MODERN LIBRARY DATING KEY, 1925-1970

Gordon B. Neavill

Associate Professor

Library and Information Science Program

Wayne State University

106 Kresge Library

Detroit, MI 48202

aa3401@wayne.edu

 

 

Copyright © 1992-2005 by Gordon B. Neavill. All rights reserved.

Updated 2024 by Ronald Holl.

 

Permission is granted to individual collectors to reproduce single copies of the dating key for personal use only, as long as the copyright statement is included. The Modern Library Dating Key may not be reproduced for any other purpose, commercial or noncommercial, in any format (print, electronic, etc., including posting on web sites other than ModernLib), without written permission of the copyright holder. Linking from other web sites to the dating key on ModernLib is permissible.

This dating key can be used to date Modern Library books and jackets on the basis of ML lists that appear at the end of the volumes and inside the jackets. A list that contains the title in the first column but lacks the title in the second column belongs to the date given at the left. Lists were updated each publishing season (spring and fall). From fall 1933 through spring 1963 the inside of the jackets included a heading, “WHICH OF THESE [225] OUTSTANDING TITLES DO YOU WANT TO READ?” This number is indicated before the titles for these years. Lists of titles ceased to be printed inside the jackets beginning in 1964.

Dating ML books can be tricky. Please note the following:

 

·      “First” statements on the verso of the title page were usually—but not always—removed from the plates after the first printing. A ML list in the book or inside the jacket may be the only way to distinguish a first printing from a later printing.

 

·      The list on the jacket dates the jacket, not necessarily the book inside the jacket. Collectors and booksellers occasionally “marry” books and jackets that didn’t start out together. If the lists in the book and the jacket are the same, the jacket is probably original to the book. If the book doesn’t have a list all you can do is make sure that the date of the jacket is consistent with the format and design of the book (binding style, endpapers, etc.).

 

·      Beware of dating ML jackets solely on the basis of the number of titles in the heading inside the jacket or on the back panel. Dating must always be confirmed on the basis of titles included/not included in the list. Titles date a list by spring or fall of a given year. The following numbers remain unchanged through more than one season: 225 (fall 1933-fall 1934), 271 (spring 1940; spring 1941), 334 (spring-fall 1948), 379 (spring-fall 1957), 388 (fall 1959-spring 1960), 415 (fall 1962-spring 1963).

 

Back panels of ML jackets indicate the number of titles in the series beginning in fall 1928. These numbers are generally less reliable than numbers in the heading inside the jacket, especially before the mid-1930s. Since conclusive dating must be based on the list of titles, it’s best to ignore back panel numbers altogether.

 

·      ML titles published in January were printed before new spring lists were available and usually use lists from the previous fall, both at the end of the volume and inside the jacket.

 

·      There are surprisingly few mistakes in lists of titles, but there were a few muddles. Lists in titles published in 1942 are confused. Jackets of several regular ML titles printed in spring 1942 have fall 1941 list (the lists of titles at the end of the volumes are correct). New titles published in fall 1942 have correct lists at the end of the volumes (if they have lists at all) but spring 1942 lists on the jackets. Jackets of most regular ML titles reprinted in fall 1942 have correct fall 1942 lists. First printings of regular ML titles published in fall 1965 have spring 1965 lists at the end of the volumes.

 

·      ML lists in books printed from relief plates are usually accurate, apart from the muddles noted above. ML lists in books printed by offset lithography usually aren’t updated in later printings; “first” statements tend to be retained in later printings as well. ML titles printed by offset lithography before the mid-1960s include Norris, The Pit (1934), Newton, Amenities of Book Collecting (1935), Malraux, Man’s Fate (1936, balloon cloth printings only), Whitman, Leaves of Grass (Giant, 1940), Bemelmans, My War with the United States (1941), and The Thurber Carnival (1957). Most ML titles printed before 1965 were printed from relief plates and can be dated reliably from lists in the book. Most new titles after 1965 were printed by offset lithography. Most older titles were converted to offset lithography after 1965.

 

[Editor's Note: Dr. Neavill also points out in an e-mail to The Modern Library Mailing List dated 10 June 2005 that all new ML titles published between fall 1967 and 1970 with lists at the end of the volume used the spring 1967 list.]

 

Regular ML

Year

Season

#

Includes this...

