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.

Vademecum Series

Q:  I have some old books that were given to me. While doing a little research about one of the books, "The Little Lame Prince," I came across your website. Following are a few photos of the book. I have a some questions about the book and I'm wondering if someone in your organization would be willing to chat with me.

A:  Your book was published in 1905-1906 as part of the Vademecum Series.

It originally came in a labeled box. It is a reprint and has only nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Can u help determine the year this book was published and if so if it's valuable
The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter scott.

A:  In 1903 the Vademecum Series was published with the basic cover that your book has with one of more than 40 European paintings within the cover template.

Because of the width of the original paintings, two books may have parts of the same painting but may look totally different because they have different sections of the painting on their covers.

Since all of the titles in the Vademecum Series are reprints, only very collectible ones have any value. Unfortunately your book is not in that group. It will be a hard sell at any price.

Vademecum Series/Beauxarts Series (#48)

Q:  Hello, I recently picked up these two volumes for my wife. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1899 to 1902, I think. Through The Looking Glass was written in 1899. Both editions are described as being in Very Good condition. Could you give me some information on these two books? Are they worth anything? I bought them both because I thought they were nicely done. I know my wife will love them as she is a high school English teacher. I wanted to do something different this year for Christmas. Thank you for your time.

A:  You have two very nice books. The first editions were published in 1866 and 1871. Your books, of course, are later reprints. The Alice book is from the Vademecum Series and was published in 1899. The Through the looking Glass book was published in 1902 as part of the Beauxarts Series. Both books originally came in labeled boxes.

Although they are not the most collectible of the Altemus reprints (those books have illustrated covers), their contents are the same. Clearly they are in great shape and have a very nice appearance in their own right.

Value is difficult to determine. The reason is that although the books are quite common, because of the Alice interest, they occasionally sell for decent dollars. I have seen them sell for $5 and I have seen them sell for $50. Rarely should they go for more than that because they are so easy to find.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hello, I have another book (She Stoops to Conquer) I hope you can tell me more about. From looking at the Henry Altemus web site it appears to be from the Vademecum Series, its #189 in the L'Art Nouveau Series and I think it would be dated in 1901.

I've looked on the internet for more information but there seem to be numerous books and I have no idea of what the value of this book would be.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1902. This title appeared in numerous Altemus Series. If you look at the pictures of the covers, you can identify where it belongs.

During 1902 this format was published with a number of different color covers. More than 40 different pictures have been seen within the cover template. See ../vademecum.htm.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hi. I was wondering how much this book is worth if it is worth anything at all. It's A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1903. It originally was sold in a labeled box. Here is an example of the box.

During 1903, more than 40 pictures have been seen on the cover. Numerous colored covers were published. The book is a reprint and only has nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Could you folks give a publishing date for this book (Emerson's Essays). The title page states first series. Thanks.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1901.

During this year any one of more than 40 paste-on pictures have been seen on the cover. This cover was published in a number of different colors. It was originally sold with a labeled box.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Greetings, I am curious about this little copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published by your company. There is no publication date, but the date 1903 is handwritten in the front. There is also an extensive catalog of other books for sale in the back of the book.

The book has all of the original black and white illustrations. It is in good shape. The binding is intact with no torn, damaged or missing pages.

I have been unable to locate any other copies to compare it to. If you could give me any information, e.g., possible worth, publication information, and/or any other insights I would be very grateful.

A:  Your book was published in 1903 as part of the Vademecum Series. It originally came within a labeled box. It is, of course, a reprint but has all of the original text by Lewis Carroll.

Alice books are widely collected and although it is one of a myriad of reprints published during this era, there may be an Alice collector who just has to have this format. The only way to determine the worth is probably by putting it up for auction (on Ebay for example) and see what happens. You just never know.

Vademecum Series

Q:  We have the attached book (Tanglewood Tales) in our library and it was published by Henry Altemus Company and is in excellent condition. We are trying to find out how much it is worth, however are unable to find another book with this cover or the year it was published. Can you help us?

A:  Your book was published in 1904 as part of the Vademecum Series. It originally came in a labeled box. During this year the covers were published with a number of colors. Four different flower appliqués have been seen on the front cover.

Flowers and a representative picture of a labeled box are shown on the series page.

It is a reprint and has only nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  I am researching a lot of old books and came across this one (Black Beauty). Most books that I have are from the 1800's and early 1900's. This book doesn't have a copyright page. So I have no idea what year it is from. Can you help me identify it? I am looking to sell these books and would really appreciate any info.

A:  This book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1902. All the titles in this multivolume, multi author series are reprints. The picture on the cover is one of more than 40 European paintings that were used as cover decorations. See ../vademecum.htm

This book only has nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hi There, This book was a gift to my great grandmother by a friend. My grandmother had it among her things when she passed. I'm wondering if you have information on it, as I couldn't find any photo's that were the same as this one. I'm sure it was probably given to her in the late 1800's or very early 1900's. I'm also wondering if it has some value? Thanks for your time!

A:  Your book was published in 1899 as part of the Vademecum Series. This 1899 format has been seen with numerous cover colors and originally was sold within a labeled box.

All of the titles in this series are reprints so the books of this series have only nominal value unless the title is a valued one. Unfortunately this is not the case with Bryant's Poems. It will be a hard sell at any price.