I hereby coin the term "Mid-Century Library Juveniles" to describe youth books published from the 1950s to the 1980s that were primarily sold to libraries. These books were printed in hardcover with dust jacket. Since most copies were sold to libraries, surviving copies tend to be library discards in rough shape.
Some books were later reprinted in paperback by Scholastic or other mass-market publishers. For books that were reprinted, the paperback reprints tend to comprise 75% to 90% of the surviving copies. Most Mid-Century Library Juveniles are frustratingly difficult to acquire in hardcover with dust jacket.
These books tend to be either coming-of-age stories or mysteries. Some books combine a coming-of-age story with a mystery.
I have had quite a few of these books pass through my hands over the years. I haven't kept most of them, just due to lack of space. My series book collection is rather large, so I do often read and enjoy books for a while before then selling them.
These photos show examples of Mid-Century Library Juveniles that are currently in my collection. Click or tap on each photo in order to see it at a higher resolution.
When Mid-Century Library Juveniles are found in great shape with dust jackets, they usually are uncirculated copies. The uncirculated copies have a higher-than-average chance of being signed copies. My copies of The Whispering House, Don't Hurt Laurie!, and The Season of Silence are each signed by the author.
A hallmark of Mid-Century Library Juveniles is that the publisher's summary found on the front and back flaps of the dust jacket reveals too much of the plot. In fact, the summary often reveals the ending of the book. Why do that? I prefer to discover what will happen as I read the book. I learned long ago never to read the summaries of these books until after I have finished reading the book.
All books seen in this post have been reviewed in this blog. Use the search feature or the tags in the right sidebar to find the reviews.
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