Henry Altemus Company

Holly Tree Series

Ebay description:  A MODERN CINDERELLA BY LOUISA ALCOTT 1904 FIRST EDITION

The Reality:  This is the second format of this book. Below is a picture of the actual first edition. For more information about this series see: http://henryaltemus.com/series/series105.htm
The $100 opening bid price is somewhat north of outrageous.

Holly Tree Series

Ebay description:  1904 HC THE RULE OF THREE Susan Coolidge Embossed Cover

Special Attributes: 1st Edition
Printing Year: 1904

Here is a vintage hard cover book entitled "THE RULE OF THREE" by Susan Coolidge. The book has illustrations by Joseph Johnson Ray, tan cloth boards with and a beautiful color illustrated cover, 3 ladies walking perhaps from a school with red flowers on either side with gilt design. The hard cover book has a beautiful frontspiece (see picture #2) and many black & white illustrations throughout the book.

The Reality:  The seller's book is not a first edition. This book is a second format printing of this title published after 1909. The first format is shown here. For more information on this series see: http://henryaltemus.com/series/series105.htm

Little Black Sambo Series

Ebay description:  1931 ORIGINAL LARGE FORMAT LITTLE BLACK SAMBO

RARE FIRST LARGE EDITION PRINTING, after original American small format edition from Altemus Publishing, with HELEN BANNERMAN'S ORIGINAL COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS. 6+" x 9-"

Published by David McKay, in the Original Tan Buckram Cloth, with Full Color Front Cover paste-on.

The Reality:  This book is actually a reprint of the Altemus book which is the same size as the McKay. The seller's claim stating that this is the "Rare First Large Edition Printing" is flat out incorrect. Pictured is the 8.25 x 6.25 earlier Altemus edition.

Also of note is that the Altemus copyright is 1931. The McKay version was published a few years later.

Finally the extraordinary starting bid of $299 is too startling for words. The McKay version is relatively common with on the average at least one being put up for sale a month on Ebay. And to top it off the seller's book has no dust jacket. His book just does not warrant that kind of money.

Little Men and Women Series

Ebay description:  Gypsy the Talking Dog, A Story for Young Folks 1902

Gypsy The Talking Dog, A Story for Young Folks" by Tudor Jenks. Copyright 1902 by Henry Altemus. I believe this is a first edition.. .... The illustrations are in black and white and no one is credited as being the illustrator. The last few pages of this book contains an advertisement for Altemus Books. They state, "The Best and Least Expensive Books for Twentieth Century Boys and Girls." They sold their books for $1.00.

The Reality:  This book was published in the mid to early teens. The illustrations of the early editions were on glossy not plain paper. The ad in the back book was used beginning in 1912-13. Finally, the cover of the 1902 book was colored differently.

Mother's Ever New Fairy Tale Series

Ebay description:  1st Ed.1905 Mother's Yellow Fairy Tale Book Children

This antique first edition book of childrens fairy tales is titled: " Mother's Yellow Fairy Tale book - A Third Book of Ever New Fairy Tales and Other Stories For Little Folk " It was arranged by Laura Dent Crane and published in 1905 by the Henry Altemus Company of Philadelphia. I am not a book expert, but from what I have seen on the web this is a hard to find children's book. It is comprised of 256 pages with many (over 100) fine black and white illustrations and 2 color plates.

The Reality:  The stories in this book were first published in the Mother Goose Series (Series #131) by Altemus in 1905 but this compilation of stories was not published in this series until 1911.

See: http://henryaltemus.com/series/series133.htm

Petit Trianon Series

Ebay description:  Cranford Mrs Gaskell Henry Altemus 1st ed hc

Very rare, I am pretty sure 1 edition. PRe 1890, CRANFORD, by Mrs Gaskell, produced by, Henry Altemus, Phildelphia.

The Reality:  This book was published in 1896 as part of the Petit Trianon Series. As with most all of the books in this and in the other Altemus publisher's series, it is a reprint. The American first edition was published by Harper and Brothers in 1853.

Petit Trianon Series

Ebay description:  The House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne 1st Edt.1851

This auction features a 1st edition hardcover book titled "The House of the Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1851 by Henry Altemus in Philadelphia. The book contains 374 pages and is in great condition for 156 years old.

The Reality:  Again a seller confuses a reprint which includes a dated preface from an original publication for the date of their book. The first edition was published by Ticknor, Reed and Fields. This reprint was published in 1897 as part of the Petit Trianon Series.

Petit Trianon Series

Ebay description:  Essays of Elia -Charles Lamb - copyright 1899 1st. Ed. Hardcover Lit & Fiction

The Reality:  The Essays of Elia were first published in 1823 and 1833. Hundreds of publishing houses did reprints of this title.

The book shown here is part of the Petit Trianon Series and was published in 1899-1900.

Atemus first published this title in 1893 in its Altemus Library.

Thus not a true first edition nor an Altemus first edition.

Petit Trianon Series

Ebay description:  1892 - VIC - Autobiography of a Fox Terrier - Marsh
Henry Altemus Company

The Reality:  This is a 1903-1904 published book which is part of the Petit Trianon Series. The fact that it was published by Henry Altemus Company should instantly inform the seller that it was published in 1900 or later. (http://henryaltemus.com/identify.htm). The 1892 Vic published by Altemus was not part of any series. It is here pictured on the right.

Petit Trianon Series

Ebay description:  Kept For The Master's Use, By Francis Ridley Havergal, Henry Altemus, 1879!!

160 pages. .... Prefatory note indicates that the author died just after revising the proofs of the book in June 1879, which delayed printing until the fall of 1979. Book measures 6.5" X just under 4.5".

The Reality:  This book was published in 1899 by Henry Altemus. Altemus printed no books for reading before 1889. Numerous publishers produced this book in the 1880s and early 1890s. The prefatory note found in this book is of interest but it is not relevant to when this particular book was published.