Classics Illustrated

Classics Illustrated was an American comic book series that adapted works of literature into illustrated form, created to introduce younger and reluctant readers to the classics. Albert Kanter launched it in October 1941 as Classic Comics, opening with The Three Musketeers; the line passed to the Gilberton Company in 1942 and took the Classics Illustrated name in 1947.

Each issue was a numbered adaptation of a single literary title — Ivanhoe as #2, Moby Dick as #5, A Tale of Two Cities as #6 — and the original American run reached 169 issues before ceasing publication in 1971 under Twin Circle. The line was revived several times afterwards, by First Comics (1990-1991), Acclaim Books (1997-1998) and Papercutz (2008-2014), and many of the original titles remain in print as reprints.

Because every entry adapts a different author's book, the number attached to each one is its issue number in the line, not a reading order. The volumes are independent and can be read in any sequence.