Henry Altemus Company

The following are questions submitted via email by our visitors.

If you have a question about Altemus books that you'd like answered please click on the Questions link at the bottom left of this page.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  This is a Henry Altemus Company's Publications, Mother Goose Rhymes, Jingles and Fairy Tales, some of first pages are missing, can you provide any info on this book. It was given to my grandmother in 1912. Thanks.

A:  Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series.

The 15 titles in this series are all reprints and were published between 1908 and 1926. Originally they were sold within a floral decorated box.

Dating your book can be done by looking at the ads in the back of the book and dating the latest editions listed.

Unless a book in this series is in great shape or a special title, it has little value.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  I have this book in my collection and just read about the series on your website. Am curious about its value. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

A:  This book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series.

The fifteen titles in this series were published between 1908 and 1926. They are all reprints from titles previously published within the Young People's Library.

The cover on this book is one of several different ones used. These volumes came within a floral decorated box.

Most of the titles in this series have little value but the Alice books are very collectible. $25-50 would be reasonable.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  To Whom It May Concern:
I am helping my Aunt find out more about a book her father owned. I came across your website and wanted to ask you about our Robinson Crusoe book. I am including 3 pictures of our cloth bound book and was wondering if you could tell us about its value and whether or not it is a part of a series or not. We could not find a thing about this particular book on your website. Now we are even more curious. Any information you could tell us would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.

A:  This book is part of Series 57 Boys and Girls Classics.

The 15 titles in this series were published with various linen swatches as covers between 1908 and 1926. The internal text and illustrations are identical to the previously published title when it was part of the Young People's Library.

The cover of your book is the most commonly found in this series and was published between 1908 and the early teens. These books originally were sold within a labeled floral pictured box. An example is shown here.

Your book has nominal value.

Boy and Girls Classics

Q:  A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Published by Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia
Cant find anything on this one no dates.

A:  This book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series.

This particular cover was published in the early and mid-teens. The fifteen titles in this series are all reprints and were sold within labeled floral covered boxes.

This cover is part of a larger picture which is shown here.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  Hello I am trying to figure out when this book was published and if I should let my children read it? A Child's Garden of Verses

A:  This book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. This series was published between 1908 and 1926. All of the titles were previously printed in the Young Folk's Library Series. The only difference between the volumes of the two series is the covers.

There are a number of different covers associated with this series. They are linen swatch wrap around covers. This particular cover was used in the early and mid teens. It can be dated more precisely by using the ads in the back of the book.

These books were originally sold within a floral labeled box.

The entire linen swatch that this cover came from is shown here.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  I had a question about this book that I purchased, A Child's Garden of Verses. Your site says that it was published in 1908, but my book has a dedication dating 1907. I did see that this was the cover you titled 7a, an early rendition. I suppose I mostly want to get it appraised, but I have seen that these books are not going for much.

A:  This book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics' Series. The books of this series had pictorial linen cloth swatches as book covers. These volumes originally came with a labeled floral box. An example is shown here. All of these titles were reprinted from the earlier Young People's Library series books.

The 1908 books were released generally at Xmas time in 1907. This was done every year to capitalize on the holiday sales. This book only has nominal value.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  Hello! I am attaching a few photos of a copy of Grimms Fairy Tales that I recently came across in an old book store here locally. Title page says Henry Altemus Company Philadelphia and on the back side of that it says Copyright 1898 by Henry Altemus (below). There is no dust jacket. Front cover, as you can see from the photo, has two kids in a wagon. They are being pulled by a donkey, but all you can see from the pic is the donkey's butt lol! They look very 20's or 30's style animation, so I guess it is a later printing, esp since on your site it said if the title page said Henry Altemus Company on it, the book prob dates after 1900. I could not however, find a book that looked the same as this one on your site anywhere. Was trying to find out what series/printing it was. I took a photo of the front cover (again, no dust jacket), title page, and copyright page. Hopefully that will help. Can you give me any more info about it? Not at all concerned with value, as it has no dust jacket and is not in great shape...I just think old books are interesting :)

A:  Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series.

