William B. Jones Jr. discussed his new book, Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, with Illustrations (McFarland & Company, 2002), at the Library of Congress at 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 5, in James Madison Memorial Building. Part of the Center for the Book's Books and Beyond author series, the program was co-sponsored with the Library's Serial and Government Publications Division, home of the Library's complete collection of the Classics Illustrated series, and the Arkansas Center for the Book.

From 1941 to 1971, the well-loved yet controversial Classics Illustrated series brought abridged, comics-style versions of literary masterpieces such as Homer's Odyssey, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Goethe's Faust and Victor Hugo's Les Misérables to children and adults worldwide.

Issues of Classics Illustrated from the Library's collection were on display during the March 5 program. The Library's complete set, received through copyright deposit, is housed in the Comic Book Collection in the Serial and Government Publications Division.