Copyright Details

Book League editions do not list copyright pages in the traditional sense. Instead, they reissued previously published works under existing U.S. copyright, which remained with the original publishers or the author.

Because this volume contains well-known stories such as:

• The Necklace

• Love

• The Piece of String

• Babette

• Boule de Suif

…it draws from earlier U.S. translations originally published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Your copy reflects:

• No printed copyright date

• Standard Book League production style

• A reprint issued under book-club distribution rights

This is not a first edition or first American translation.

📘 Book History

Guy de Maupassant is one of the foundational figures of 19th-century French short fiction. His stories shaped modern realism and influenced writers as diverse as Tolstoy, Chekhov, Henry James, and O. Henry.

Themes commonly represented in this collection include:

• Human hypocrisy

• Social pressure and moral appearance

• War and class conflict

• Irony and sudden reversals

• Everyday tragedies rendered with psychological precision

The Book League of America issued many classic authors to introduce middle-class readers to major literature affordably during the Depression and pre-WWII years.

This edition is significant historically because:

• It reflects the democratization of literary access during the era

• It circulated widely among homes where expensive editions were unattainable

• It preserves early 20th-century American translations that shaped U.S. understanding of Maupassant

However, it is not rare from a bibliographic standpoint.

📚 Description of Contents

This edition includes:

• A selection of Maupassant’s best-known stories

• Standard Book League typography

• Decorative title page border typical of 1930s Book League editions

• No illustrations except for the front-page decorative block

• Compact chapter layout with minimal ornamentation

The paper is uncoated, pulpy, and prone to browning — characteristic of Book League publications.

📦 Physical Condition

Covers

• Blue-gray cloth boards

• Significant sun-fading across spine and top edges

• Embossed device on cover faint from wear

• Moderate rubbing and shelfwear

• Corners softened

• No dust jacket present

Interior

• Pages evenly toned with age (normal for Book League paper)

• Typography clear and legible

• Binding appears intact

• No major tears, staining, or writing noted

Overall condition: Good− to Fair, primarily due to exterior fading and absence of dust jacket.

⭐ Special Features

Although not rare, your copy has:

• A complete mid-century story collection from one of the most important short-story writers in Western literature

• The classic Book League layout

• Period-typical translations historically significant in bringing Maupassant to American audiences

Collectors focus more heavily on early French printings, first American editions, or decorative limited editions. Book League volumes are valued for readership and nostalgia rather than rarity.