Easton Press (FEL) The First Edition Library - Slipcased 56 Volume Set of the Classics w/Note Cards and Pamphlet [Sealed/Near Fine]

The First Edition Library (FEL) - high quality facsimiles of famous first editions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The degree of accuracy maintained in the duplication of the original first editions is nothing less than extraordinary.

INCLUDES 56 VOLUMES ALONG WITH THE FEL PAMPHLET + NOTE CARDS.

Easton Press, Norwalk CT. The First Edition Library (FEL). 56 Volume Collection in protective slipcases. Each book is a facsimiles of the original first editions of the great America's classics. Each volume includes a laid-in card of explanatory notes, including how the title came into being, background on the dedication, applicable issue points, the target copy from which the facsimile was produced, and some general notes about the book and its readership. An incredible collection that would make the perfect gift for the literary collector. An excellent resource for the researcher of First Edition books. Photos of actual set. 

Acquire all the classics in their original form, including Gone with the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Catch-22, Player Piano, and many others.

These first library editions are now Sold out and OUT OF PRINT from the publisher.  You won't find this collection anywhere else. An incredible set for the book collector and completist, who needs to have every significant First Edition ever published in its original form. A truly remarkable set to showcase in your library.

Easton Press's First Edition Library (FEL) books are desirable due to their high-quality facsimiles of classic first editions, often featuring authentic details like dust jacket errors and original artwork. In total, the First Edition Library produced 112 titles. 

Includes the first 3 books

Includes the first three FEL titles produced - "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "The Great Gatsby", and "Of Mice and Men". These first three possess an interesting variation that subsequent publications don't: "FEL" was missing from on the back jacket flap on all first printings (2500 copies of each title). Understandably, book collectors expressed concern that this opened the door to fraudulent misrepresentation of the jackets, especially given the faithfulness of the reproductions. Consequently, starting with the fourth book, Look Homeward Angel, "FEL" was added to the back flap. Also, after the initial runs of the first three titles were exhausted, "FEL" was added to all future printings. Today, as you might imagine, copies without "FEL" are hard to find and much sought after.

Why FEL books are sought after:

1. Authenticity and Detail: Easton Press aims for precise reproductions, including accurate facsimiles of first editions, often including details like dust jacket errors that match the originals. This level of detail makes the books valuable to collectors and those interested in the history of literature.

2. High Quality Materials: FEL books are known for their use of premium materials.

3. Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to the high prices of original first editions, FEL books offer a more affordable way to own and enjoy these classic works.
This makes them accessible to a wider range of book lovers.

Fifty Six (56) volumes included in this collection:

1) A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway [Sealed]

2) A Tree Grows In Brooklyn – Betty Smith [Sealed]

3) Absalom, Absalom! – William Faulkner [Sealed]

4) Adventures of Huck Finn – Mark Twain [Sealed]

5) Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain [Sealed]

6) All the King's Men – Penn [NF+/F. Light mark to front of dust jacket. Fine Slipcase]

7) Appointment In Samarra – John O’Hara [Sealed]

8) As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner [Sealed]

9) Babbitt – Lewis [F/F NF+ slipcase with one light mark]

10) Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Capote [Sealed]

11) Cannery Row – Steinbeck [NF+/F. Fine slipcase. Small mark top of dust-jacket]

12) Catch-22 – Heller [NF/F. Fine slipcase. Short tear top of dust jacket]

13) Deliverance – James Dickey [NF+/F with light mark front of dust-jacket. Fine slipcase]

14) East of Eden – John Steinbeck [Sealed]

15) Elmer Gantry – Sinclair Lewis [Sealed]

16) Ethan Frome – Edith Wharton [NF/F. Fine slipcase. Short tear to top of dust-jacket]

17) Farewell, My Lovely – Chandler [Sealed]

18) For Whom The Bell Tolls – Ernest Hemingway [F/NF. Light marks to dust-jacket. Fine slipcase]

