Our Books

Access for Reading & Study

JLM will be glad to permit access to any book for reading or study. Most books can be transferred for study to the St. Clair County library, which is also located in Osceola. Some books are too fragile to be moved. If desired, a copy can be made at the expense of the reader.

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Publications for Sale

Certain publications from the period 1880–1910, written or edited by Thomas M. Johnson, have been preserved and a limited number of these are now offered for sale. These items are not reprints; they are the original publications which have been in storage in Osceola, Missouri, since their publication. (Two exceptions are Platonist Vol. 1 No. 4, and Vol. 2 No. 2 — these have been duplicated from sole surviving originals.) All copies are in good condition.

Prices include postage:

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Our Collections

• The Platonist and Bibliotheca Platonica — periodicals published during the 1880s dealing with Platonic philosophy.
• Proclus’ Metaphysical Elements (1909), Exhortation of Iamblichus (1907), and Opuscula Platonica (1908).
• Works of Thomas Taylor (English Platonist, 1758–1835) — over 20 volumes written or translated by Taylor.
• Books of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries — more than 100 volumes, valuable for intellectual history and early printing.
• Greek literature — over 500 volumes (many in Greek), plus works on Greek life, history, and religion.
• Early English literature — substantial holdings from the 17th and 18th centuries.
• The Theosophy movement — works by and about Helen Blavatsky and Annie Besant, among others.
• Magic and the occult — including earlier roots (e.g., Cornelius Agrippa) and later works (e.g., Haute Magic, Paris 1861).
• Early reference works — examples include Suidas’ Lexicon (Kuster ed., 1705), Bayle’s Dictionary (1736), and Pauly-Wissowa Real Encyclopädie (German, 27 vols., 1910).
• India — about 300 volumes; many from the estate of Helen M. Johnson, a Sanskrit scholar who lived in India.
• Foreign literature — notable French holdings (about 200 volumes) plus smaller collections from Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, and Latin America.
• Children’s literature — about 150 volumes from around 1900.
• Law and economics — about 1,000 law books from Thomas M. Johnson II’s legal career and about 1,500 economics books from 20 years of teaching.
• Latin language and literature — over 200 volumes, including books dating from the 1600s and 1700s.
• Ancient art and archaeology — detailed drawings, monuments, statues, and excavation accounts reflecting Franklin P. Johnson’s interests.
• Early travel books — over 100 volumes printed before 1914 (Europe and Asia).
• Early periodicals — holdings from 1700–1850 (England and America), including examples like Rambler, Spectator, and a Godey’s Lady Book (1835).
• Late 19th & early 20th century periodicals — cultural reflections (e.g., Youth’s Companion), plus titles reflecting interest in Indian thought (e.g., Buddhism, Hindustan Review).