The books of this 15 title series all have the same text as the earlier published titles in the Young People's Library. They were published between 1908 and 1926. The date can be determined by studying the book ads in the back.

These books have pictorial linen covers that are made from large swatches. The books originally were sold within labeled floral covered boxes. See the representative picture here.

Boys and Girls Classics Series

Q:  I was wondering if you could help me identify what year my copy of Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There was published in. I check EVERYTHING on your site, but there was nothing at all that could identify this book. I got it from a antique store yesterday, just because I wanted to read it, but I'd still like to know what year it was published in. Also, I don't have a picture of the cover of the book right now, but I can get one later.

First off, the ads at the back of the book to advertise other books all say Altemus on the pages. They do say Henry Altemus Company, so it was made from 1900 or later according to your site. The ads are for Attemus' New Illustrated Young People's Library, Altemus' Stories from History Series, Altemus's Illustrated Mother Goose Series, Altemus' Illustrated Little Men and Women Series, Altemus' Illustrated Wee Books for Wee Folks, Children's gift Series, One-Syllable Series for Young Readers, Altemus' Illustrated Dainty Series of Choice Gift Books, Altemus's Young Folks Puzzle Picture's Series, Altemus' Illustrated Mother Stories Series, The Motor Boat Club Series, The Range and Grange Hustlers, Submarine Boys Series, The Square Dollar Boys Series, The College Girls Series, Dave Darrin Series, Pony Rider Boys Series, The Boys of Steel Series, The Madge Morton Books, High School Boys Series, Grammar School Boys Series, High School Boys Vacation Series, Boys of the Army Series, Battleship Boys Series, The Meadow-Brook Girls Series.

There was no copyright page or anything with years or editions in this book at either the front or the back. There was no Jacket or Box. It seems like at one point in time there was a label on the spine, but most of it is gone now, and you can't make out any words. There was no title on the cover, and NONE of the covers or spines match your pictures on your site because Alice isn't even on the cover!

The cover contains a boy with 2 or 3 dogs, a lady with an umbrella and pink sun hat, on the back is someone driving a buggy with a donkey pulling it. It a hard cover... I think.

The only way I knew this was Through the Looking Glass is because of the contents inside. The Table of contents lists chapters such as Looking-Glass House, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Queen Alice. Plus it has Dinah for a cat.

A:  I have included a copy of the cover which I think you are describing. Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. This series was published between 1908 and 1926.

The covers are cut from large pictorial linen swatches. These swatches are bigger than are needed to cover a book, so some covers may appear to be unrelated but are still from the same large picture. Examples are shown on the website.

These books originally were published within floral decorated boxes.

Based on the ads in the back of your book, I suspect a 1913-1914 publication.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  Hi, I recently purchased this book from a little book store. I collect Alice in Wonderland books. Could you tell me a bit more about it and what its approximate worth is? Through the Looking Glass

A:  Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. This 15 book series was published between 1908 and 1926 and originally came within a labeled box. The boxes have a colorful floral design. The text is the same as the previously published books from the Young People's Library.

A complete review of all of the Altemus Alice's can be found here: http://www.henryaltemus.com/alice/alice.htm

If you are not already a member, you might want to check out the Lewis Carroll Society of North America. They publish a newsletter which is very informative. http://www.lewiscarroll.org/publications/knightletter/

Generally, a close approximation to the date of publication can be determined by a review of the ads in the back of the book.

The Lewis Carroll books in this series generally sell for between $10-25.

Boys and Girls Classics Series

Q:  Hi there,
Looking at your website, I was able to find a similar book cover - but not quite the same linen print. This one that has been in the family since 1911 (inscribed as a gift)

Can you tell me a bit more about the book? Is it part of series 57? sw-1 seems to be the best match. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

A:  You are right. This book is part of the fifteen book Boys and Girls Classics Series. This series was published between 1908 and 1926. The books mostly used the same internal text as well as the title pages from the earlier Young People's Library books. Your book as well as the others of this series originally came within a labeled floral decorated box (shown here).

A number of different linen cover patterns have been seen. They are shown on the series page. I have arbitrarily numbered them -yours is "Swatch 1". I believe it is the most common of the various covers. It was published from 1908 until the early teens.