19) From Here To Eternity – Jones [NF+/F. Light marks to dust-jacket Fine slipcase]

20) Go Tell It On The Mountain – Baldwin [F/F NF slipcase with tear to bottom]

21) God’s Little Acre – Erskine Caldwell [Sealed]

22) Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell [NF-/F F slipcase. Two short tears and some creased to bottom of dust-jacket]

23) Goodbye, Columbus – Philip Roth [Sealed]

24) Invisible Man – Ellison [NF+/F Fine slipcase. Light marks to front of dust-jacket]

25) Look Homeward, Angel – Wolfe [NF+/F light mark to front of dust-jacket. Fine slipcase ]

26) Main Street – Lewis [NF+/F. Light marks to front of dust-jacket. Fine slipcase]

27) My Antonia – Cather [F/F. NF+ slipcase with two pen marks on back surface]

28) Native Son – Wright [Sealed]

29) Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck [Sealed]

30) On the Road – Kerouac [NF+/F. Light mark to dust jacket. Fine slipcase]

31) One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest – Kesey [NF+/F. Light mark to top of dust jacket. Fine slipcase]

32) Player Piano – Kurt Vonnegut [NF+/F/ Fine slipcase. Light mark to front of dust-jacket]

33) Rabbit, Run – John Updike [Sealed]

34) Soldier’s Pay – William Faulkner [F/NF. Small indent to dust-jacket. Fine slipcase]

35) Tales of the Jazz Age – Fitzgerald [Sealed]

36) Tales of the South Pacific – James A. Michener [Sealed]

37) The Adventures of Augie March – Saul Bellow [NF/F. NF Slipcase. Lights marks to dust-jacket and slipcase]

38) The Awakening – Kate Chopin [Sealed]

39) The Beautiful and The Damned – Fitzgerald [F/F. NF Slipcase. Some stains to bottom surface of slipcase]

40) The Caine Mutiny – Herman Wouk [F/F book. NF slipcase with small white mark on one side]

41) The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand [NF+/F. Light mark to dust jacket. Fine slipcase]

42) The Grapes of Wrath – Steinbeck [Sealed]

43) The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald [F/F. NF+ slipcase. Light stain on bottom surface]

44) The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter – McCullens [NF/F. Fine slipcase. Open tear to top of dust-jacket]

45) The Jungle – Sinclair [Sealed]

46) The Naked and the Dead – Mailer [Sealed]

47) The Old Man and the Sea – John Steinbeck [Sealed]

48) The Pearl – John Steinbeck [NF+/F. Fine slipcase. Two light marks front of dust-jacket]

49) The Red Badge of Courage – Crane [Sealed]

50) The Red Pony - John Steinbeck [Sealed]

51) The Sound and the Fury – William Faulkner [Sealed]

52) The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway [Sealed]

53) The Wapshot Chronicle - John Cheever [Sealed]

54) This Side of Paradise – F. Scott Fitzgerald [Sealed]

55) To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee [Sealed] 

56) Tobacco Road – Erskine Caldwell [Sealed]

THE FIRST EDITION LIBRARY ISSUE POINTS

These are facsimiles of the original first editions of the great America's classics. Each printing of these books is identical to the original as it first appeared in print, with its original.... All the correct Issue Points are also included:

• dust jacket
• sewn binding
• paper weight and finish
• endpapers
• illustrations
• typeface
• cover design
• and even all the typographical errors which distinguish the first editions from the later printings.

Each book comes in a heavyweight protective slipcase.

The First Edition Library (FEL)

The First Edition Library (FEL) produced 112 titles, with the heart of the series being literary fiction from the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these books are now out of print.

FEL's Focus: The FEL primarily focused on literary fiction, but also included exceptions such as the James Bond series, mystery series, science fiction series, and a "Published in Paris" series.

