Little Blue Books and their forgotten hero
The magazine the Believer revisits the life and work of Emanuel Haldeman-Julius, once called "the Henry Ford of literature" for his mass-produced, affordable Little Blue Books publications (via).
small enough to fit in a trouser pocket, these books were meant to bring culture and self-education to working people, and covered topics ranging from classic literature to home-finance to sexually pleasuring one's spouse. Distributed discreetly by mail order, Little Blue Books disseminated birth-control information not available in small-town libraries, advocated racial justice at a time when the Ku Klux Klan influenced politics, and introduced Euripides, Shakespeare, and Emerson to people without the means for higher education.
Cost was always a factor. "I thought that it might be possible to put books within the reach of everyone, rich or poor," Haldeman-Julius wrote. "By that I mean I dreamed of publishing in such quantities that I could sell them at a price which would put all books at the same cost level." He started selling the books for a quarter each, getting the price for some to just five cents. He had said that "seeing a book I could not afford to buy was worse than being hungry and looking at a bun in a bakery window."
An avowed socialist with a gift for marketing, Haldeman-Julius found great financial success with his Little Blue Books. But he lost much of it in the stock market crash in 1929. His leftist leanings earned him enemies, and, while he kept the company afloat through the Depression, it never saw its earlier success. In the Believer article, author Rolf Potts shows that publishing "The FBI -- The Basis of an American Police State: The Alarming Methods of J. Edgar Hoover" may not have been a great idea -- Haldeman-Julius was soon investigated for tax evasion. In 1951, his death by drowning in his backyard pool was ruled an accident.
The books have been revived, in reality -- Haldeman-Julius' son brought them back -- and in spirit. From 2001-05, John Hodgman -- best known for his later appearances on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and as the PC guy in the Mac commercials -- hosted the Little Gray Books reading series in Brooklyn. Four pamphlets were published, clearly modeled on the Little Blue Books, with useful contents such as "Thoughts on Public Singing." Hodgman may just be the most erudite funny man (or funniest erudite man?) in literature.
The Little Blue Books are now widely available on eBay, priced not much higher than you would have paid back in the 1920s.
-- Carolyn Kellogg
