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.

Devotional Series

Q:  I have a book from my grandmother. It is titled “Gold Dust”. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about it. It does not have an author listed. I noted on your website that there was one Gold Dust series book that was anonymous. The name at the end of the preface is C.M. Yonge. The book was signed by someone who must have given this to my grandmother. He signed and dated it 1912. Thanks for your help.

A:  Your book belongs to the Devotional Series and can be seen at Series 75 as a Format 5 book.

This title was popular among all the reprint publishing houses. Since none of them paid any royalties this was one of the books that was published in a myriad of formats by different publishers in the late 19th and early 20th century.

This title is not widely collected and your book only has nominal value.

Devotional Series

Q:  I was emailing in regards to a book in which we have and it is printed by Henry Altemus Company Philadelphia and it is by Henry Drummond and it is called the Natural Law in the Spiritual World.

If you could please email some information I would appreciate it as there is no publication date on it.

A:  This book is part of the Devotional Series. This series of religious titles was published between 1895 and 1933. The book pictured here is part of Format 5 and was printed between 1898 and 1924. It originally came in a labeled box.

Its date can be determined by studying the ads in the back and figuring out when the books/series were published. This is relatively easy to do. Also if the title page says Henry Altemus Company the book was published in 1900 or later. If it says Henry Altemus it was published prior to 1900.

Devotional Series

Q:  I recently purchased an old copy of "John Ploughman's Talk" by Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon published by Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia. It has no date in it. I would like to know how old it is. Can you help me? Attached are pictures to help.

A:  Your book is part of the Devotional Series (#75) and was published between 1901-1904. As you can see, there is a picture inside the oval on the cover of the book. There were a number of different pictures with this one appearing most often.

Devotional Series

Q:  I have recently come across a copy of Throne of Grace. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time finding information on this particular copy. Can you, please, take a look at this picture and give me a few details?

A:  Your book is part of the Devotional Series. This series of religious reprints consisted of at most 52 books. Different covers and different titles were published yearly beginning in 1895. This cover format was published between 1905-1908. These books are relatively common. Originally they came with boxes.

Diplome D'Honneur Series

Q:  Hello, While going through boxes from my mother's estate, I came across this book (The Song of Hiawatha), and wonder if you can give me more information about it. While the interior pages are in good condition, the covered is somewhat soiled and a little worn, as you can see. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

A:  Your book was published in 1902 as part of the Diplome D'Honneur Series.

The cover is quite unique. The right half is made of brocaded satin.

The book is a reprint and only has nominal value.

Diplome D'Honneur Series

Q:  Hi my name is Amber and I recently purchased this book from a flea market. The cover says "Endymion" and the title page says "Endymion, and other poems." Unfortunately, the first 12 pages are missing. I would like to know the year in which this book was published. Thank You.

A:  Your book is part of the Diplome L'Honneur Series and was published in 1902. This series was only published for one year and the books are somewhat uncommon. See: ../series/series76.htm.

Dore's Masterpieces Series

Q:  Hi! I have this Book (Milton's Paradise Lost) published by Henry Altemus that has no date on it. I also couldn't find one online with the same cover design.  Any information would be appreciated!

A:  Your book is part of the Dore's Masterpieces Series.

It was published between 1892 and 1901.

It originally had a red canvas dust jacket. See here

Dore's Masterpieces

Q:  Hello and good day, I have a copy of Dante's Inferno, however, I have been unable to locate any reference to the copy I have. It has an unusual cover. Could you be so kind as to provide any additional information on this issue. Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.

A:  This series of very elegant volumes which were illustrated by Gustave Dore were published between 1889-1903. See: Dore's Masterpieces Series 78

There were six different formats all of which either came boxed or in dust jackets.

This title is from Format #5. It was first published in 1892.

On the left of the cover is vellum with a gold gilt decorative pattern. The right side has the title in gilt with various underlying colors.

This format came with a red canvas dust jacket. See here.

Dore Masterpieces Series

Q:  Hello, I recently bought this Altemus copy of Milton's Paradise Lost at an estate sale. I find no publication date. the copy is in fine condition.
Interestingly, it included an 8 sided fold out catalog stuck in the front cover. Considering the age, the catalog is in remarkable condition. I'm curious about the publication year, value and rarity of these items. I've sent some pictures, yet the lighting filter kept changing. Thank you for any info.

A:  Your book is from the Dore Masterpieces Series. It appears to have the pebbled cloth and is therefore a Format 2 book. These volumes were published between 1889 and 1901.

I think is is fair to assume that the advertising flyer was printed at about the same time as the book. It can provide some hints at the date. The Dore Bible Gallery in German is pictured. This was initially published in 1892.

Also noted in the ad is Addresses by Drummond. This format was published between 1891 and 1893. See: http://www.henryaltemus.com/images/NS_2.htm

Thus, I would think your book was published in 1892-1893.

Those books in pretty good shape can sell for $50-150. Totally unpredictable.

The advertising flyers are fairly uncommon. I have seen one other 8 page flyer and it is different from yours. I would price it at $25-50. See: http://www.henryaltemus.com/flyers/flyer-S78.htm

Dore's Masterpieces

Q:  Die Dore Bibel - Gallerie

Enter according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890 By Henry Altemus in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington D. C.
Illustrirt von Gustave Dore’
Completely in German with pictures
Excellent Condition

Is this worth anything?

A:  This series of seven books is among the most desired of Altemus publications. Even though the titles are relatively easy to find in one of the formats, the Dore illustrations are still quite widely collected.

Die Dore Bibel Gallerie is the least commonly found title in the series. It is a German translation of the Dore Bible Gallery which is also part of the series.

See Dore's Masterpieces for more information.