First Edition Identification: Original FEL books have an explanatory text on the facsimile copyright page and the "FEL" colophon on the back jacket flap. However, the first three titles did not have the "FEL" colophon on the back jacket flap on all first printings.

In the late 1980s the First Edition Library (FEL) began publishing high quality facsimiles of famous first editions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Sold via subscription, the FEL eventually produced over one hundred titles, ranging from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead.

The degree of accuracy maintained in the duplication of original first editions was nothing less than extraordinary. FEL facsimiles had the same weight, size, typeface, art, dust jacket, finish and texture as the originals. Even mistakes were duplicated - for example, the infamous "jay" error on the front flap of The Great Gatsby dust jacket possesses the same capital 'J' that strikes over the lower case letter as the original. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Original Gatsby dust jackets surface about once in a blue moon, usually in less than perfect condition, and values are astronomical.)

There are, however, some distinguishing differences in FEL productions. Acid free paper was used, whether it was in the original or not - and often it was not. Also, an explanatory block of text appears on the facsimile copyright page:

The dust jacket possesses an "FEL" on the lower part of the back jacket flap:

Most FEL books were issued in slipcases; the originals were not, and each book arrived (see exception noted below) with a laid-in card of explanatory notes, including how the title came into being, background on the dedication, applicable issue points, the target copy from which the facsimile was produced, and some general notes about the book and its readership.

Sometime in the 1990s, FEL ceased production and sold rights for some of its facsimiles to Easton Press. Easton, in turn, produced 35 literary and 14 James Bond titles, also selling them via subscription. These are identical to those produced by the original First Edition Library publishers with one exception: There's no information card. Online sellers of FEL titles in their original shrink wrap frequently make the assumption that the book includes its information card. Not likely; most of these copies are the newer (and less valuable) Eastons.

In the past two or three years, Easton has made several other changes. First, they have discontinued FEL production of the James Bond series, and values now reflect this. Second, slip cases were discontinued. Regarding Easton copies of FEL titles, it should be noted that the explanatory block on the title page has not been altered - that is, there is no mention of Easton Press involvement.

The first three FEL titles produced - For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men - possess an interesting variation that subsequent publications don't: "FEL" was missing from on the back jacket flap on all first printings (2500 copies of each title). Understandably, book collectors expressed concern that this opened the door to fraudulent misrepresentation of the jackets, especially given the faithfulness of the reproductions. Consequently, starting with the fourth book, Look Homeward Angel, "FEL" was added to the back flap. Also, after the initial runs of the first three titles were exhausted, "FEL" was added to all future printings. Today, as you might imagine, copies without "FEL" are hard to find and much sought after.

In total, the First Edition Library produced 112 titles. Easton purchased the rights to produce 49 of them. The remaining 63 ceased production in the 1990s, and, as a result, this out-of-print status tends to increase their value.

The heart of the First Edition Library series is literary fiction, but there are four categories of exceptions.

1. James Bond series: 14 titles.
2. Mystery series: 13 titles.
3. Science fiction series: 12 titles.
4. Published in Paris (banned books) series: 3 titles.

The Published in Paris series (Lolita, Tropic of Cancer, and Ulysses) is relatively scarce and not as easily spotted because the titles were issued in clamshell boxes instead of slip cases. Also, none of the three books possess information cards; rather, there is a single informational brochure referring to all three.

The mystery series was done in collaboration with Otto Penzler, noted mystery publisher and proprietor of the Mystery Book Shop in New York City, who also published the titles, but again, no slipcases. Note also that a few titles in this series do not state "First Edition Library" on the copyright page. Instead look for "Collectors Reprints." This is further complicated by the fact that some Penzler productions possess the FEL information card and yet lack slip cases. Confused yet? It gets worse. As noted, some FEL books state "Collectors Reprints" rather than "First Edition Library," but not all Collectors Reprints books are FEL books.

Reference: https://www.bookthink.com/0068/68fel.htm