![]() Images ©HUPĪmanda Hurley: When did the red and green covers debut, and who decided it would be red for Latin and green for Greek? Is it possible that the logic was simply R = red/Roman, GR = green/Greek? The pocket-sized books with red and green jackets have become instantly recognizable. (The conversation has been edited and condensed.) (The clunky, bowdlerized translations of old have gotten much better, happily.) Designers & Books recently spoke to Tim Jones, director of design and production at Harvard University Press, about the history and appeal of Loebs. On every score but the last, the Loeb Classical Library has hewed to its founder’s vision. And the English versions would not be stilted cribs but fluid translations, “in themselves real pieces of literature.” The volumes would need to be portable, “of a size that would fit in a gentleman’s pocket,” Loeb wrote. This would be a crucial aid for readers whose command of ancient languages was shaky (or nonexistent). Inspired by similar French books he’d seen, he chose a parallel-text format, with Latin or Greek on the left page and an English translation facing it on the right. James Loeb’s intention was to publish all that was important in classical literature-from Aeschylus to Vitruvius-for the delight and edification of a wide audience. Every once in a while, someone calls Harvard University Press, the publisher, and orders the entire set for their home library. In popular culture they’ve become a visual shorthand for higher learning (and perceived high social status), showing up in Martha Stewart’s decorating schemes and Mr. ![]() ![]() Loebs are enduring and ubiquitous, gracing the shelves of every self-respecting research library and college bookstore. There are now 520 of the little red and green books in print (red for Roman authors, green for Greek). Two years later, in 1912, the first volumes in the Loeb Classical Library appeared, and they’ve been appearing ever since. James Loeb wanted books to fit easily in "a gentleman's coat pocket." Photo by Michael Rossi, ©HUP
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