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