Q: I have been trying to get an idea of the age of this book. Whittier’s Poems. It has printed 1896, but I have come to understand that may not be the actual age. Can you give me any information on this book?

A: This book is part of the Vademecum Series series and was published in 1896. Usually, not always though, if an Altemus book has a date at the bottom of the title page, that is the publication date. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is one well known exception.

This format was mostly seen in 1895 but as is apparent with your book, it was also seen in 1896. These books have been seen with many different color covers. Some examples are shown below.

As with all of the titles in the Vademecum Series, it is a reprint.

For more information see http://henryaltemus.com/series/series179.htm.