If you've just recently discovered Grace Livingston Hill, it's likely that you've never heard of a wonderful part of vintage editions called the "frontispiece" or "frontis".

This now-rare feature is an illustration in color that gave the reader a sense of the book's contents. Quite often it was also used for the dust jacket, or in the case of the early Marcia Schuyler trilogy, it may have been used as part of the "paste-on illustration", which was a small piece that was actually glued to the front cover of the book. A piece of tissue paper was also found in many early books. It was bound next to the frontispiece to protect the artwork.

The frontispiece, as you may have guessed, is found at the front of the book and is generally opposite the title page. Early reprints by Grosset & Dunlap sometimes included the frontispiece, but usually it was in black and white since the reprints were decidedly cheaper editions.

The most notable frontispiece was painted by Norman Rockwell before his Saturday Evening Post days. His artwork, which is shown above, appears in "A Voice in the Wilderness" and was also used for the dust jacket in some editions.

Many books also included illustrations throughout the book. One of the prime examples is the Marcia Schuyler trilogy. These books all contain reproductions of paintings by Grace's cousin-in-law, E.L. Henry. He was a noted painter in his day and was known for his paintings of the early 1800's. His work fitted nicely with the storyline and having permission to use those paintings helped Grace to win her first contract with J.B. Lippincott publishers. You can see them at our sister site, Illustrations from the Marcia Schulyer Trilogy along with an example of a frontispiece by Anna Whelan Betts that was also used for the cover's paste-on.

"Lo, Michael" in its early edition has a color frontis and inside illustrations. One of the later books, "The White Lady" from 1930, includes a frontispiece and three illustrations in its first edition. This is one of the GLH books published using her psuedonymn, Marcia Macdonald.

Interested in starting or adding to your vintage hardback collection? Check the list of GLH titles to see which is the first edition publisher and then take a look at my favorite vintage GLH site, abebooks or check out what's for sale over at ebay to start collecting.

We're reading this together in May 2012 and the new release in Barbour's Love Endures series is Tomorrow About This Time. Originally published in 1923, this book is a "tale of two half-sisters" both coming to their father after being raised without him. These girls have led very different lives and the sparks fly! Pick up a copy of this title to check out the new edition. I haven't reviewed this one, but they have been pretty consistent about not changing the content. They are editing words that have changed connotation over the years and those that they consider to be confusing for today's young reader.

You can also download the Kindle and NOOKeditions online or get a vintage hardback copy at abebooks.

Even though Silver Greeves has never known her father, she anxiously awaits a time when she will meet the man who sent her away as an infant following her mother’s death. Patterson Greeves does not want to be reminded of the woman he lost—not even by the child she left behind. But an unexpected visit from Silver soon brings father and daughter together. When another unexpected guest arrives, Silver comes face to face with a sister she never knew she had—and Patterson must face another daughter he’d just as soon forget. Will Silver’s faith mend broken bonds?