Q: I am curious about this book I’ve found (The Prince of the House of David), I couldn’t find any info on your website about it. I look forward to your reply.

A: Your book is part of the Golden Treasury Series.

It was published either in 1899 or 1900.

It is a reprint and has only nominal value.

Q: I have a Black Beauty Book by Sewell that I rescued from a trash dumpster that a brand store threw out. It has no copyright date in it. In the back of the book is a listing of all books your company published so I am assuming you published this one also.

I did look on your site but couldn’t find a Black Beauty book that looked like this one. I am just wanting to know a publishing date for this book, please.

I have attached a picture.

A: Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published between 1909 and 1912. All of the titles in this series are reprints. This format was originally published within a labeled red box. See picture.

Q: Hopefully this will be a quick one for you: can you help me identify this copy of Cranford?

I spent some time on your fantastic site and figure that it’s part of the Altemus Series, but I would be so grateful if you could confirm this and give me even a ballpark estimate of its value. I have looked around all the usual book selling sites, but every copy I’ve found seems to be dated a few years later than mine.

I’m contacting you because I’m a book lover who has been lucky enough to inherit a nice collection that my family has built up over the past 150 years or so. I’m currently in the earliest stages of planning my own book shop, and while I would not part with most of my personal collection, I’m considering selling off a few volumes that I’m less attached to, if it would bring in enough of a contribution to my startup costs.

In other words, your expertise will help me decide the fate of Cranford!

Thanks so much for your time and your great website!

A: Great book. It is part of the Altemus Library. This is the first Altemus edition of this title although still a late reprint.

The Altemus Library was the first of the Altemus publisher’s series. What makes it a bit more interesting than some is that each title has its own unique cover. These books came in dust jackets although the jackets are quite hard to find. Some are pictured on the website.

I think it is a nice book but that is because I am into Altemus stuff. Price can be pretty tough to predict. It will either not sell at all or go for less than $20. But you never know…

Below is a picture of another Cranford with an example of a dust jacket.

Young People’s Library, Format 1

The first format of this series was published between 1895 and 1898. These books have the characteristic first format spines. See example below.

In 1895 only six books were published. They all have 1895 at the base of the title page under the Philadelphia Henry Altemus imprint. Some of these 1895 books however are later first editions than others. Distinguishing is quite easy. The early books have different ads than the later ones.

The true first editions, first state books have a front ad page that lists only six books. The later state books have a front ad page that lists nine books. See below.

First format spine

First edition, First state ads

First edition, Second state ads

Q: I found an old book in my grandmothers home title is Black Rock Tale of the Selkirks. It has a leather type of dust cover says Whittier, There is an inscription inside Lucy E. Swisher, Meadville, PA Dec 25th 1901. I believe Lucy was my grandmothers sister, this may have been a Christmas gift, my great grandfather was a traveling preacher. I have attached pictures. Any information would be appreciated. There is not any dates as of printing it just says Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia

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

During this year the more than 40 different appliqué pictures have been seen on at least 7 different color covers.

The jacket is not an original one. This book came within a labeled box. The author is Ralph Connor. Whittier has no relationship to this book.

It is a reprint and only has nominal value.

For more information see http://henryaltemus.com/vademecum.htm

Q: Curious as to the value of this book? Three Little Pigs

A: This book is part of the Wee Books for Wee Folks Series.

It is a first Altemus edition published in 1904. It originally was published within a box that included the Robber Kitten. It was only published in this format for a short time. Later in 1904 the format changed to a more familiar one (Three pigs walking next to the brick wall).

Despite its scarcity it has limited value, especially in poor shape.

Q: I was wondering if you could help me identify what year my copy of Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There was published in. I check EVERYTHING on your site, but there was nothing at all that could identify this book. I got it from a antique store yesterday, just because I wanted to read it, but I’d still like to know what year it was published in. Also, I don’t have a picture of the cover of the book right now, but I can get one later.

First off, the ads at the back of the book to advertise other books all say Altemus on the pages. They do say Henry Altemus Company, so it was made from 1900 or later according to your site. The ads are for Attemus’ New Illustrated Young People’s Library, Altemus’ Stories from History Series, Altemus’s Illustrated Mother Goose Series, Altemus’ Illustrated Little Men and Women Series, Altemus’ Illustrated Wee Books for Wee Folks, Children’s gift Series, One-Syllable Series for Young Readers, Altemus’ Illustrated Dainty Series of Choice Gift Books, Altemus’s Young Folks Puzzle Picture’s Series, Altemus’ Illustrated Mother Stories Series, The Motor Boat Club Series, The Range and Grange Hustlers, Submarine Boys Series, The Square Dollar Boys Series, The College Girls Series, Dave Darrin Series, Pony Rider Boys Series, The Boys of Steel Series, The Madge Morton Books, High School Boys Series, Grammar School Boys Series, High School Boys Vacation Series, Boys of the Army Series, Battleship Boys Series, The Meadow-Brook Girls Series.

There was no copyright page or anything with years or editions in this book at either the front or the back. There was no Jacket or Box. It seems like at one point in time there was a label on the spine, but most of it is gone now, and you can’t make out any words. There was no title on the cover, and NONE of the covers or spines match your pictures on your site because Alice isn’t even on the cover!

The cover contains a boy with 2 or 3 dogs, a lady with an umbrella and pink sun hat, on the back is someone driving a buggy with a donkey pulling it. It a hard cover… I think.

The only way I knew this was Through the Looking Glass is because of the contents inside. The Table of contents lists chapters such as Looking-Glass House, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Queen Alice. Plus it has Dinah for a cat.

A: I have included a copy of the cover which I think you are describing. Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. This series was published between 1908 and 1926.

The covers are cut from large pictorial linen swatches. These swatches are bigger than are needed to cover a book, so some covers may appear to be unrelated but are still from the same large picture. Examples are shown on the website.

These books originally were published within floral decorated boxes.

Based on the ads in the back of your book, I suspect a 1913-1914 publication.

Q: A friend has a what seems to be a Late 1895 Edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. We are interested in the current value. Can you help her or suggest who can? Please see the attach photos.

A: Your book is part of the first format of the Young People’s Library. It was clearly published in 1895 as is noted at the base of the title page. The earlier 1895 books have a different list of books in the front advertisements. It list six books not eight as in the later 1895 ad.

There is no price guide and “experts on price” are suspect. I have seen this book sell for as much as $125 and for as little as $10 (in similar conditions). No rhyme or reason.

Q: Hi! My grandmother just gave me this book (Black Beauty by Anna Sewell) and I was wondering if you could tell me when this book was published. It has an inscription inside that says 1903 so I know it is at least that old. I’m sorry I don’t know what the dust jacket looked like, my grandmother didn’t have it. Thank you so much!!

A: It is part of the Vademecum Series.

It was published in 1898 and came within a labeled box. All of the books in this series are reprints. In 1898 there were numerous color covers with the same underlying format. See below for some examples.

Q: Please place a value on my book (The Pilgrim’s Progress). I have looked everywhere and can’t seem to find pictures of the cover. There is no publishing date printed in the book? Images included. Thank you so very much!

A: This book is part of the Young People’s Library, Format 4 and was published between 1923 and 1933. A closer publication date could be determined by studying the ads in the back of the book. Two covers of this title have been seen in this format. The other cover is also shown here.

More information as well as pictures can be found here: Young People’s Library, Format 4

This book originally came with a dust jacket.

It may sell for a few dollars.