Henry Altemus Company

The following are questions submitted via email by our visitors.

If you have a question about Altemus books that you'd like answered please click on the Questions link at the bottom left of this page.

Young People's Library

Q:  My friend was in an antique store and found this 1895 edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, published by Henry Altemus. It is priced at $150. The internet has conflicting prices and information. The book is in good condition. Would you mind letting me know if this price is reasonable or what your thoughts are. Thanks

A:  $150 is high. First you have to figure out which edition it is. Take a look here to determine when it was published between 1895-1898.
../series/series202F1.htm

The true Altemus first is worth more than later copies.

The prices for this book as well as the later Young People's Library reprints are hard to figure. What I mean is that the later Alice's in the Young People's Library. ( See ../series/series202F2.htm and ../series/series202F3.htm frequently are promoted as earlier and rarer than they are and unknowing buyers will pay $50-100 for a copy. This is despite the fact that not only are they buying a misdescribed book but they are buying a very, very common book.

Getting back to your book. The condition is not great so even if it is the 1895 edition, it is not worth the money. Maybe $50-75 if you just have to have it. If not, you can be patient and pick up a better copy for $25-50.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Dear Sirs:
I have an old publication of A Child's Garden of Verses and I wish to know the date it was published. The book measures 4 1/4 by 6 1/4. The cover is blue, with a narrow picture of some old buildings, by, what appears to be a river. The title page is in red ink, with decorations of green. Below title is printed

PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY

There is no date in the book. In the back of the book is listed the books that were published by Henry Altemus Company, beginning with:
Abbe Constantin, The. Halevy.
The last book listed is:
Half-A-Dozen Housekeepers. By Kate Douglas

Please, I would like to know the printing date of this book. I know it is very old by the yellowed pages. What I find strange is that there are NO DATES in the book, not even in the listings in the back of the book naming previous published books by that company.

I would greatly appreciate your help, and I thank you in advance!

A:  Your book was published in 1907. It is part of the Vademecum Series.
It is a late reprint of this title.

See ../vademecum.htm

Boys and Girls Classics (old)

Q:  I am interested in any information about this book.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Published by Henry Altemus Company

A:  Your book is part of the Boys and Girls' Classics Series.

You can date your book by following the information here: ../series/series58.htm

It originally came in a labeled box. It is not a first edition but rather a later reprint. When it sells, it is usually for less than $15.

Golden Treasury Series

Q:  Hi, I recently came across your site while trying to do some research on an old book I have. I would like to know when it was published or printed. I am attaching a picture of the front cover I hope it is helpful. I went through the pictures on the website for "Line Upon Line" but didn't see a cover that resembled mine. I appreciate your time and patience with helping me, and if you have any questions or need more information, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks!

A:  Your book is part of Series #99- Golden Treasury Series

It can be found here: ../series/series99.htm

1899-1900 publication date.

Boys and Girls Classics (newer)

Q:  we would like to know if this book (Mother Goose's Rhymes Jingles and Fairy Tales) belongs to henry altemus and what year it was printed, it has no copyright or author, and how much this book may be worth in your opinion we got it at a yard sale for two dollars and want to know if it was worth it.

A:  It was published in 1908 or later. The exact year can be determined by the ads in the back of the book.

You can find out more about your book here: ../series/series57.htm

It only has nominal value.

Life of Service Series

Q:  I recently in the past day acquired a Henry Altemus Company Hard Cover book from a garage sale for .50 Cents. Here are the known specs:

Publisher: Henry Altemus Company - Philadelphia
Title: The Greatest Thing In The World
Author Henry Drummond

From what I can gleam from your website, the book I have may be apart of the 'Friendship & Love Series' or the 'In His Name Series', Because it has the Pillar Supporting the Title on the Left and a Flowery cover on the right. But All I am sure of is that it was published some time after 1901 because of how the Publishers name is indicated.
Herein attached are photos of the Book in Question.

A:  Your book is part of the Life of Service Series.

See: ../series/series121.htm

As you can see it is a Format 2 book. Your book's format was published from 1915 to about 1924. I cannot narrow any particular book down further unless you have the dust jacket which has some information on the reverse.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  Can you please tell me the publishing date of this version of The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Longfellow, how many copies were printed, the price of the copy at the time, and anything else that might be interesting?

A:  For information about your book see ../series/series143.htm

I do not know how many copies were printed. It cost 50 cents when new and came with a labeled box.

It has only nominal value.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  Hi, Can you tell me if this book is rare? I can’t find it anywhere. It’s in really good condition. It’s Silas Marner by George Eliot. 1899. Please see the photos attached and I’d appreciate any information you can provide.

A:  Although your book is not rare, finding it in nice shape with the original labeled box is very uncommon.

See: ../series/series143.htm. If you scroll down you can see some of the variants of the 1899 format you have.

Vademecum Series

Q:  What can you tell me about this book (Vicar of Wakefield). It says copyrighted 1899 by Henry Altemus Company. Is it a first edition?

A:  Your book was published in 1903.

See: ../vademecum.htm and ../series/series180.htm

It is a reprint and only has nominal value.

Non Series #23

Q:  I have attached a picture of the Black Beauty book I have. Inside the book says copyright 1897 by Henry Altemus. I saw on the internet a discussion with someone else that has this book. Just wondered if you all came to any conclusion of a value on it?

A:  I believe that this book has only nominal value when it has no dust jacket. The dust jacket is pictured at ../images/NS_23.jpg