General Interest

Directories

Background

About This Website

About the Webmaster

Original Credits

First Things First

Getting Started - Background information for the ML collecting newbie
History of the Modern Library - A talk given by Henry Toledano, author of the Indispensable Modern Library Price Guide 1917-2000, at the Book Club of California in San Francisco on September 23rd 2002
On The Trail of The Torch Bearer: Part I - an interview at BookThink with ModernLib's founder about collecting the Modern Library
On The Trail of The Torch Bearer: Part II - an interview at BookThink with Henry Toledano, the Godfather of Modern Library collecting
Modern Library FAQ - Basic (and not-so-basic) frequently (and not-so-frequently) asked questions about The Modern Library and Modern Library collecting
Join the Modern Library Mailing List - an ongoing e-mail-based discussion group for all Ml-collecting matters
Ron Holl's Amenities Website - Focusing on "The Personal Side of Collecting the Modern Library Series," Amenites is dedicated to Modern Library collecting from the prospective of the collector. You really should check it out!
Contributing to ModernLib - How you can help your fellow collectors and show your appreciation to ModernLib: a list of ongoing projects to which you can lend a hand
Privacy Policy - ModernLib's policy regarding your membership information and reading habits

Next Steps

Searching the Web (Including eBay) for Books - Tips for locating ML editions on the Internet with links to terrific ModernLib member book dealers
Ethics & eBay - No, Really! - Ah, Commerce! The sounds of the hawkers touting the superiority of their goods, the sights of the brightly colored merchandise shining in the sun, the smell of the camels...
Terms for Describing Condition from AB Bookman's Weekly - The industry standard
Care, Handling and Storage of Books - Tips on keeping your books in primo condition from the nice folks at the Library of Congress
Directory of Indexes - ModernLib contains information on Modern Library authors, titles, and dust jackets sorted in several ways. This page lists the various indexes to help you find what you're looking for.

Recognizing What You Have

Classic Era Titles Produced With ISBN On Jacket - These lists identify the regular and giant titles printed during the classic era of the Modern Library (1917 - 1975) which had a jacket listing the ISBN on the back. If you know of additional titles that belong on this list, please let us know.
Running Torchbearer - The Modern Library logo device colophon thingees
ML Bindings & Dust Jackets to 1939 - A basic well-illustrated overview of the major Modern Library bindings and dust jackets from the beginning of the Modern Library in 1917 to 1939, written by John Krygier
Quick Guide to Regular Binding Styles 1917-1986 - Another binding overview, this one in a condensed format covering a longer period
Quick Guide to Regular Dust Jacket Backs - The back of a dust jacket can help you date it, especially when the front or inverse don't provide conclusive information.
Confirmed Bindings for Each Regular Title - Table of bindings spotted for each title in the regular series
Confirmed Jackets for Each Regular Title - Table of jackets spotted for each title in the regular series
Quick Guide to Giant Binding Styles - Fairly obvious
Quick Guide to Giant Dust Jacket Backs - Also obvious
Confirmed Bindings for Each Giant Title - Table of bindings spotted for each title in the giant series
Confirmed Jackets for Each Giant Title - Table of jackets spotted for each title in the giant series
Jacket & Binding Subtype Finder - Displays a list of titles with a specified DJ back or binding style noting what subtypes have been spotted. Applies only to DJ & binding types that have subtypes.
Quick Guide to End Papers - Besides being pretty, Modern Library end papers can give general clues to help in dating books in a squinty sort of way
Quick Guide to Buckram Binding Styles - There are actually four varieties of regular buckrams and two varieties of giant ones. (If you don't know bupkis about buckrams, click here first.)
Quick Guide to College Editions- Provides images and descriptions of the various Modern Library College Edition covers, from 1950 to 1985.
Early Pictorial Dust Jackets - In 1928 ML decided to break from its tradition of formulaic DJs to produce a special pictorial one for a particularly good seller — and the era of beautiful images was born
Blumenthal Binding Color Combinations - Color combinations (cover / trim) used on the Blumenthal bindings (in use between 1939 and 1963)
Dating Key for Regulars and Giants - How to tell the printing date of (almost) any ML title - very useful for confirming First Edition book/DJ matches (with thanks to its creator Barry Neavill)
Dating Key for Paperbacks - Following up on his flexi & hardbound dating key, Barry Neavill gives us this dating key for paperbacks
Dating Very Early Boni-Liveright Volumes - For the first five releases of new titles in the series, Boni-Liveright put current lists of volumes at the front of most books on the back of the half-title page. You can use these lists to date early B-L volumes and first printings.
Prices Realized at Auction - Pete Chocheles's column on Modern Library pricing, mostly from recent eBay auctions

And Just For Fun...

Six Degrees of the Modern Library - The ML sometimes made recommendations about the next book to buy based on the one the reader was currently reading. What does ML (or at least the boys in Marketing) suggest you read next?