Q: I have a series of Altemus books that I purchased from my college library, 35 years ago. The title page says Henry Altemus, Philadelphia. They are signed by the owner of these titles- J.Clay Stone, from Paris, Kentucky, and signed with the date 1898.
I have several books with similar covers. No dust jackets. All have wear. Many have pencil notes inside the front covers. All measure about 4 x 6.5 inches.

I would appreciate any information that you may have about these volumes,
Marvel: Dream Life, The Reveries of the Bachelor, Poe: Weird Tales

A: These three books are from the Vademecum Series.

They were published in 1898 and originally were sold within a labeled box.
All of the books in this series are reprints.

The covers of the 1898 Vademecum books have the same pattern but have been seen with a number of different colors. Other examples are shown below.