Collecting Calla Editions

Background

Dover Publications (also known as Dover Books) is an American publisher that has been around since 1941, and is best known for its very cheap paperback reproductions of classic literature and public domain images. However, in 2008 Dover launched a premium imprint called Calla Editions, which primarily reproduces works from the “golden age of illustration” – a period when bookmaking was a beloved art form and many stunningly illustrated books were produced. A large number of books in the Calla Editions series are cloth-bound facsimiles of deluxe editions of illustrated children’s classics, but there are also original designs, photo collections, recipe books and other non-fiction selections. The publisher’s page is missing about half of the volumes, so I have made this collector’s guide for those of you interested in tracking down individual volumes to complete a collection, as well as sharing a few notes and reviews on the production values for each of the books.

Are Calla Editions worth it?

I have a large number of these books in my own collection, so I definitely think they represent good quality for a reasonable price point – although the quality can be a little hit or miss depending on when the volume was printed. The majority of the books are covered in quality buckram cloth and gilt decorations, although a few have dust jackets over plain covers and some have paper covers which are prone to damage. The paper is heavyweight and sturdy, most often 100# Utopia II Ivory or 150gsm Chinese Premium paper. Most of the books have Smyth sewn bindings, although a few are only glued. Some are printed in the US, some in China. The price point is fair for books sold in the US, particularly since they are often available on sale, but they are solid, heavy volumes which can make them much more expensive in other countries due to additional shipping costs. They used to be excellent value in other countries too, but in recent years (since about 2018) the prices have been steadily climbing, and a full price Calla edition is now inching closer to a discounted Folio Society volume (in which case I’d generally say go for the higher quality Folio, with a few notable exceptions). 

Calla Editions vs Folio Society vs Barnes & Noble

Various different publishers have produced facsimiles of the same golden age fairy tale publications, including most comprehensively the series put out by Folio Society and Barnes & Noble. Overall, Calla Editions and Folio Society books are similar in size, design and feel, but Calla use a more budget binding and do not provide a slipcase. Barnes & Noble’s children’s classics series have pretty bespoke leather bindings, but they are much smaller and generally have poorer image quality than Calla. Almost all of the Folio Society editions are bound in cloth, while only some of the Calla Editions are clothbound and others have paper boards. There is in fact quite a significant overlap of titles for their children’s books, particularly since both publishers have produced facsimiles of the same golden age fairy tale publications. In a rare couple of cases, I actually prefer the Calla editions over the Folio Society equivalents because even though the quality is marginally lower, the Calla versions may have a greater number of illustrations because they are facsimiles of a different edition, or the text has been reset in a nicer layout (particularly the Poe, Peter Pan and Aesop volumes). The reproduction of the illustrations is usually a little crisper in Folio Society editions because they almost always use an original volume to create their facsimile editions, while some of the Calla Editions are based on a second edition (essentially making a copy of a copy) and the colour plates therefore appear a little softer. I have also noticed that the black and white sketches in the Calla editions can sometimes look like they weren’t properly cleaned up after scanning, so there can be the occasional artefact not present in the original. But overall, they are good value, have excellent shelf presence, and will find a welcome home in your library if you are a fan of the golden age illustrators.

Are any Calla Editions valuable?

Most titles stay in print for several years, but typically once a title has gone out of print it is removed from their website and no longer available except through second hand sources. Some of the more desirable and rare (which usually means more expensive in the second-hand market) out of print volumes include Frankenstein (a Calla original); The Ship that Sailed to Mars (facsimile of a 1923 edition); and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (facsimile of a 1922 edition). These titles are not easy to track down and you can expect to pay a premium for them unless you are lucky or patient. 

How many books in the series? Is it still active?

As of January 2022, 94 titles have been released, including about 20 volumes that are out of print. Despite a smaller publication schedule in recent years (and nothing in 2020/21 due to pandemic materials shortage), there are new volumes in the pipeline expected for release later in 2022. 

But which Calla editions are the most beautiful?

Well, this is very much a personal decision. But if you’re really interested in my opinion, I think the star standout volumes are Hamlet (2010), The Ship that Sailed to Mars (2011), Tanglewood Tales (2012), Peter Pan (2013), Frankenstein (2016) and Fairyland (2016). I will note that the earlier publications had more varied bindings and are generally of higher quality. There was a period around 2012/2013 when printing was first outsourced to China and the bindings changed to paper where the quality noticeably dropped. More recently, production has remained in China, but the bindings are mostly cloth again, and production quality is respectable. Personally, I don’t love the dust jackets that are on some of the volumes, but you can easily remove them if you want your series to match, as the boards underneath are cloth-covered and generally also feature gilt titles in keeping with the rest of the clothbound series.

Where can I get the books?

Dover do sell in print Calla Edition books from their website, which is a viable option if you are located in the US – but they rarely offer them at any sort of discount so you are probably better off supporting your local indie if you’re willing to pay full price, or browsing the selection available at a big box store like Amazon if you are looking for a discount. For out of print volumes or cheap second hand copies (and this is quite viable for the cloth bound editions as they are relatively robust – I have ex-library copies in my collection that were still in excellent condition after circulation), I recommend checking availability at Abes.