...but not this

 

1925

Fall

 

Dumas, Camille

Anderson, Poor White

1926

Spring

 

Anderson, Poor White

Joyce, Dubliners

 

Fall

 

Joyce, Dubliners

Hudson, Purple Land

1927

Spring

 

Hudson, Purple Land

Hardy, Jude the Obscure

 

Fall

 

Hardy, Jude the Obscure

Dumas, Three Musketeers

1928

Spring

 

Dumas, Three Musketeers

Apuleius, Golden Ass

 

Fall

 

Apuleius, Golden Ass

Dostoyevsky, Brothers Karamazov

1929

Spring

 

Dostoyevsky, Brothers Karamazov

Chaucer, Canterbury Tales

 

Fall

 

Chaucer, Canterbury Tales

Hemingway, Sun Also Rises

1930

Spring

 

Hemingway, Sun Also Rises

Goethe, Faust

 

Fall

 

Goethe, Faust

Conrad, Lord Jim

1931

Spring

 

Conrad, Lord Jim

Balzac, Droll Stories

 

Fall

 

Balzac, Droll Stories

Dreiser, Sister Carrie

1932

Spring

 

Dreiser, Sister Carrie

Dickens, Pickwick Papers

 

Fall

 

Dickens, Pickwick Papers

Lewis, Arrowsmith

1933

Spring

 

Lewis, Arrowsmith

Stein, Three Lives

 

Fall

225

Stein, Three Lives

Caldwell, God's Little Acre

1934

Spring

225

Caldwell, God's Little Acre

Heyward, Porgy

 

Fall

225

Heyward, Porgy

Hamsun, Growth of the Soil

1935

Spring

236

Hamsun, Growth of the Soil

Mann, Buddenbrooks

 

Fall

239

Mann, Buddenbrooks

Gogol, Dead Souls

1936

Spring

242

Gogol, Dead Souls

Malraux, Man's Fate

 

Fall

245

Malraux, Man's Fate

Graves, I, Claudius

1937

Spring

246

Graves, I, Claudius

Woolf, To The Lighthouse

 

Fall

253

Woolf, To The Lighthouse

Confucius, Wisdom

1938

Spring

257

Confucius, Wisdom

Proust, Cities of the Plain

 

Fall

262

Proust, Cities of the Plain

Stone, Lust for Life

1939

Spring

265

Stone, Lust for Life

Odets, Six Plays

 

Fall

268

Odets, Six Plays

Chaucer, Troilus and Cressida

1940

Spring

271

Chaucer, Troilus and Cressida

Emerson, Complete Essays

 

Fall

274

Emerson, Complete Essays

Hugo, Hunchback of Notre Dame

1941

Spring

271

Hugo, Hunchback of Notre Dame

Bemelmans, My War with the United States

 

Fall

278

Bemelmans, My War with the United States

Lewis, Babbitt

1942

Spring

281

Lewis, Babbitt

Maurois, Disraeli

 

Fall

284

Maurois, Disraeli

Du Maurier, Rebecca

1943

Spring

291

Du Maurier, Rebecca

Shakespeare (3 vols.)

 

Fall

292

Shakespeare (3 vols.)

Jefferson, Life and Selected Writings

1944

Spring

299

Jefferson, Life and Selected Writings

Parker, Collected Poetry

 

Fall

303

Parker, Collected Poetry

O. Henry, Best Short Stories

1945

Spring

304

O. Henry, Best Short Stories

Irving, Selected Writings

 

Fall

306

Irving, Selected Writings

Hersey, Bell for Adano

1946

Spring

309

Hersey, Bell for Adano

Balzac, Père Goriot & Eugénie Grandet

 

Fall

316

Balzac, Père Goriot & Eugénie Grandet

Aristotle, Introduction

1947

Spring

322

Aristotle, Introduction

Lewis, Dodsworth

 

Fall

329

Lewis, Dodsworth

Aquinas, Introduction

1948

Spring

334

Aquinas, Introduction

Dickinson, Selected Poems

 

Fall

334

Dickinson, Selected Poems

Austen, Pride and Prejudice & Sense and Sensibility

1949

Spring

341

Austen, Pride and Prejudice & Sense and Sensibility

Byron, Don Juan

 

Fall

344

Byron, Don Juan

James, Washington Square

1950

Spring

347

James, Washington Square

Alcott, Little Women

 

Fall

348

Alcott, Little Women

Cicero, Basic Works

1951

Spring

352

Cicero, Basic Works

Howells, Rise of Silas Lapham

 

Fall

358

Howells, Rise of Silas Lapham

Dinesen, Out of Africa

1952

Spring

360

Dinesen, Out of Africa

Cooper, The Pathfinder

 

Fall

362

Cooper, The Pathfinder

Gunther, Death Be Not Proud

1953

Spring

365

Gunther, Death Be Not Proud

Blake, Selected Poetry and Prose

 

Fall

367

Blake, Selected Poetry and Prose

Byron, Selected Poetry

1954

Spring

370

Byron, Selected Poetry

Browning, Selected Poetry

 

Fall

371

Browning, Selected Poetry

Faulkner, Go Down, Moses

1955

Spring

372

Faulkner, Go Down, Moses

Santayana, Sense of Beauty

 

