Item #22526 The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]. Charles W. Eliot.
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]
HARVARD CLASSICS — IN ORIGINAL DECORATIVE BINDINGS

The Harvard Classics: “Dr. Eliot’s Five-Foot Shelf of Books” — Volumes XI–XV [1909 Decorative Binding Subset]

New York: P. F. Collier & Son, 1909.

A DECORATIVE HARVARD CLASSICS LIBRARY GROUP WITH ORIGINAL BINDING GUIDE
A handsome matching subset from The Harvard Classics, Charles W. Eliot’s celebrated “Five-Foot Shelf of Books,” published by P. F. Collier & Son in 1909. This offering comprises Volumes XI–XV, preserving a coherent section of the original series in attractive decorative green cloth bindings.

Unlike ordinary examples of the Harvard Classics, these volumes retain the publisher’s original Celebrated Historical Bindings sheet, which explains the design inspiration behind the presentation bindings and reflects the early 20th-century effort to make classic literature both intellectually valuable and visually worthy of the home library.

Included are works representing some of the most enduring titles in Western literature and thought: 
+++ Charles Darwin — The Origin of Species
+++ Plutarch’s Lives
+++ Virgil’s Æneid
+++ Miguel de Cervantes — Don Quixote
+++ John Bunyan — The Pilgrim’s Progress and Other Works

A desirable decorative subset for collectors of classics, early 20th-century publishing, and traditional library collections.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: ORIGINAL DECORATIVE LIBRARY BINDINGS.
+++ Five octavo volumes uniformly bound in original green cloth with gilt spine lettering, decorative ruled borders, and central shield designs. The bindings were part of the attractive presentation style developed for the Harvard Classics series.
+++ Each volume includes title pages identifying the work, editor Charles W. Eliot, and the Collier & Son imprint. Illustrated with frontispiece portraits, plates, and other illustrations throughout as issued.
+++ All volumes dated 1909 on the copyright page.
+++ Includes the original loose publisher sheet: “Celebrated Historical Bindings”
describing the historical examples that inspired the decorative binding designs.

CONDITION: VERY GOOD TO NEAR FINE OVERALL
+++ The five volumes present as a well-preserved matching set. Bindings remain tight and square with only minimal shelf handling wear. Cloth shows minor dulling consistent with age but retains the decorative appearance well.
+++ Text blocks are clean with light, even age-toning. No significant markings observed. The volumes appear exceptionally lightly used, possibly unread.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: ELIOT’S FIVE-FOOT SHELF AND THE GREAT BOOKS MOVEMENT.
First published beginning in 1909, The Harvard Classics represented Charles W. Eliot’s effort to create an accessible personal library of essential works from literature, history, philosophy, religion, and science. Eliot’s famous claim that a reader could obtain a liberal education from a carefully selected five-foot shelf helped make the series one of the most recognizable American book projects of the early 20th century.

A LIBRARY SET DESIGNED FOR BOTH READING AND DISPLAY.
Beyond the texts themselves, the Harvard Classics became a symbol of self-improvement and cultural aspiration in American homes. The publisher understood that a permanent library was not only a collection of ideas but also a physical presence, and the series was offered in decorative bindings intended to give classic literature an appropriate place within the home.

The accompanying Celebrated Historical Bindings sheet is an important part of this presentation, explaining the inspiration behind the decorative designs and connecting the modern Harvard Classics volumes with the traditions of historic European bookbinding. Together, the bindings and the original publisher material reflect the early 20th-century movement to make books objects of both intellectual value and visual beauty.

SUBJECTS: Charles W. Eliot, Harvard Classics, Five-Foot Shelf of Books, P. F. Collier & Son, Great Books Movement, World Literature, Classical Literature, Decorative Book bindings, Classics, Literature, Philosophy, History, Science, Great Books, Decorative Bindings.

Item #22526

Price: $100.00

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