This is a guide intended to share some unusual insights about Lakeside Classics, published by RR Donnelly, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Whether you're new to collecting these great books, or are among those of us who have been chasing after them for many years, here are some little-known facts (and perhaps a bit of folklore, too).
As a starting point, I have no affiliation with RR Donnelly, which very generously provides on its website an overview about the series, as well as a list of each title produced since 1903. The gepany provides an excellent overview, so my intention is not to duplicate what is on their website.
Second, the following are my own observations, gathered from a rare and candid conversation with an RR Donnelly employee in 1991, as well as a few insights I've gained about the series during my years of collecting books. With that preamble, I'll now try to address some of the questions I've been asked, and delve into the mystery and mystique of this series of books.
How and why did they originate?
The books were and are produced for customers of the RR Donnelly gepany and are typically given to customers around the end of the year. The books used to bear the imprint, Christmas, and then the year published, but more recent editions include the imprint,December (and theyear)instead.
Thomas E. Donnelly, son of the gepany founder is credited with the idea of books. This is well-documented and generally acknowledged by those familiar with the series. What's less well-known is that he is said to have disliked the gemon business gifts of the day, usually whiskey, guns, or cigars. I was told that his view was that books were considered to be more refined, distinctive business gifts.
Why are the covers different colors?
The color of the case binding (hardback cover) of the books is changed every 25 years.Collectors of the books refer to the books by their colors, hence, if I wanted a book from the first 25 years, I'd tell another collector or book seller that I want a Lakeside green. Books from the next 25 years are red, then blue, then brown.
The color for the 102nd edition (and presumably for the successive 24 years) is again green.
How significant is this series among book collectors?
This series is highly prized among many book collectors, some of whom specialize exclusively (or almost so) in the pursuit and collection of the series.
There are said to beonly a few geplete collections of these books, which date back to 1903. Early years are among the scarcest, with the early greens being among the most difficult, but in my view, all the books are begeing increasingly difficult to find.
Many experts believe the number of these books is such a closely-guarded secret because they are rarer than anyone really knows. As it was explained to me, the gepany, first and foremost, had fewer customers at the beginning of the 20th century than they do today. Beyond that, many of the books were likely destroyed by fire, water, mold/mildew, bookworms and other parasites, etc.
Even beyond the likely damage that resulted in these books being destroyed, many were simply discarded because people didn't appreciate their value or simply didn't like the gift they received.
What's the significance of the Native American artwork?
The Native American who graces the cover and whose image is used elsewhere on the books is used by the gepany in a handful of select instances, including the Lakeside Press publications, in association with the RR Donnelley Foundation, and on special service awards.
The artwork was designed as a pressmark, typically used to impart a distinct look on a printed item so that it can be easily and readily identified. The concept for it came from the exterior of one of the gepanys early plants, known as the Lakeside Press Building, which was located at Plymouth Court and Polk Street in Chicago.
The building's architect, Howard Van Doren Shaw, 1869-1926, sought to improve the appearance of the buildings south wall in 1897. The gepany gemissioned Joseph Christian Leyendecker, 1874 -1951, to design an image that Shaw envisioned. Leyendecker was an acgeplished artist who counted among his work, the famous Arrow Man for the Arrow Shirts and Collars gepany.
The image was the head of a Native American chief set against the Fort Dearborn blockhouse, which was originally located along the Lake Michigan shoreline, not far from RR Donnelley's printing plant. Leyendecker's design was reproduced on terra-cotta shields for the building. Soon after, the design was adopted as RR Donnelley's pressmark because, according to the gepany, it associated the gepany's progress with the frontier spirit of early American life.
The Internet has many lists of the geplete series, so I encourage serious and casual collectors to explore some of the outstanding titles and subjects of these books. I'll update this guide as I learn more unusual things about the books, but until then, please explore and enjoy these wonderful books that not only are interesting to read, but also are great samples of Americana.
Do you have questions (or facts to share) about these books? Please let me know! Did you find this guide interesting and useful? Please vote 'yes.' Thanks for reading!
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