Fall

374

Santayana, Sense of Beauty

Tennyson, Selected Poetry

1956

Spring

376

Tennyson, Selected Poetry

Huxley, Brave New World

 

Fall

377

Huxley, Brave New World

Caesar, Gallic War

1957

Spring

379

Caesar, Gallic War

Lewis, Cass Timberlane

 

Fall

379

Lewis, Cass Timberlane

Descartes, Philosophical Writings

1958

Spring

380

Descartes, Philosophical Writings

Balzac, Cousin Bette

 

Fall

383

Balzac, Cousin Bette

Auden, Selected Poems

1959

Spring

385

Auden, Selected Poems

Salinger, Nine Stories

 

Fall

388

Salinger, Nine Stories

Colette, Six Novels

1960

Spring

388

Colette, Six Novels

Dickens, Our Mutual Friend

 

Fall

393

Dickens, Our Mutual Friend

Camus, The Plague

1961

Spring

405

Camus, The Plague

Mailer, Naked and the Dead

 

Fall

403

Mailer, Naked and the Dead

Hersey, Hiroshima

1962

Spring

408

Hersey, Hiroshima

Erasmus, In Praise of Folly

 

Fall

415

Erasmus, In Praise of Folly

Hesse, Steppenwolf

1963

Spring

415

Hesse, Steppenwolf

Ellison, Invisible Man

 

Fall

 

Ellison, Invisible Man

Malamud, Two Novels

1964

Spring

 

Malamud, Two Novels

Dewey, John Dewey on Education

 

Fall

 

Dewey, John Dewey on Education

Capote, Selected Writings

1965

Spring

 

Capote, Selected Writings

Mann, Confessions of Felix Krull

 

Fall

 

Mann, Confessions of Felix Krull

Mann, Doctor Faustus

1966

Spring

 

Mann, Doctor Fausus

Heller, Catch-22

 

Fall

 

Heller, Catch-22

Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

1967

Spring

 

Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

Faulkner, Pylon

 

Fall

 

Faulkner, Pylon

Forster, Collected Tales

1968

Spring

 

Forster, Collected Tales

Burgess, Clockwork Orange & Honey for the Bears

 

Fall

 

Burgess, Clockwork Orange & Honey for the Bears

Kafka, The Castle

1969

Spring

 

Kafka, The Castle

Racine, Complete Plays (2 vols.)

 

Fall

 

Racine, Complete Plays (2 vols.)

Styron, Confessions of Nat Turner

1970

Spring

 

Styron, Confessions of Nat Turner

Kosinski, Painted Bird

 

Fall

 

Kosinski, Painted Bird

 

Giants

Year

Season

#

Includes this...

...but not this

 

1931

Fall

G3

Hugo, Les Misérables

Plutarch, Plutarch's Lives

1932

Spring

G5

Plutarch, Plutarch's Lives

Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

 

Fall

G7

Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Twelve Famous Plays of the Restoration

1933

Spring

G10

Twelve Famous Plays of the Restoration

Scott, Quentin Durward, Ivanhoe, Kenilworth

 

Fall

G12

Scott, Quentin Durward, Ivanhoe, Kenilworth

Bulfinch, Mythology

1934

Spring

G14

Bulfinch, Mythology

Browning, Poems and Plays

 

Fall

G17

Browning, Poems and Plays

Symonds, Renaissance in Italy

1935

Spring

G21

Symonds, Renaissance in Italy

Lamb, Complete Works

 

Fall

G24

Lamb, Complete Works

Darwin, Origin of Species & Descent of Man

1936

Spring

G27

Darwin, Origin of Species & Descent of Man

Myers, History of the Great American Fortunes

 

Fall

G30

Myers, History of the Great American Fortunes

Nietzsche, Philosophy

1937

Spring

G34

Nietzsche, Philosophy

Hawthorne, Complete Novels and Selected Tales

 

Fall

G37

Hawthorne, Complete Novels and Selected Tales

Poe, Complete Tales and Poems

1938

Spring

G40

Poe, Complete Tales and Poems

Tennyson, Poems and Plays

 

Fall

G42

Tennyson, Poems and Plays

Lewisohn, Story of American Literature

1939

Spring

G45

Lewisohn, Story of American Literature

Metropolitan Opera Guide

 

Fall

G48

Metropolitan Opera Guide

Eliot, Bes- Known Novels

1940

Spring

G51

Eliot, Best-Known Novels

Fielding, Tom Jones

 

Fall

G54

Fielding, Tom Jones

Sterne, Tristam Shandy & A Sentimental Journey

1941

Spring

G56

Sterne, Tristam Shandy & A Sentimental Journey

Malraux, Man's Hope

 

Fall

G58

Malraux, Man's Hope

Sixteen Famous American Plays

1942

Spring

G21

Sixteen Famous American Plays

Dostoyevsky, The Idiot

 

