The complete First Edition 20-volume collection of The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction in the early flexible hardcover blue binding published in 1917!  New York: Collier & Son, 1917. 

 The set measures 29.5" across,  8.25" tall, and is 5.75" front to back with gold page tops, an embossed shield on the front cover, and gold embellishments and lettering on the spine.  

As these are well over 100 years old, they have a  small amount of age-related cover wear on some volumes as can be seen in the pictures.

 Included are:

 Volume 1     HENRY FIELDING 1

Volume 2     HENRY FIELDING 2

Volume 3     LAURENCE STERN, JANE AUSTEN

Volume 4     SIR WALTER SCOTT

Volume 5     WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

Volume 6     WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY

Volume 7     CHARLES DICKENS 1

Volume 8     CHARLES DICKENS 2

Volume 9     GEORGE ELIOT

Volume 10    HAWTHORNE, IRVING, POE, BRET HARTE, MARK TWAIN, HALE

Volume 11    HENRY JAMES, JR

Volume 12    VICTOR HUGO

Volume 13    BALZAC, DE MAUSSET, SAND, DE MAUPASSANT

Volume 14    JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

Volume 15    GOETHE, KELLER, STORM, FONTANE

Volume 16    LEO NIKOLAEVITCH TOLSTOY

Volume 17    LEO NIKOLAEVITCH TOLSTOY

Volume 18    FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY

Volume 19    IVAN TURGENEV

Volume 20    VALERA BJORNSON KIELLAND

  In 1909, the President of Harvard University, Dr. Eliot made claims that one could get a quality education by reading from a three-feet-shelf of classics for 15 minutes a day, later changing it to five feet. Collier & Son challenged Dr. Eliot to create such a collection, the first collection of which was published in 1909.  This is the fiction part of the series as published in 1917.