Allied Newspapers Ltd. / The Educational Book Co., London
Author: Editorial Board
Title: Masterpiece Library of Short Stories. The Thousand Best Complete Tales of all Times and Countries
Publisher: Allied Newspapers Ltd. / The Educational Book Co., London
Year: 1925
Format: Hardcover
Condition: Excellent
Weight: 650 g (per volume)
Dimensions: 14 × 20 × 3.5 cm
Excellent. Clean, unmarked pages; strong bindings; minimal shelf wear. One of the most complete surviving sets in such fine condition. Exact publication date unknown, likely between 1920-1925. 9 hardcover double volumes (18 volumes total; Vols. 17–18 missing.
This is an excellent and almost complete set of The Masterpiece Library of Short Stories in fine condition. This is truly a rare find and a literary treasure. This monumental early 20th-century anthology gathers the finest examples of the short story form from English and world literature, edited by Sir J. A. Hammerton in collaboration with an exceptional board of distinguished scholars.
A remarkable achievement in both literary scope and production quality, each double volume brings together classic and modern masters, accompanied by biographical and critical notes from leading voices of the age. Produced jointly by Allied Newspapers and The Educational Book Co., this handsome edition showcases the period’s dedication to craftsmanship — clean typography, firm bindings, and enduring materials.
Sets in this condition are seldom found complete. A superb collection for the discerning reader or collector.
Editorial Board Highlights:
Richard le Gallienne — Author and critic (The Book-Bills of Narcissus, Prose Fancies, Retrospective Reviews)
Sir Edmund Gosse, C.B., LL.D. — Critic, biographer, poet, and Librarian of the House of Lords (1904–1914)
Sir John Hammerton — Editor of The New Punch Library, Charles Dickens Library, and The World’s Great Books
Professor Brander Matthews, Litt.D., D.C.L. — Columbia University, author of Aspects of Fiction
Sir William Robertson Nicoll, M.A., LL.D. — Founder and editor of The British Weekly and The Bookman
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, M.A., Litt.D. — King Edward VII Professor of English Literature, Cambridge University
Professor George Saintsbury, M.A., LL.D., D.Litt. — Author of A History of the French Novel and The Flourishing of Romance
Professor Thomas Seccombe, M.A. — Editor and literary historian, Dictionary of National Biography
Clement K. Shorter — Literary critic and biographer (Charlotte Brontë and Her Circle)
Professor W. P. Trent, LL.D., D.C.L. — Co-editor, The Cambridge History of American Literature
Carl van Doren, Ph.D. — Author, critic, and editor
Sir Frederick Wedmore — Critic and author (The Life of Balzac)
