How are the books bound?

Most of the books are bound in “Sundour cloth” (Morton Sundour was a British textile maker), each featuring a different repetitive single-coloured design for the binding and endpapers, designed by Alexander H. Williamson. These binding designs are so charming that is it one of the rare series where the presence of a dust jacket typically has minimal influence on pricing, because most people display them without the dust jackets. Around about 1972, these designed covers were replaced with a plain coloured cloth cover with the title in a gold box. A 1971 edition of Poe’s Tales of Terror and Fantasy (#91) is the latest book I’ve sighted with the decorative cloth.

What are the books like on the inside?

Each volume has four or more colour plates and drawings in the text by noted artists. The typography is thoughtful, and the books are a comfortable size for reading. One quirk is the sizing – some are 8″ by 5⅝”, and others are slightly taller at 8¾” by 5⅝”, which can be a bit irritating if you like your shelves uniform! They are pretty robust (sewn binding, etc), but the cloth can get grubby with rough handling by small children – which is common for many volumes given their age and attractive design.