Quick & Dirty Guide
to the Major Styles of Early DJ Fronts & Spines
1917 - 1939

The Modern Library series went through 11 dust jacket design changes during the years of its 6 1/2" tall binding format. The first one (identified here as DJ-A distinguished by a large red paragraph symbol on the front panel) lasted just a couple of months, while another (DJ-G with the Toledano style "B" logo on the front panel) lasted over 10 years—1928 to 1939

A couple of styles (DJ-J and DJ-K) were used for just a few titles each in the mid-30s. Contrast this with the wonderful pictorial style of DJ-H, 1932 to 1938, that graced somewhere around 140 titles.

Style DJ-A Red Paragraph Symbol

Large red paragraph symbol (¶) followed by plain text blurb on front panel. Spine design didn't last more than a few months before it was changed (with the notable addition of series numbers). Click the image to see a blowup.

In Use: May 1917 - July 1917

Notes: Few of these issues have survived. They are the rarest of rare ML dust jackets.

Style DJ-B Standard

In Use: July (?) 1917 - mid (?) 1923

Notes: B-L logo moves to spine bottom above the lower red band with series number immediately below; "LIMP CROFTLEATHER" moves to just below the upper red band; price moves to red band and the address "West 40th Street: disappears.

This new template remained fairly constant with minor changes for the next 10 years or so. Click here to see the template elements.

Price changes on the fly: Boni-Liveright changed the prices rapidly during the life of this style DJ before they were ready to do new printings of the DJs of some titles. So they evidently resorted to interim measures by printing over the old prices. Click here to see some examples of these.

Style DJ-C

Spine bottom: Boni-Liveright monk scribe logo at base

In Use: mid (?) 1923 - 1925

Style DJ-D

Spine: Modern Library logo at base followed by empty red band (no price). Thin black lines above & below top & bottom red bands. Reference at top to "LIMP CROFTLEATHER" disappears, snd the price disappears from the lower red band.

Front: Thin black lines above & below top & bottom red bands.

In Use: 1925 - 1926

Style DJ-E

Front: 3/4" ML logo in black at center top below red band. Small drop cap initial letter.

In Use: 1926 - 1928

Style DJ-F (Earliest Pictorials)

Spine: (all sideways text) author, ML series number (usually), book title, ML series number again (usually), "MODERN LIBRARY"

Front: book title, illustration, author or translator, brief blurb

In Use: 1928 - 1931

To see the seven titles that match this description, see the page Earliest Pictorial Jackets.

Characteristic dust jacket 1928 - 1939

Style DJ-G

Spine: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title followed by 3/4" ML logo in black, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 3/8" neutral section with ML series number, 1/2" band at bottom matching top band color

Front: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title followed by centered 1 1/2" ML logo in black followed by brief descriptive blurb, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 3/8" neutral section with "THE MODERN LIBRARY", 1/2" band at bottom matching top band color

In Use: 1928 - 1939

Style DJ-G Variation [Colored Front Logo]

Front: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title followed by centered 1 1/2" ML logo in color matching top band followed by brief descriptive blurb, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 3/8" neutral section with "THE MODERN LIBRARY", 1/2" band at bottom matching top band color

In Use: Reported only on Veblen 1934 - 1939

Style DJ-H Pictorials

Front: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title followed by illustration of some scene from the book, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 3/8" neutral section with "THE MODERN LIBRARY", 1/2" band at bottom matching top band color

In Use: 1932 - 1938

After a few pictorial designs (see DJ-F, above) used sparingly from 1928 through 1931 to promote sales of targeted titles, ML began using pictorials in earnest in 1932. Between 1932 and 1938, they printed at least 140 titles using the style. Click here to see a complete pictorial catalog of these titles.

Style DJ-I "Ugly Goddess" Philosophy Series

Front: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title followed by goddess illustration and short descriptive blurb, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 3/8" neutral section with "THE MODERN LIBRARY", 1/2" band at bottom matching top band color.

In Use: 1932- 1938

Seven philosophy titles appeared in this style—James, Marx, Nietzsche, Plato, two Schopenhauers, and Spinoza.

Style DJ-J

Front: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title in large text followed by short descriptive blurb, 1/16" band in color matching top band.

Style DJ-K

Front: 3/8" colored band at top, 7/8" neutral-colored band with author name, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 4 3/8" neutral section with book title followed by geometric illustration and short descriptive blurb, 1/16" band in color matching top band, 3/8" neutral section with "THE MODERN LIBRARY", 1/2" band at bottom matching top band color

In Use: Mid 1930's

Quick & Dirty Guide to the Major Styles of Early DJ Fronts & Spines 1917 - 1939