Franklin Library

Franklin Library
Franklin Library books are collectible editions published by The Franklin Library, a division of The Franklin Mint (the company known for coins and collectibles). They operated from the early 1970s until around 2000, producing high-quality, often leather-bound books aimed at collectors and bibliophiles.

These books are prized for their luxurious production: full genuine leather bindings (or sometimes leatherette/quarter-bound), hubbed spines, 22k gold embossing and page edges, sewn-in silk bookmarks, acid-free paper, and often illustrations or introductions. They were typically sold via subscription series, with monthly deliveries.

Major Series
The Franklin Library released several notable series of classic literature:
100 Greatest Books of All Time (1974–1982): Their most famous and collectible series, featuring 100 volumes of world literature classics. Examples include:
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
Don Quixote by Cervantes
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Ulysses by James Joyce
And many more (full lists are available on collector sites).

100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature
Collected Stories of the World’s Greatest Writers
Pulitzer Prize Classics
Greatest Books of the 20th Century
Signed First Editions or Signed Limited Editions (some modern titles with author signatures)
Others like World’s Best-Loved Books, Mystery Library, and extensions to the 100 Greatest series.

Many of these are reprints of classics, though some were true first editions (especially signed ones).

The best places to find Franklin Library books online are:
eBay Books

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Franklin Library HOMER'S Iliad & Odyssey Set Great Books Limited Edition Leather

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8 Franklin Library Leather Bound Books 100 Greatest Books/ Limited Edition #1

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Franklin Library 100 Greatest Books in Very Good condition - select your favs

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8 Franklin Library 100 Greatest Books Leather Bound Gold Gilded Collection #3

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🪞Franklin Library Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen FACTORY SEALED IN BOX

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LOT 10 FRANKLIN LIBRARY LEATHER BOUND BOOKS COLLECTION LOT, GOLD GILDED, 70s-80s

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Franklin Library Leather Bound Classics Lot of 6 Gilt Pages Illustrated Books

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Lot Of 5 The Franklin Library 1977 Limited Edition

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Franklin Library Pulitzer Prize Editions Lot of 6 volumes Appomattox NrMINT DB

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Writings of Euclid Archimedes Apollonius Nicomachus Franklin Library Great Books

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LOT 15 FRANKLIN LIBRARY LEATHER BOUND BOOKS COLLECTION LOT, GOLD GILDED

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THE FRANKLIN LIBRARY 100 GREATEST BOOKS LOT OF 8 FIRST EDITIONS GOLD GILDED

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Franklin Library Signed Editions Lot of 12 volumes NEAR MINT DB

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Franklin Library Limited Leather Edition Books Moby Dick, Dr. Faust, Chekhov

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Set of 8 Franklin Library 100 Greatest Books Leather Bound # 6

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8 Franklin Library Leather Bound Books 100 Greatest Books/ Limited Edition #4

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LOT OF 3 LEATHER Franklin Library books political writings-Mill/Paine/Rousseau

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Lot Of 6 Franklin Library Leather Bound Gold Gilded Edges Faulkner, Hawthorne…

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Franklin Library Lot of 10 Leather Bound Books Poems/Plays -Shakespeare

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Franklin Library Greatest Books 20th Century Four Plays Eugene O'Neill NRMINT GA

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Ulysses, James Joyce, Franklin Library 1976, Limited Edition

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FRANKLIN LIBRARY Book Lot of 4 Signed First Leather Bound Books New SEALED

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Candide by Voltaire Franklin Library I978 100 Greatest Full Leather & Ed. Notes

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Lot of 3 Franklin Library Full Leather Classics Collectible Books Shelf Decor

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Franklin Library Lot of 10 Leather Bound Books 100 Greatest Swift Whitman Milton

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Don Quixote Cervantes 1976 Franklin Library Limited Edition Gustave Dore

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LOT 10 FRANKLIN LIBRARY LEATHER BOUND BOOKS COLLECTION LOT, GOLD GILDED, 70s-80s

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The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Franklin Library 1979 - VG+

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8 Franklin Library Leather Bound Books 100 Greatest Books/ Limited Edition #2

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The Iliad Homer Robert Fitzgerald Franklin Library Leather Gilt Oxford Illustrat

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Franklin library Set of 6 | Classics Ivanhoe Plato

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Like NEW Lot of 3 Franklin Library Limited Edition Leather Bound Gilt Edge Books

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My Antonia Willa Cather 1981 Franklin Library Faux Leather Hardcover

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Franklin Library Oxford Reference Classics 8 Vol Leather Set

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David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Franklin Library Hardcover Book, Free Ship

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MARK TWAIN World's Greatest Writers 1985 FRANKLIN LIBRARY Full Leather Gilt, NF-

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Franklin Library Lot 3 Madame Bovary Odyssey Canterbury Tales Leather *Damaged*

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GREATEST MASTERPIECES OF AMERICAN LITERATURE - COLLECTOR'S EDITION

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Thomas Paine Selected Writings Franklin Library Limited Collector Edition 1979

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Lot of 4 Franklin Library Leather Books Gilt Bovary Moliere Maupassant Poets

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre (1988) Franklin Library Mystery L1

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Franklin Library - Zane Grey - Collected Stories - Leather

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Franklin Library Lot of 5 Leather 100 Greatest Masterpieces American Literature

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Lot of 10 - The Franklin Library Books - Very Good Condition

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Franklin Library - The Tragedies of Sophocles - 100 Greatest Books - Leather

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Lot of 12 Franklin Library First Edition, Classics Gilt Pages, Illustrated Books

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ULYSSES by James Joyce The Franklin Library A Limited Edition 100 Greatest

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Franklin library Leather Honore De Balzac Oxford Worlds Greatest Books

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Set of Franklin Library Books in Red Decor ~ Leather Bound

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Gone With the Wind Margaret Mitchell Franklin Library 1986 Patron's Edition

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