June 11, 2026 · 6:30 PM
THE LAST PRINTED SEARS CATALOG
For 97 years, the Sears Big Book landed on American doorsteps. On January 25, 1993, Sears announced it would never arrive again.
A weekly archival-documentary channel quietly cataloging the last surviving instance of a vanishing North American everyday ritual — the last pay phone in Times Square, the last Blockbuster, the last Crown Vic police cruiser.
For 97 years, the Sears Big Book arrived on American doorsteps — dog-eared, circled in red ink, soft from wanting. On January 25, 1993, Sears announced the catalog would not return.
Sources:
- Sears Ends Its Catalog Operations — The New York Times, Jan. 25, 1993
- The End of the Wish Book — Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 29, 1993
- Deseret News: Sears to Close Over 100 Stores, Jan. 25, 1993
- Before Folding 30 Years Ago, the Sears Catalog Sold Some Surprising Products — Smithsonian Magazine, 2023
- 1993 Sears Spring/Summer Catalog — Internet Archive
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