Everyman's Library Endpapers

Collecting Everyman's Library - Home Collecting Everyman's Library - Index
Anchor icon

From 1906 until about 1970, the Everyman's Library endpapers fall most commonly into the first three types shown below. A few interesting endpaper variants occurred over the years, and these are also illustrated. Plain endpapers were used in the various library bindings, in some editions printed under economy measures during World War II, and from about 1970 until the end of the series. Endpaper style numbering follows Seymour (Guide 67).

Style 1

Style 3

Style 'R'

Anthology

Style 2

Style 'G'

Aldine

New American


Click thumbnails to enlarge images.


1906-34


Style 1

The figure of Good Deeds and the pledge of her sister Knowledge to Everyman in the medieval play was designed by Reginald L. Knowles and used from 1906-34 in binding Styles 1 and 2. Style 2 bindings add "Printed in Great Britain" in the lower margin of the free endpaper.

[Back to Top of Page]


1935-53


Style 2

Artist Eric Ravilious designed the repeating orange pattern endpaper used in binding Style 3 from 1935-1952.

[Back to Top of Page]


1953-70


Style 3

The repeating script 'EL' pattern was used in the larger format binding Style 4 from 1953-1970.

[Back to Top of Page]


Front Endpapers


Rear Endpapers


Style 'G'

Special endpapers with maps were used from 1910-1930 for the literary and historical atlases. It requires a magnifying glass to see the details, and even then, it is difficult to decipher. Both endpapers show old maps of the world, with twelve windheads about them, and the Everyman slogan along the top and bottom. Thanks to John Krygier for the information that the front map is from the Sylvanus 1511 edition of Ptolemy's Geography (see Item No. 8 at the Osher Map Library of the Univ. of Southern Maine). The rear map is from the Ulm 1482 edition (see Image No. 1 at the Smith Center for the History of Cartography of the Newberry Library).

[Back to Top of Page]







1935


Style 'R'

As part of the new format initiated in 1935, Ravilious designed these two brown motifs for the endpapers, with an 'E' in one and an 'L' in the other. According to your preference, they resemble shells, feathers, or fronds. They were only briefly used in 1935, however, and were soon superseded by the Style 2 endpapers.

[Back to Top of Page]


Aldine Endpapers (c. 1910-11)


Aldine Binding

The Aldine morocco leather bindings had gray-green endpapers in the center of which was a simple shield containing a decorative 'D' interwoven with the letters 'JM' above and 'EP' below.

[Back to Top of Page]


An Everyman Anthology, No. 663 (1966)


An Everyman Anthology
No. 663

Along with a special dustjacket, this volume, published in 1966, also had special endpapers designed expressly for it. The drawings appear to be artwork from various dustjackets of the period. For example, the upper right corner of the free endpaper is from the cover of Conrad's Nostromo, No. 38.

[Back to Top of Page]


Dutton New American Edition (1950-55)


New American Edition

There were a total of 32 titles published only in the United States by Dutton as the New American Edition. They were of the same size as the post-1953 format, but differed in binding style.

[Back to Top of Page]

Copyright © 2015, Jeffrey S. Anderson
Collecting Everyman's Library - Home Collecting Everyman's Library - Index