Chicago: R.R. Donnelley Press, 1903-2019. In 120 volumes (including three duplicates), comprising: Green Lakeside Press Classics, 1903-1927; Red Lakeside Press Classics, 1928-1952; Blue Lakeside Press Classics, 1953-1977; Brown Lakeside Press Classics, 1978-2002; Light Green Lakeside Press Classics, 2003-2019. 8vo. Many with plates and maps (some folding). Original cloth, stamped in gilt, generally in very good condition, spotting to covers and text blocks of several volumes. Provenance: Corwith and Joan Hamill (book-plate in most volumes). Caxton Chicago 101, 24

A complete collection of the longest-running and continuous series of books in the world. First conceived by Thomas E. Donnelley (son of Richard Robert Donnelley), the R.R. Donnelley & Sons firm has published one volume a year at Christmas since 1903. The first few volumes focused on speeches and writings of noted Americans, but by 1911, the selections began emphasizing first-person narratives of American history, relating to frontier life, the Civil War, early exploration, and overland voyages. Most were written in the mid-19th century, and had become hard to obtain, and include works written by Zebulon Pike, John Long, Alexander Ross, and Alexander Mackenzie. By 1995, selections became more globally-focused, reflecting the expansion of the R.R. Donnelley company.
The Lakeside Classics are "understood to be a uniquely Chicago product...In his preface to the 1928 volume, Donnelley, reflecting on the commitment to continue the series for another twenty-five years, wrote, 'If the traditions of any press in America will continue for this length of time, we believe those of the Lakeside Press will.' The history of this venerable company and its annual Lakeside Classics is inextricably linked to, and closely interwoven with, the history of Chicago and its reputation as a place where commercial printing and the allied arts were pioneered and flourished" (Coventry, Chicago by the Book 101 Publications that Shaped the City and its Image, p. 63).