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:  My wife recently found a copy of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol for me at a bookstore in Raleigh, North Carolina, and I'm interested in knowing an approximate date of publication. Attached are pictures of the cover, binding, and the inside plate, which holds the only publishing information.

The book is obviously in poor condition, but I'm fascinated by the little tome. =)

The publisher given is "Henry Altemus Company", but there are no dates anywhere inside.

I couldn't find a picture of this particular volume on your website, and there are no dates that I can find in the volume, although there may be some front matter pages missing.

A:  This book is part of the 40 volume Boys and Girls Classics Series. All of the titles are reprints and were published between 1899 and 1906. Each book originally was sold within a labeled box.

Your book can be found here: http://www.henryaltemus.com/series/series58.htm
Information about dating your book is on this page.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  Hi, Thanks for getting back to me. Can you tell me anything about this book? Is it from a series, etc.? Twice Told Tales

A:  Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. This series was published between 1899-1906.

There is a flow chart on the website which allows you to date your book. This is based on the ads in the back of the book.

Originally your volume came within a labeled box.

As with all the titles in this series, it is a reprint. It only has nominal value.

As an aside, the cover was designed by the Decorative Designers firm.

See: http://bookofbibliomaven.blogspot.com/2009/07/decorative-designers-and-series-books.html

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  Can you tell me more about the year and edition of this version of Pilgrims Progress?

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

This volume originally was sold within a labeled box.

There is a flow chart on the website page that can help you determine the date of publication based on the ads in the back of the book.

It has nominal value.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  I'm interested in finding out more about this book. Tanglewood Tales

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

This series had two formats. One with decorative gold gilt within the rectangular boxes on the front cover. One without those gold gilt decorations. (See here)

These book are all reprints and were published between 1899-1906. On the website there is a flow chart which can help you date your book.

They originally came within a labeled box.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  Hi! Picture of my book. Any idea of value? Tales From Shakspeare

A:  Your book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. This series was published between 1899 and 1906. All the titles are reprints and originally came within a labeled box (see here).

Except for a few very desirable titles, these books only have nominal value.

Boys and Girls Classics (Old)

Q:  I have a copy of Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin see attachments.
The odd thing is the size of 6.25 X 4.25. Not the 6.50 X 4.25 that is prevalent. There is not writing in the bottom space for the author, but this could because it is an autobiography.
An approximate date and is the size important?
Thank you for your time.

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

It can be dated by noting the ads in the back of the book and reviewing the dating summary on the series' webpage.

I have several volumes that are of the slightly smaller size. The ads in these variants indicate a 1903 publication.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  My daughter found this at estate sale in Michigan. (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) It is a withdrawn copy from Saginaw library. In the back the Vademecum, Young People's Library and Historical Series are listed. What would be the estimated publication date?

A:  This book is from the Boys and Girls Classics Series. These books were published between 1899-1906. Your volume could not have been an 1899 issue since Altemus incorporated in 1900 and your book noted Henry Altemus Company on the title page.

Thus it was published between 1900 and 1906. It can be dated exactly by using the flow chart on the website and the advertisements in the back of your volume.

The titles in this series are all reprints and originally came within a labeled box, an example of which is shown here.

Boys and Girls Classics (old)

Q:  I have the book as pictured which I would like to sell on ebay. According to the documentation I read on your site which is excellent. I believe it is before 1900 the title page says Henry Altemus.
I would like to list it accurately. Some of the pages are stained and in front the name Myra D. Havens, one of the pages has a tear but all the pages are intact and not loose. Any help you can provide would be appreciated. Through the Looking Glass

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

These books were published between 1899 and 1906. You are right to identify your volume as one that was published in 1899 since the imprint is Henry Altemus and not Henry Altemus Company (The incorporation year was 1900).

Each volume was originally published within a rather plain labeled box. An example is shown here.

Boys and Girls Classics

Q:  I have a Henry Altemus Rip Van Winkle book and have done some research on your website. It appears to be a Series 58 or 59. It says “Henry Altemus Company” on the Title Page. However, I see that you suggested to another person to look in the back of the book and date some of those books to see what year the book is. I’m not sure how to go about doing this as there are so many books listed. I’d like to see what my book may be worth. Any help you could afford me is greatly appreciated!!

A:  Hello,
Regardless of the date it has little value. This book is in rather poor shape.

Regarding dating your book:
It was published between 1900 and 1906. To be more exact--
Start here:
Look at the ads in the back. Then look at this page: Boys and Girls Classics
See where it says Formats 1 and 3. Follow the directions.

Boys and Girls Classics (Old)

Q:  Hey I found this Alice's Adventures in Wonderland book at my parents and was curious about the year, history and value of the book. Thanks!

A:  This book is part of the Boys and Girls Classics Series. These books were published between 1899-1906. There were two formats. The one you have and another that has gold gilt decorative patterns within some of the rectangles. See here.

Dating these books is quite easily done. By using the ads in the back of the book, the publication date can be narrowed down to within a year or two. There is a chart on the series' webpage that outlines how to do this.