. Roberts, ed. (HJ: 1926, 1927; D: 1926)
The Dance of Death and Other Stories, by Algernon Blackwood (HJ: 1927; D: 1928)
*Apes and Parrots: An Anthology of Parodies, John Collings Squire, ed. (HJ: 1928, 1929, 1931; no US publication)
*Reissued by Washburn & Thomas (Cambridge, UK) in 1929 outside of the series. This is a bit peculiar.
 |
An advertisement for the Dial Press US edition of The Fireside Library, from The Dial, Volume 79, 1925 |
Jackets for the UK series are relatively plain and common to the series. Jackets were printed on colored paper, including cream and red. The copy of Priestley’s Essayists Past and Present was first published in both the UK and US in 1925. The title, editor, price (5/- net), and publisher are included on the jacket spine. The front of the jacket includes the title, author and series colophon. The front jacket flap is blank. This copy seems to have been a review copy, with the notice glued (and partially removed) from the front of the jacket).
The back of the jacket and rear jacket spine (partially torn on this copy) are blank.
A solid red cloth binding (other colors were used) includes gold stamping on the spine and a debossed cover with a leafy design, book title, editor and series colophon.
The endpapers of the book include the series name and an illustration of fireside reading (from another era). The illustrator is John Pimlott and dated 1924.
The half-title page includes the series name and its general editor.
The series colophon faces the title page, which includes the date with the publisher’s imprint.
A series catalog includes two titles, suggesting this title was the third in the series.
The contents continued and the first page of the introduction:
Printed in Great Britain by Wyman & Sons Ltd., London, Reading, and Fakenham.
The Dial Press (aka Lincoln McVeigh The Dial Press) issued 6 of the 8 UK Fireside Library titles in the US between 1925 and 1928. While the interior of the book is the same as the UK versions (both printed by the same firm in the UK), Dial likely imported the printed books, bound and added a dust jacket. The binding and jackets are distinct from the UK versions.
Dust jackets for the US Fireside Library are printed on heavy cream paper with red ink. The spine includes the title, author, price ($2) and publisher. The series name appears on the front of the jacket, as does the title and author. The front jacket flap is blank. Samuel Johnson: Writer edited by S.C. Roberts appeared in both the UK and US series in 1926.
The rear of the jacket lists 5 of the 6 Fireside Library titles issued in the US, with prices. The Dance of Death and Other Stories, by Algernon Blackwood (HJ: 1927; D: 1928) is not included in this list.
Solid dark green cloth bindings with gold typography on the spine. This binding is different than the UK bindings (beyond the differing publisher) suggesting Dial bound these books in the US.
Blank endpapers (unlike the UK versions)
Once to the printed interior of the book, the UK and US titles have common design and organization, suggesting, again, that the books were printed in the UK and shipped to the US for binding and jackets.
The title page includes the Dial imprint and year of publication (1926).
Blank copyright page:
As with the UK editions, “Printed in Great Britain by Wyman & Sons Ltd., London, Reading, and Fakenham.”
