The birth of Scribner’s illustrated classics

The early collections of folktales, poems, and short stories by Scribner’s gained such popularity that the publisher decided to illustrate a full-length novel. This led to the first ‘official’ book in the series (according to Princeton University Library’s Scribner finding aid): N. C. Wyeth’s illustrated edition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, published on September 30, 1911. The previous four books were initially precursors to the series but were marketed under the ‘Illustrated Classics’ branding by 1920. These early volumes were typically quarto-sized hardcovers bound in black cloth with a pictorial plate on the front cover. The illustrations were commissioned from notable artists of the time, many by N. C. Wyeth, a former student of Howard Pyle who had gained recognition illustrating Scribner’s monthly magazines.

Treasure Island‘s success encouraged Scribner to continue with more illustrated novels, initially focusing on adventure stories for older children and often retaining Wyeth for the artwork. Over 12 years, Wyeth illustrated nine of the next 15 books, eventually contributing to 16 titles in the series. In 1925, Scribner expanded its definition of ‘classic’ to include another Wyeth-illustrated novel, Drums by James Boyd. They also republished earlier books from their catalogue for younger children, including Peter Pan and Wendy, Little Lord Fauntleroy and Wind in the Willows, originally released with pen and ink illustrations, but now updated with full color artwork. 

Is the series still in print?

Books in the series have been re-released in various formats throughout the years, sometimes featuring new illustrators. Notable examples include Trina Schart Hyman’s delightful illustrations for Peter Pan, and Aldo Galli’s moving art for Watership Down.

In 1978 the company merged with Atheneum and became known as The Scribner Book Companies. They then began re-releasing the volumes illustrated by N. C. Wyeth, issuing one each year for the next 15 years. In 1990, Simon & Schuster acquired Scribner, adding new titles to the series under the Atheneum imprint. These included older classics such as Robin Hood and Robinson Crusoe that had been illustrated by N. C. Wyeth for other publishers, and new titles like The Call of the Wild, White Fang and The Red Badge of Courage in the early 2000s. More recently, titles such as Bambi, Watership Down and the new Hyman-illustrated edition of Peter Pan have been released during the recent series revival.