Sterling Classics

Update: Unfortunately, Sterling has let these titles fall out of print. As that detracts from our favorite aspect of the series (uniformity), we have decided to discontinue ordering the few that are left new, though we will continue to purchase nice used copies. Limited titles still available!

The Sterling Classics series offers something most comparable series don't—uniformity. Each handsome hardcover volume is illustrated in black and white by Scott McKowen, with full-color dust jacket art by the same. Thick pages with clearly printed text make these excellent books for kids, able to withstand years of use by multiple young readers.

Each classic text is unabridged, so you don't need to worry whether your children are getting the "whole story." Attractive "Ex Libris" pages allow kids (or their parents) to personalize their copy. Because these books are affordable and pleasing to the eye, we're hoping to make them a standard choice for those wanting to collect a quality children's library.

None of the content is particularly objectionable in any of these titles, though philosophically and thematically some of them will be over most kids' heads (particularly Frankenstein and Dracula). Also, while McKowen's artwork is surprisingly adaptable, there are titles for which it seems less well-suited—the volume of stories by Poe, for instance.

Despite these (minor) drawbacks, this is unreservedly one of the best children's classics series we've seen. Each volume is durable and attractive (both to kids and their parents) and surprisingly affordable. We also appreciate the publishers have chosen not to dilute the offerings with non-classic or substandard material the way many other publishers have. Sterling Classics are highly recommended!

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Parent Categories
7 Items found Print
Active Filters: 11th grade (Ages 16-17)
Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Sterling Classics
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 7th-12th grade
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)
Dracula
Sterling Classics
by Bram Stoker, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 10th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 8th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Gulliver's Travels
Sterling Classics
by Jonathan Swift, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Satire/Social Commentary for 9th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Oliver Twist
Sterling Classics
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Scott McKowen
Unabridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
Realistic Fiction for 10th-12th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Robinson Crusoe
Sterling Classics
by Daniel Defoe, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 10th-Adult
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
Sterling Classics
by Edgar Allen Poe, illustrated by Scott McKowen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Mystery & Suspense (Location: FIC-MYS)