A LITTLE BIT ABOUT LITTLE BLUE BOOKS

Little Blue Books are a series of small staple-bound books published by the Haldeman-Julius Publishing Company of Girard, Kansas (1919–1978). In size about 3½ by 5 inches (8½ by 12¾ cm) the booklets were designed to fit easily into a shirt or pants pocket.

The Little Blue Book series were published by Emanuel Haldeman-Julius and his wife, Marcet. Emanuel Haldeman-Julius was a socialist, a Jewish atheist, , and a newspaper man. The couple purchased the Appeal to Reason Publishing House in Girard, Kansas (a failing socialist newspaper for which H-J, as he is known, had been editor) in 1919 and set out to publish easily-affordable booklets.

The original version was Appeal's Pocket Series, printed on cheap pulp paper with stiff red wraps. Over the next several years the name and cover color changed several times, including the People's Pocket Series, the Appeal Pocket Series, the Ten Cent Pocket Series, the Five Cent Pocket Series, and finally Little Blue Books in 1923. The price remained at five cents per copy for many years and the Little Blue Book name stuck.

Little Blue Books attempted to provide a "University in Print" for the working class. Many notable authors began their careers in the Haldeman-Julius stable. Many other noteworthy works by the more famous appeared in these booklets for the first time. The subjects covered everything from literature and fine art to basic language and math skills, home improvement, mental improvement, history, and social issues such as abortion, racial issues, religious issues, the KKK, evolution, etc. The series provides truly significant peek at cultural standards in the first half of the 20th century.

Some of the titles are available on my website:

http://www.kirksbooks.com/bookmem.asp?subid=1382

While I have hundreds more available but as yet unlisted. (Just inquire if you have particular needs!)