Preliminary identification
Photo reference
4 uploaded photos
Overview
A pocket-sized anthology of classic poetry edited by renowned Princeton educator Henry van Dyke, published in 1922 as part of the 23-volume 'Pocket University' educational set. Bound in ribbed blue cloth with gilt and blind-stamped cartouches, it represents the boom in early 20th-century American home self-education series.
Story
In 1922, Nelson Doubleday launched 'The Pocket University' so working Americans could carry an entire college liberal arts curriculum directly in their coat pockets. It was portable higher education before smartphones existed.
Maker / Origin
Doubleday, Page & Company was one of America's premier publishers, operating from their idyllic Country Life Press campus in Garden City, Long Island. Nelson Doubleday, son of the founder, was a pioneer of direct-to-consumer mail-order bookselling and subscription libraries.
Condition & Value
Shows moderate age toning, sun-fading, and shelf wear along the book's spine edges, with minor fraying at the spine head; interior pages remain clean, tight, and securely bound. Condition is typical and maintains standard reading copy value.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.