Boni Paper Books Set; The Return of the Hero; The Master of the Day of Judgment; By the Waters of Manhattan; Prize Poems 1913-1929

Octavo, [four volumes]. Publisher's original paperback covers, detailed illustrations on covers and endpapers. Solid text blocks, lightly soiled covers, a few stains along edges, internally fine. Housed in the publisher's black and beige cloth slipcase, "Early Paperbacks" in black on blue paper label affixed to spine. The Boni family, including Charles and his brother, Albert, were pioneers in the field of publishing. The brothers began with the Little Leather Library, a set of 30 miniature classics bound in lamb. This was followed by a collaboration with Horace Liveright to launch the Modern Library in 1917. After facing professional differences with Liveright, the Boni brothers opened their own publishing house which allowed each man to pursue his own projects. Charles Boni created Boni Paper Books, a monthly paperback subscription service that yielded 16 total pieces before he quit in 1931 due to limited interest during the Great Depression era.