Q: This book (The Little Lame Prince) belonged to my grandfather. He was born in 1913. I took a look at your site, and I couldn’t find anything that looked quite like it. Could you tell me anything about it? Inside Title page says copyright 1900, but as your site suggest, it may have been published after that.

A: Your book is part of Series #57 Boys and Girls Classics (New) Series. See http://henryaltemus.com/series/series57.htm

This series used various pictorial linen cloths for its covers. Your cover has been designated sw-5a and was published sometime between 1908 and the early teens. The exact year can be determined by a study of the ads.

The dating confusion exists because the original Altemus copyright is on the title page. The copyright is not the same as the date of publication in this instance. Also this series used the text from the Young People’s Library and thus the title page says the book is from the Young People’s Library. This is not the case however.