Jonathan Cape (London, UK)
Series dates: 1940
Size: 4.75″ x 7″
Cape’s Travellers’ Library was nearing its end when unbound sheets from some of the titles were bound as the Saint Giles Library. 40 titles were issued in the series in 1940, and none after that. I have not made a careful assessment of the 40 titles to see if they are all repackaged Travellers’ Library titles. The Saint Giles Library was, then, a sub-series to the Travellers’ Library, much like the Pelham Library (1941) repackaged excess Phoenix Library titles.
Given the single issue of titles, there are few variations in the series jackets and bindings. A few titles have stickers on the jacket spines indicating a price increase (from 1s./9d. to 2s./3d.). A map design is used on all the jackets which vary in color. The map is centered near Bedford Square and St Giles in the Fields church in London’s West End. A drawing of the church is included on the jacket cover. The series number and title are included on the spine and jacket flap.
The back of the jacket repeats the design from the front, but with the series name replacing the book title. The rear jacket flaps are blank.
Bindings are a good quality tan cloth with brown stamping.
The half title page includes the series name, series number, and title.
The title page includes a logo for the series that is printed on the book covers.
As with the Travellers’ Library, the copyright page includes original date of publication with the date reprinted in Saint Giles Library.
A catalog of the 40 titles is included in the back of the book.
The entire jacket of a second copy, this one Withers’ In a Cumberland Dale (first printing in series, 1940).
