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| Steinbeck's LOA collection |
In the 1970s scholars, critics and book lovers were worried. So much of America’s great literature was out of print or hard to find. They wanted to preserve America’s literary legacy in a permanent way and create a physical collection of books that readers would treasure.
Years before, literary critic, Edmund Wilson (see yesterday’s post) came up with an idea to create a series of American classics using La Bibliotheque de la Pleiade as a model. The Pleiade is a series of compact leather bound books, mostly written originally in French, re-published as a collection. The series began in 1930 and continues today, adding 11 books each year.
When the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts offered the Library of America support in 1979 the printing presses were fired up and the massive project was off and running.
When I first imagined gathering American classic literature I pictured myself scouring through yard sales, used book tables at the library, ebay listings and attics. I thought of tattered Penguin classics and musty, yellowed pages. This is how I amassed my collection of American classics, but not what the Library of America had in mind. In fact, it is the exact opposite.
The LOA collection is special for a few reasons:.
Quality Book Making. The books are printed on acid-free paper that will not yellow or get brittle. Binding are sewn, not glued, and are bound so that they lie flat when opened instead of getting all crinkly. The binding is strong but the books are light despite having an average of 1,000 pages. The publishers wanted to ensure that the books would be easy to carry and actually READ, not just be used for decoration. Each book also has a jacket and includes my all time favorite book feature: an integrated ribbon bookmark.
Original Text. The Library of America has made a commitment to restore each text to its original, unedited form. Each text is traced back to its origins and scholars examine the pre-published copy, galleys and author letters to ensure that the LOA text is unabridged and presented as the author intended. Sort of like taking a trip into the author’s attic and uncovering their notes and first drafts, except there’s no dust.
The LOA website points to some exciting discoveries they made during this process. While researching Richard Wright’s Native Son, they found that several passages had been taken out because of their racial, political or sexual content. And in preparing William Faulkner’s inclusion in the collection, publishers worked directly from his manuscripts and typescripts.
Author Info. I love reading author blurbs at the back of a book. It gives me a bigger picture of the story and an understanding of the time and place that the text came form - and I love when a picture is included. The LOA agrees. Each volume includes a timeline of the author’s life and work, helpful notes about the text and an academic essay on the work. It’s like getting a mini literature course for each reading.
There is a problem with including all these “extras”.... it makes the books too expensive to buy. Because the LOA is non-profit and their mission is to preserve the texts for people to read, they actually sell the books for LESS than they cost to make. Imagine. Although they got start up money from the Ford Foundation and the NEA for the first three years, they no longer are supported by any government agency or foundation. All their funding comes from grants, donations and book purchases.
Yale professor, J.D. McClatchy speaks about American writers in a video at the LOA site, as determined “loners” who offer a window into the extremes of our history and the LOA volumes as “uniform stones” that make up a great entryway into who we are as Americans. When you see all the volumes, separate but joined together by our common nationality it is like peering into the melting pot of our country before the ingredients were combined.
This growing library is a treasure beyond words that will forever remind us that we are a culture of readers, writers and thinkers and our books are our temples.
Years before, literary critic, Edmund Wilson (see yesterday’s post) came up with an idea to create a series of American classics using La Bibliotheque de la Pleiade as a model. The Pleiade is a series of compact leather bound books, mostly written originally in French, re-published as a collection. The series began in 1930 and continues today, adding 11 books each year.
When the Ford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts offered the Library of America support in 1979 the printing presses were fired up and the massive project was off and running.
When I first imagined gathering American classic literature I pictured myself scouring through yard sales, used book tables at the library, ebay listings and attics. I thought of tattered Penguin classics and musty, yellowed pages. This is how I amassed my collection of American classics, but not what the Library of America had in mind. In fact, it is the exact opposite.
The LOA collection is special for a few reasons:.
Quality Book Making. The books are printed on acid-free paper that will not yellow or get brittle. Binding are sewn, not glued, and are bound so that they lie flat when opened instead of getting all crinkly. The binding is strong but the books are light despite having an average of 1,000 pages. The publishers wanted to ensure that the books would be easy to carry and actually READ, not just be used for decoration. Each book also has a jacket and includes my all time favorite book feature: an integrated ribbon bookmark.
Original Text. The Library of America has made a commitment to restore each text to its original, unedited form. Each text is traced back to its origins and scholars examine the pre-published copy, galleys and author letters to ensure that the LOA text is unabridged and presented as the author intended. Sort of like taking a trip into the author’s attic and uncovering their notes and first drafts, except there’s no dust.
The LOA website points to some exciting discoveries they made during this process. While researching Richard Wright’s Native Son, they found that several passages had been taken out because of their racial, political or sexual content. And in preparing William Faulkner’s inclusion in the collection, publishers worked directly from his manuscripts and typescripts.
Author Info. I love reading author blurbs at the back of a book. It gives me a bigger picture of the story and an understanding of the time and place that the text came form - and I love when a picture is included. The LOA agrees. Each volume includes a timeline of the author’s life and work, helpful notes about the text and an academic essay on the work. It’s like getting a mini literature course for each reading.
There is a problem with including all these “extras”.... it makes the books too expensive to buy. Because the LOA is non-profit and their mission is to preserve the texts for people to read, they actually sell the books for LESS than they cost to make. Imagine. Although they got start up money from the Ford Foundation and the NEA for the first three years, they no longer are supported by any government agency or foundation. All their funding comes from grants, donations and book purchases.
Yale professor, J.D. McClatchy speaks about American writers in a video at the LOA site, as determined “loners” who offer a window into the extremes of our history and the LOA volumes as “uniform stones” that make up a great entryway into who we are as Americans. When you see all the volumes, separate but joined together by our common nationality it is like peering into the melting pot of our country before the ingredients were combined.
This growing library is a treasure beyond words that will forever remind us that we are a culture of readers, writers and thinkers and our books are our temples.
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