Emanuel Haldeman-Julius and the Education of the Poor of America

Emanuel Haldeman-Julius was born in Philadelphia in 1889, the son of poor Russian immigrants. Emanuel did not achieve much at school and worked in various jobs until he found his niche as a reporter for a variety of socialist newspapers. He married a wealthy heiress, became a publisher and eventually achieved fame and wealth. The cornerstone of his success was producing little blue books selling at five cents each. Eventually he published 500 million copies of these books which the poor were able to buy because of their low price. It is argued that Haldeman-Julius's publications made a major contribution to the cultural background, both scientific and literary, of the period in the United States of America. His little blue books were bought by children as the cheapest source of information. They were also purchased by working men intent on self advancement. The booklets reflected his general view and that of his authors, being socialist in politics and atheist in religious outlook. They promoted sex education, evolutionary theory and a wide range of excellent literature. However even with Haldeman-Julius's knowledge of and enthusiasm for evolution, he failed to see the demise of the little blue books, which did not change sufficiently over time.