Limited Editions Club Collection.

Historical Note

The Limited Editions Club was founded by George Macy in 1929 to publish finely printed, illustrated, and bound editions of literary classics in editions limited to 1500 copies. The books were available on a subscription basis. The company continued to produce books through multiple changes in ownership, but has not released new books since 2010.

Scope and Contents

The earliest books in the collection date from 1930, and the latest is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail with illustrations by Faith Ringgold (2007). Notable editions in the collection also include Aristophanes's Lysistrata illustrated by Pablo Picasso (1934), and James Joyce's Ulysses illustrated by Henri Matisse (1935). The collection also includes newsletters, prospectuses, and other promotional materials. Special Collections currently holds 464 of the 589 books published by the Limited Editions Club.

The collection was assembled through gifts and donations from various sources. Dr. Frederick W. Billerbeck and Mrs. Barbara Aust Billerbeck donated more than 200 Limited Editions Club titles to the University of Missouri Libraries between 1986 and 2006.

The University of Missouri Libraries do not hold copyright on most collection materials, and therefore we do not charge usage fees or require permission to publish scanned images. The libraries encourage use of reproductions of Special Collections materials in publications, broadcasts, public displays and on web pages. However, please be aware that the user is responsible for determining copyright status and applying for permission to copyright holders.

Materials do not circulate but are available to users in the Special Collections Reading Room during service hours or by appointment.