Q: I have a copy of Black Beauty from your publishing company. I am curious as to its age and value. I believe it may have belonged to my father who was born in 1921 or maybe it was handed down to him by a parent. It is in good condition and doesn’t smell. One of the pictures has come apart from the binding, but it is not lost. Thank you for any information you can give me.

A: Your book was published in 1903 as part of the Vademecum Series. It originally came in a labeled box. It is a reprint.

Although this is a popular title, there are countless numbers of these reprints floating around. So your book has only nominal value.

During this year, the books in this series have been seen with a number of different cover colors. More than 40 different cover appliqués have been noted. Generally the painting on the cover is only part of a larger picture. Various sections of a painting appeared on the book covers.

See this page for more information:
http://henryaltemus.com/vademecum.htm