Q: Hello there Sir, so I’m a fairly novice book collector and recently my uncle passed and left me this beautiful Altemus book of Weird Tales. It looks like one of the later series of reprints but the 1895 copyright page confused me. Is that because when they reprinted they reprint everything including the original copyright page? Anyways any help identifying would be appreciated, thanks!

A: This book was published in 1899 as part of the Sanspareil Series. It originally came with a dust jacket, an example of which is shown. All the books in this series are reprints.

The 1895 on the Altemus copyright page indicates either when this title was first published by Altemus or when this edition was first published by Altemus.

Unfortunately this can make it difficult to know what you have in terms of whether your book is a reprint or an actual first edition.
The publisher’s series’ titles that Altemus published are all reprints. This includes your book.

All five titles have a 1927 Altemus copyright. Four of the books were published previously in periodicals.

1. Storm of the Old Frontier
2. Treasure of Caricar
3. Dark House in Florissant
4. Wages of Peril
5. Murillo Mystery

Storm of the Old Frontier was first published as a serialized story in People’s Popular Monthly. The first installment appeared in the May, 1926 issue. That periodical is shown below.

The Altemus book has no illustrations except for the dust jacket cover which was done by John Drew. The serialized version has a number of pictures. The illustrator is Paul Gill.

Here is the People’s Popular Monthly from May, 1926.

The Vademecum Series is a multivolume multiauthored series which was published between 1894 and 1926. For the most part there was a cover format change on a yearly basis up until about the mid teens.

Below is the 1904 cover format. It has been seen with a number of different colors. Two appliqués are on the cover. Until now I have only noted the appliqué pictures to be one of four flowers: Orchid, Queen Anne’s Lace, Iris and Nasturtium.

Here is the only cover exception I am aware of. This book has part of a European painting similar to what has been seen on other Vademecum books (http://henryaltemus.com/vademecum.htm -1901, 1903, 1907). I suspect it is not one of a kind but it is the only one known as of this time.

The rare non flower appliqué.

Note some of the different cover colors.

Orchid

Nasturtium

Iris

Queen Anne’s Lace

Platt and Munk reprint series

Beginning in 1935 this New York firm reprinted a number of Altemus series. Today I am adding to the database a picture from Platt and Munk’s Colorful Story Book Series (The Fairyland Story Book). Six of the seven books in this series were originally published by Altemus in its Colorful Story Book Series (http://henryaltemus.com/series/series70.htm). Each of these books were comprised of a number of Wee Books previously published in various Wee Book Series. The stories are abridged and not all of the illustrations from the original book are included. The pages are glossy.

The books:

Later edition of the Playtime Story Book

Q: The Sketch Book Washington Irving
I cannot find any copyright, printing or date within the book. I’m hoping that you can help me date it.
approx size is: 6.50 x 4.50 inches

Thank you

A: This book is part of the Vademecum Series. This publisher’s series included only reprints of books of fiction, essays, poetry, etc. Your book was published in 1898. During that year the books were sold within a labeled box. There was only one cover format but it has been seen in a number of different colors. Some are shown here.