Henry Altemus was a major publisher of Bibles in the late 19th century. As with most of the major publishers in those years, it published large, beautifully bound Bibles for families. Within the Bibles there were blank pages with headings -Births, Marriages, and Deaths for the owners too fill in. Over the years these Bibles became family histories and heirlooms. Perhaps now they are relegated to another time but at http://henryaltemus.com/bibles/bibles.htm you can read about the Henry Altemus Bibles.

Today I am adding a new Bible to the Altemus database. This is the 61st unique Bible cover. The foredges are gold gilt. The Altemus Bibles have ten distinct parts/items within them.
This Bible has #1, 2, 3, and 5 and does not have the other items. Thus it fits best in the “Cheap Pictorial Edition” Bible Series. (All twelve Bible styles are described on the Bible page in this website)

1. Old and New Testament
2. Dore Illustrations
3. Marriage Certificate and Family Registration
4. Revised Version Appended
5. Apocrypha, Concordance, Psalms on Metre
6. Smith’s Dictionary
7. Bible History and Analysis
8. Cyclopedia of the Bible
9. Dictionary of Names
10. Notes and commentary by Rev. Walter McGilvray

Q: I found this email online as I was trying to find info on a book I have. A Wonder Book, 1899. I’m having a heck of a time finding info on what I have.

A: Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1900. This series consisted of reprints of essays, fiction, classics, poetry, etc. It was published between 1894 and the 1920’s. Every year or so the cover design was changed. Your cover was used in 1900. The 1900 books came in a labeled slipcase box.

The 1900 books had one basic cover pattern in a number of different colors. I am including other color covers for your interest.

For more information see http://henryaltemus.com/series/series180.htm

Q: I have a very clean copy of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. These were my fathers from his childhood. I believe that they are first or second edition and first format. I would be interested to know more, or if they are rare etc.

A: Your book is the second edition-first format Altemus Peter Rabbit. It was published sometime between late 1904 to probably around 1908.

Originally it came in a brown uncoated dust jacket. It is a rather easy book to find.

The first American edition Tale of Peter Rabbit was published earlier in 1904.

For more information see http://henryaltemus.com/peter_rabbit/peterrabbit.htm

Q: Hello! I am working at vetting some books for a local organization, and I was hoping you could help me. Attached is a picture of the cover of one of the Altemus publications of Hawthorne’s Mosses From and Old Manse.

I can make an accurate judgement of value based on condition and, interestingly (see attached) the fact that this book was the personal volume of our local writer, August Derleth, but I am having a little harder time determining exactly which Altemus edition this is and thus basic value from that. I have seen another version of this that looks identical but with a green/red coloring, so this makes it even a little harder to determine.

Also, if you could give me publication date for this edition – I cannot find it in the book – that would be wonderful.

Thank you for your help!

A: Your book is part of the Beauxarts Series and was published in 1897. All of the books in this series are reprints and originally came in a labeled slipcase box. The covers of the Beauxarts’ books in this year have been seen in a number of different colors.

No one color is scarcer or more valuable than any other.

http://henryaltemus.com/series/series47.htm

Because of its reprint status it only has nominal value unless the Derleth provenance is significant to a buyer.

This is the third stock certificate that I have seen printed by Altemus and Co. This 1882 certificate represented 500 shares of the Summit County, Colorado Mineral Hill Mining and Smelting Company.

This piece is especially nice because of the illustrations of mining life. Interesting that this Colorado company would use a Philadelphia publisher to print its stock certificates.

To see more Altemus ephemera see http://henryaltemus.com/ephemera/ephemera.htm.