In the early years Atwater Kent catalogs were a joy to behold. They were bound in simple but attractive covers, printed on quality stock, and included excellent photos and descriptions of their radios and factory.

The AK 1929 catalog cover was printed in gold and yellow inks on textured red cover stock.  My copy includes a price list dated November 4, 1929, wherein prices had been reduced by about 20% in the wake of the stock market crash.

Most GR catalogs had rather simple covers, both before and after World War II.  Catalog L is one of the exceptions, with photographs of some of the diverse line of instruments manufactured at their Cambridge, MA, factory.

1960s Hewlett-Packard catalogs were study, hardcover volumes that were among the classiest, most thorough and best illustrated instrument catalogs ever produced.  Many of them, however, had rather plain covers, but the covers of their 1965 catalog were very attractive.

Tektronix catalogs are extremely detailed and highly collectable.  The central illustration on this cover is of a classic large Tek oscilloscope mainframe - the 7704, the top of the line in 1970.