Editing Everyman's Library (section)

==History==
Everyman's Library was conceived in 1905 by London publisher [[Joseph Malaby Dent]], whose goal was to create a 1,000-volume library of world literature that was affordable for, and that appealed to, every kind of person, from students to the working classes to the cultural elite. Dent followed the design principles and to a certain extent the style established by [[William Morris]] in his Kelmscott Press. For this Dent asked the [[Monotype Imaging|Monotype corporation]] to design a new typeface: [[Veronese (typeface)|Veronese]] was a remake of a foundry-face Dent had used before. Series 59 came out in 1912, and was made in the same style of the Golden Type, but with sharper slab serifs and cleaner lines. Now Dent was able to produce his texts with machines.<ref>Judy Slinn, Sebastian Carter, Richard Southall: (2014) ''History of the Monotype Corporation'', Printing Historical society (London UK) & Vanbrugh Press (Woodstock), p. 196.</ref>

This old style was later replaced in 1935 by [[Eric Ravilious]]'s designs.<ref>Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry (1961), ''Five Hundred Years of Printing''; 2nd ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; pp. 356–60.</ref> Everyman's Library books were pocket-sized [[hardcover]]s that sold initially for what was then the remarkably low price of a [[shilling]] apiece. The original U.S. distribution rights were granted to New York City publishers [[E. P. Dutton]].

The name of the publication series was suggested by poet and editor [[Ernest Rhys]], who was named head editor of the series initially, and asked to find a suitable name to encompass Dent's goal. Rhys tried and discarded many ideas before recalling a quotation from the medieval play ''[[Everyman (15th-century play)|Everyman]]'' in which the character of Knowledge says to Everyman:
:''Everyman,''
:''I will go with thee,''
:''and be thy guide,''
:''In thy most need''
:''to go by thy side.''
This quotation appears on the title page of all volumes of Everyman's Library and Everyman Paperbacks.

J. M. Dent and Company commenced the series in 1906 with an edition of [[James Boswell]]'s ''[[Life of Johnson]]'', published with a quotation on the title page from the works of [[John Milton]]: "A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured upon purpose to a life beyond life." In 1910, 500 books had been published under the Everyman trademark, and in 1956, fulfilling Dent's original goal—the thousandth volume, [[Aristotle]]'s ''[[Metaphysics]]'', having been selected for the honour, was published.

By 1975, Dent's vision had been well surpassed, as Everyman's Library consisted of 994 titles published in 1,239 volumes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://knopfdoubleday.com/  |title=Homepage: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref>|title=Fiction, Theology & Philosophy, History, Classical, For Young People, Essays, Oratory, Poetry & Drama, Biography, Reference, and Romance. The appropriate genre was printed inside and used to organise the periodically released lists of the series.<ref>''Atlas of Ancient & Classical Geography''. London: Dent, 1907; prelims.</ref>
 
After ceasing publication of new titles in the 1970s, the hardback rights to Everyman's Library were sold to the newly formed David Campbell Publishers in 1991 and relaunched with the support of the Random House Group in the United Kingdom and through Alfred A. Knopf (which had been acquired by Random House in 1960)<ref>[http://www.randomhouse.com/about/history.html About Us] Random House (retrieved 10 May 2009)</ref> in the United States, a move praised by many notable authors. Control of Everyman's Library passed to US-based Random House in 2002, who continue to publish it under the Knopf Publishers imprint there and (albeit without changes) as Random House UK elsewhere.<ref>[http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4656548-1.html Knopf snaps up Everyman's Library] Bookseller, 15 November 2002.</ref>

J. M. Dent & Sons was acquired by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1988, itself acquired by the [[Orion Publishing Group]] in 1991, now both part of [[Hachette Livre]] (UK). Orion continues to publish the unrelated Everyman Paperbacks under the J. M. Dent imprint in the UK and via [[Tuttle Publishing|Charles E. Tuttle Co.]] in the US.<ref>[http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/history.aspx About Orion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122142030/http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/history.aspx |date=2010-01-22 }} Orion Publishing Group (retrieved 10 May 2009).</ref>

The current membership of the Honorary Editorial Committee includes [[Henry Louis Gates Jr.]], [[Cynthia Ozick]] and [[Simon Schama]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://knopfdoubleday.com/imprint/everymans-library/ |title= Everyman's Library|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|date=30 April 2025}}</ref> Former committee members include [[Harold Bloom]] and [[Toni Morrison]].