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.

Golden Treasury of Religious Thought

Q:  I have a first edition “Gold Dust” (“A Collection of Golden Counsels for the Sanctification of Daily Life – Translated and Abridged From the French by E.L.E.B.”), “Edited by Charlotte M Yonge, Copyrighted 1897 by Henry Altemus” – “To E.B.H. This Little Book is Most Lovingly Dedicated”.
It was given to my Great Aunt for Christmas 1898 and is so inscribed. It is in pretty good condition (no loose pages or darkening on pages). Can you please tell me what it may be worth? An earlier post mentions that these books (series) were not published until after 1907. However, if I am to believe the publish date and personal inscription, this one is prior to that time?
Thank you for any assistance you are able to give.

A:  Your book was published in 1898 and is part of the Golden Treasury of Religious Thought Series.

You will note that this book originally came with a dust jacket.

Altemus published this title numerous times in many different series. The Altemus editions are reprints. I know of 1880 editions of this book published by Dutton in the US and by an English publisher.

It is unlikely you could get more a than a few dollars for your book.

Belles Lettres Series

Q:  Can you help me with the age and possible value. I have found a lot of similar items but not this exact one.. Nature and Art. Ralph Waldo Emerson. There are no dates at all. None. There is a 507 509 511 513 Cherry street Philadelphia and a price of .25 per volume. The front cover is very nice in green and silver foil like printing. The corners are rough. The inside is perfect and the spine is in thread. Any info would be appreciated.

A:  This book is part of the Belles Lettres Series and was published in 1896.

The 31 titles in this series are all reprints and have little value. During the three year publication of this series six cover formats were published.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hello, I have a book (see attached pictures) and I am wondering how old it is. I think, from what I've read, it's about 1880. Fairy Land of Science, Author: Arabella B. Buckley

Any information you can provide would be appreciated.

No Inscription or publishing date

Last Entry in book is:
Publications of Henry Altemus Company (Heading)
..Baby's Requirements By Elisabeth R. Scovil. 16mo, 25c.

A:  This book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published between 1909 and 1912. As with all of the books of this series, it is a reprint and since it is not a very collectible title, has only nominal value. It originally came in a red labeled box. An example of the box is shown here.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  I looked for this book (Reveries of a Bachelor) many times on many sites.... Would you let me know what year this book was written?

A:  This book is part of the Petit Trianon Series and was published in 1899-1900.

During this year the left side of the cover is the same on all of the books while the right side has been seen with more than 25 different decorative patterns.

These books originally came in a labeled box. An example is shown here.

All of the books of this series are reprints and have minimal value except for a few widely collected titles.

Vademecum Series

Q:  I am trying to find the year this book was published and if this is the author's signature. and approximate value of this book (Natural Law in the Spiritual World). Thank you.

A:  Your book was published in 1902 as part of Vademecum Series. It originally came within a labeled box. Since Drummond died in 1897, it is not his signature. The title is common and the Altemus reprints have only nominal value.

Devotional Series

Q:  A friend has lent his copy of The Pilgrim's Progress to me. It is an older book. It measures 6.5 x 4.25 inches. The cover is worn but still solid in the give in the binding. I thought I should try to find an approximate value in case my friend should put it away. I can't find anything about this particular book. Inside is a date of when it was given as a gift though we have no idea if it was new at the time. I have greatly reduced the picture quality of the photos for easier mailing. The cover is green and textured.

A:  Your book is part of the Devotional Series. It is part of Format 5 in this series and originally came in a labeled box. This format was published for a number of years. I suspect that the inscription date is close to the publication date.

Because this is a reprint of a very common title, it has very limited value.

La Belle Fleur Series

Q:  I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more information on this print of "A Wonder Book". It has some obvious imperfections on the cover (unfortunately) but in overall fair condition. I did some searching on your website and managed to locate this in the "La Belle Fleur Series". Is it a rare find?

A:  The books of the La Belle Fleur Series are all reprints and therefore are limited in value. The series is one of the more uncommon of the Altemus publisher's series however. It consisted of 131 volumes and was only published in 1901. Some of the titles are a little bit more collectible than others. i.e. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass.

The books all came with a dust jacket which duplicates the front cover. Various color covers were printed.

Valenciennes Series

Q:  Hello, I was wondering about a book I saw on ebay. i was wondering if it is a first edition like the seller suggests it might be? Any information on this book would be greatly appreciated.

"HERES A VERY OLD ANTIQUE BOOK "POEMS" BY EDGAR ALLAN POE PUBLISHED IN (1895). ITS ACTUALLY IN GOOD CONDITION FOR BEING 118 YEARS OLD.. THE COVERS ARE STILL ATTACHED, THE BINDING IS GOOD & THE PAGES ARE IN GREAT CONDITION. I BELIVE THIS IS A 1st EDITION OF THIS BOOK, IT HAS 5 PLATES I COUNTED MIGHT HAVE MISSED ONE."

A:  The book on Ebay is an 1897 book which was published in the Valenciennes Series.

Altemus published this same group of poems in several series as early as 1895. So it is not an Altemus first edition. Also other publishers printed these poems prior to Altemus. So it is not a first edition in any sense.

As is frequently the case with Altemus books, sellers do not do any research and misidentify the books. But unfortunately most buyers take the word of the seller at face value. This book sold for $61. Probably about $50 more than it's worth.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  Hello, I have been searching your website and can't find this book (Weird Tales). I bought it at an auction in Norton, KS. It is very clean and in good shape, no tears, dog ears, or stains. The front inside cover has been written on and has an address label attached.
Any info you might have and what it might be worth would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

A:  This book was published in 1896. It is a reprint and was published within the Petit Trianon Series. It originally came with a labeled box.

Because this title was published so many times by so many publishers, it has limited value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  I was wondering if you could give me some information on this particular book of poems by Edgar Allan Poe.

A:  This book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1902. It originally came with a labeled box. This title is a reprint and was published in numerous formats by Altemus and other publishers of the era. It has minimal value.