What were the top 20 mail order catalogs of the early 20th century?

Otto, Quelle, and Conrad.

Montgomery Ward

Sears

JC Penny

Lord and Tailor

Spiegel

Try googling “wishbooks”.

Orion Telescope

LL Bean
Eddie Bauer
Littlewoods
Miles Kimball
Vermont Country Store
Walter Drake
Lillian Vernon
Lands’ End

I used to love getting catalogs in the mail, as a kid — particularly the Sears and Roebuck holiday one.

Locally, we had Child World Toy Store catalogs too. Great stuff.

As an aside, if there was ever a company poised to transition to online shopping, it was Sears — arguable the mail-order kings. They could have been Amazon. Shame they missed the boat and are gone now.

JC Penney

Most of the names listed above were not available in the early 1900s.

I googled JC Penney and their first catalog was in the 1950s.

I know L.L. Bean was an early 20th century catalog because my mom remembers my granddad in Colorado wore their boots in the 1930s-1940s.

Land’s End began as a 1960s boating supply shop. I used to visit the clothing outlet which was on the site of their Chicago sail shop. And by sail I mean they sold sails for sailboats. The familiar clothing catalog came along in the 1970s.

1940 JC Penney catalog

@Tropical_Willie

??

I get a Sears catalog at that link. I was trusting Wikipedia – “In 1963, J. C. Penney issued its first catalog.” I don’t mind being proven wrong.

There was a Christmas catalog I think in the late 1930s.