Pocket sized reads from yesteryear
Though faded by time, and worn by use, these Little Blue Books still astonish modern-day me with their ability to deliver such a hefty dose of information in the compact 3.5″ X 5″ format. The series was devised by Emanuel and Marcet Haldeman-Julius in 1919, and the name changed (along with the color of the cover paper) from the People’s Pocket Series, to Appeal Pocket Series, then Ten Cent Pocket Series, finally hitting its stride in 1923 with Little Blue Books. Their lofty goal was to distribute literature, ideas, and information to as wide an audience as possible via the affordable and approachable pocket-sized format. They strove to create a “University in Print.”