Fall

G60

Dostoyevsky, The Idiot

Pushkin, Poems, Prose and Plays

1943

Spring

G62

Pushkin, Poems, Prose and Plays

Sixteen Famous British Plays

 

Fall

G63

Sixteen Famous British Plays

Rabelais, Complete Works 

1944

Spring

G65

Rabelais, Complete Works 

Three Famous Murder Novels

 

Fall

 

 [no new titles]

 [no new titles]

1945

Spring

G66

Three Famous Murder Novels

Anthology of Famous English and American Poetry 

 

Fall

G67

Anthology of Famous English and American Poetry

Paine, Selected Work

1946

Spring

G68

Paine, Selected Work

Donne & Blake, Complete Poetry

 

Fall

G70

Donne & Blake, Complete Poetry

Sixteen Famous European Plays

1947

Spring

G71

Sixteen Famous European Plays

Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural

 

Fall

G72

Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural

Subtreasury of American Humor

1948

Spring

G73

Subtreasury of American Humor

James, Short Stories 

 

Fall

G11

James, Short Stories

Thirty Famous One-Act Plays

1949

Spring

G22

Thirty Famous One-Act Plays

De Quincey, Selected Writings

 

Fall

G9

De Quincey, Selected Writings

Augustine, City of God 

1950

Spring

G74

Augustine, City of God

Stevenson, Selected Writings

 

Fall

G75

Stevenson, Selected Writings

Melville, Selected Writings

1951

Spring

G57

Melville, Selected Writings

Anthology of Famous British Stories

 

Fall

 

[no new titles]

[no new titles]

1952

Spring

G54

Anthology of Famous British Stories

Grimm & Anderson, Tales

 

Fall

G76

Grimm & Anderson, Tales

Anthology of Famous American Stories

1953

Spring

 

[no new titles]

[no new titles]

 

Fall

G77

Anthology of Famous American Stories

Holmes, Mind and Faith of Justice Holmes

1954

Spring

G78

Holmes, Mind and Faith of Justice Holmes

Great Voices of the Reformation

 

Fall

G9

Great Voices of the Reformation

Wisdom of Catholicism

1955

Spring

G56

Wisdom of Catholicism

Wisdom of China and India

 

Fall

G59

Wisdom of China and India

Wisdom of Israel

1956

Spring

G79

Wisdom of Israel

Dreiser, American Tragedy

 

Fall

G80

Dreiser, American Tragedy

Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers

1957

Spring

G45

Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers

Famous Science-Fiction Stories

 

Fall

G31

Famous Science-Fiction Stories

Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor

1958

Spring

G81

Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor

Faulkner, Faulkner Reader

 

Fall

 

[no new titles]

[no new titles]

1959

Spring

G82

Faulkner, Faulkner Reader

European Philosophers from Descartes to Nietzsche

Fall

[no new titles]

[no new titles]

1960

Spring

G16

European Philosophers from Descartes to Nietzsche

Murasaka, Tale of Genji

 

Fall

G38

Murasaka, Tale of Genji

Wilson, Shock of Recognition

1961

Spring

G83

Wilson, Shock of Recognition

Mann, Stories of Three Decades

 

Fall

G84

Mann, Stories of Three Decades

Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People

1962

Spring

G85

Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People

Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago

 

Fall

G86

Pasternak, Dr. Zhivago

Medieval Epics

1963

Spring

G87

Medieval Epics

O'Hara, 49 Stories

 

Fall

G88

O'Hara, 49 Stories

Great Classical Myths

1964

Spring

G89

Great Classical Myths

Spenser, Selected Poetry

 

Fall

G91

Spenser, Selected Poetry

Spengler, Decline of the West

1965

Spring

G92

Spengler, Decline of the West

Parodies

 

Fall

G93

Parodies

Cooper, Leatherstocking Saga

1966

Spring

G94

Cooper, Leatherstocking Saga

Brockway & Weinstock, World of Opera

 

Fall

G95

Brockway & Weinstock, World of Opera

Balzac, Lost Illusions

1967

Spring

G97

Balzac, Lost Illusions

Hersey, The Wall

 

Fall

G98

Hersey, The Wall

Thomas, Abraham Lincoln

1968

Spring

G64

Thomas, Abraham Lincoln

Beauvoir, Second Sex

 

Fall

G44

Beauvoir, Second Sex

Gogol, Collected Tales and Plays

1969

Spring

G73

Gogol, Collected Tales and Plays

Lewis, Children of Sanchez

Fall

G100

Lewis, Children of Sanchez

Between Hume and Mill

1970

Spring

G102

Between Hume and Mill

 

 

Copyright © 1992-2005 by Gordon B. Neavill. All rights reserved.

Original document updated 2024 (edits in green).