A comparative roundup of book clubs new and old
Here is a capsule listing of a cross section of active clubs. Readers should write them directly for further information. All clubs use negative option (explained above) unless otherwise indicated. Shipping costs are extra except as noted. GENERAL INTEREST
Skip to next paragraph
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
* Book-of-the-Month Club, 485 Lexington Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017. Est. 1926. All categories of nonfiction and fiction. Fifteen bulletins yearly: 1 main , 15 alternate selections; 700 backlist titles annually. Minimum purchase usually 4 books, no time limit. Discounts 10 to 20 percent. Prices $8.95 to $15. 95; average $13.95.
* Literary Guild of America, Garden City, N.Y. 11530. Est. 1926. Current fiction, nonfiction. Often club editions scaled-down from publishers'. Fourteen bulletins yearly: 2 main, 100 alternate selections; yearly backlist and discounts not disclosed. Minimum purchase usually 4 books, no time limit. Prices $6.95 to $17.95; average $11.95.
* Preferred Choice Bookplan, One Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016. Est. 1979 . Fiction, nonfiction. Occasionally club editions scaled down from publishers'. Fifteen bulletins yearly: 1 main, 10 to 13 alternate selections; over 500 backlist titles annually. No minimum purchase required. Discounts 30 percent. Prices $10 to $25; average $12 to 15. PAPERBACKS
* Quality Paperback Book Club, Middletown, Pa. 17057. Est. 1974. Fiction and nonfiction paperbacks. Some books available only through club (45 this year). Fifteen bulletins yearly: 1 main, 8 or 9 alternate selections; 500 backlist titles annually. No minimum purchase required. Discounts up to 25 percent. Prices $3.95 to $20; average $6.95. CLASSICS
* Library of America, One Lincoln Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10022. Est. 1982. Collected works of classic US authors (Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Whitman on spring list) in uniform slipcase editions of up to 1,500 pages. Priced at $19 .95. Marketing handled by Time-Life Books. Books mailed automatically for 15 days' examination. No minimum purchase required. Jacketed editions (by the Viking Press) available in stores to nonsubscribers at $25. Eight volumes planned for '82. Series could run to 100 volumes.
* Folio Society, c/o Expediters of the Printed Word Ltd., 527 Madison Avenue, Suite 1217, New York, N.Y. 10022. Est. 1947. British editions of major and minor classics, specially bound and illustrated. Yearly prospectus lists 14 new selections, over 100 backlist titles. Members order once a year. Minimum purchase 4 books yearly. Prices $14 to $30 postpaid; average $22. Books not available in stores.
* Limited Editions Club, 551 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017. Founded 1929 . Hand-numbered, custom-designed, specially printed editions of major and minor classics, using fine materials. Often signed by writer or artist. Membership limited to 2,000. Books not available in stores. Members get 10 books yearly, described in annual prospectus. Price $1,000.
* The Heritage Club, 47 Richards Avenue, Norwalk, Conn. 06857. Est. 1935 as sister organization to Limited Editions Club. No longer affiliated. Publishes classics in the public domain, with special attention to design, binding, and materials. Each volume $13.50. Number of new selections per year and size of backlist not disclosed. Members order once a year. Purchase requirement: 1 book per month. Books not sold in stores.
* The Classics Club, Rosalyn, N.Y. 11576. Est. 1941. Major classics in uniform, specially bound editions. Number of selections not disclosed. No minimum purchase required. Prices $8.49. HISTORY/POLITICS/ECONOMICS
