Identification
Photo reference
3 uploaded photos
Overview
This is volume No. 142 of the famous Everyman's Library series, featuring Sir Walter Scott's classic historical novel 'Rob Roy'. Bound in the publisher's signature orange cloth with gilt spine lettering, this 1931 printing represents a landmark effort to bring world literature to the masses in beautiful, affordable editions.
Story
Founded in 1906 by J. M. Dent, the Everyman's Library was a monumental publishing project aimed at making the world's classics available at a pocket-friendly price. The series is famous for its distinctive bindings, which evolved over the decades. The orange cloth with gilt lettering is characteristic of the series' standard fiction bindings in the 1920s and 1930s. Everyman's Library editions from the early 20th century are ubiquitous on the secondary market.
Maker / Origin
Unattributed
Condition & Value
Condition is paramount for vintage books. Typical wear for 1930s Everyman's editions includes sun-fading to the spine, bumped corners, and foxing to the page edges. The presence or absence of the original dust jacket drastically affects collectibility, though cloth copies are most often found and sold without them.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Everyman's Library editions from the early 20th century are ubiquitous on the secondary market. Buyers generally fall into two camps: readers looking for affordable vintage reading copies, and decorators buying by color or spine aesthetic. Individual common titles in standard cloth bindings move slowly unless priced under $15, with higher prices usually reserved for rare titles, first printings within the series, or copies retaining their original dust jackets.
▲ Recognizable Everyman's Library branding appeals to vintage book collectors and decorators.
▲ Classic, widely read title (Rob Roy) ensures baseline literary demand.
▲ Gilt spine lettering on orange cloth provides strong shelf appeal for interior design buyers.
▼ Unverified dust jacket status — original 1930s Everyman's dust jackets carry a significant premium; unjacketed copies trade at the market floor.
▼ Unverified spine condition — sun fading or structural hinge weakness would relegate this to a reading-copy tier under $10.
▼ Mass-produced edition with a high surviving population limits collector upside.
Best Venue
List on eBay or a vintage-focused marketplace like Etsy if you can market it aesthetically. Price around $12-$15 for a steady sale, or bundle it with other vintage orange cloth books to appeal to interior decorators. Selling to a local used bookstore will likely yield less than $3 in cash or trade.
Upside Potential
If the book retains its original, unclipped 1931 dust jacket in very good condition, the value could shift into the $30-$50 range for series collectors. Without the jacket, there is no realistic upside above the stated high.