Frank Hazenplug (1874–1931)

By 1894, Hazenplug (a.k.a. Hazen, after 1911) designed books for the Chicago firm of Stone & Kimball, and remained with its successor, Herbert S. Stone, until 1906. Other publishers for whom Hazenplug created covers including hundreds for Fleming Revell (1900–1911), as well as many for George Doran, A.C. McClurg, Reilly and Britton, Rand McNally, and John Lane (1913–1920).

Hazenplug designed several series for Stone & Kimball, including Peacock Library, English Classics, Carnation Series, and the Blue Cloth Series. His covers range from the simple to the very elaborate -- from an austere one line border on front and back with minute lettering to a wildly embellished “fretted peacock feather pattern in gold on dark blue cloth,” as described by Gullans.

Monograms: Slanting FH with one crossbar for both letters; sans serif FH, H; serifed H; conjoined Fh with the large, curved bowl in lower case h forming the crossbar of the F; FH conjoined with short crossbar of F below that of H. For an example, please see pba00125, Story of Dago by Annie F. Johnston, (L.C. Page, 1900).

Click here to search the PBO database for bindings designed by Frank Hazenplug.

Sources: Charles Gullans and John Espey, “American Trade Bindings and Their Designers, 1880–1915” (1979); Sue Allen and Charles Gullans, Decorated Cloth in America (1994). See also Peter E. Hanff, “Way & Williams, Publishers, Chicago, 1895–98,” Printing History 20, no. 2 (40, 2000): 26–35.

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