Barnes & Noble brought out their first set of collectible leather-bound classic editions in 1992. The contents were omnibus editions, binding up multiple titles by the same author in a single book, and initial designs were very traditional, with dark (bonded) leather covers featuring gold text and simple foiled borders on the front and back boards, raised bands on the spine, gilt page edges, decorative endpapers, and a sewn-in ribbon bookmark. The size was typically around 9-10 inches high and 6-7 inches wide.

These first books were typically brought out in two formats – one ‘casebound’ (a typical hardback) and a more limited number of ‘leatherbound’ copies. The contents of books were identical, with the copyright page including both ISBNs, and they were printed on environmentally friendly archival paper by Lyons Falls Pulp & Paper. In 2005, the release of the highly decorated edition of The Complete Works of Lewis Carroll started a new revolution, leading into the much more decorative editions we know and recognise as making up the Barnes & Noble Collectible Classics series today. The books were originally marketed as ‘leatherbound Barnes & Noble Exclusive Books’ until around 2007, and the loose collection of books listed below (which for ease of reference I call ‘the original series’) includes all the leatherbound classics that were published between 1992-2006.