Henry Altemus Company

Sanspareil Series

Ebay description:  Tales From Shakespeare: Charles & Mary Lamb: 1878

Book description: Henry Altemus: Philadelphia: 1878. Introduction by A.A. (Rev. Alfred Ainger)368pp. plus ads. Green floral illustrated covers with gilt background and red flowers. Same on spine.

The Reality:  As has been noted in a previous Ebay error involving this title from another Altemus Series, (See: Ebay Errors 30 Nov 2006), the preface has nothing to do with the publication date. This book was published in 1898. The fact that the preface is dated 1878 is irrelevant. Altemus published this title in numerous different series over the years and most often reprinted the 1878 dated preface. The offending preface date is shown here.

High School Boys Series

Ebay description:  The High School Captain of the Team

Our price: $65.00

Edition: First
Publisher: Altemus
Place: Philadelphia
Date published: (1910)

Philadelphia: Altemus. (1910). First. Second state with applied-paper pictorial. Page edges and binding a little soiled, else very good lacking the dustwrapper. A nice copy of a cheaply made book. Football action at high school level. Last of the four "High School Boys" series.

The Reality:  This book has the paste-on (applique) cover which is part of the third format of this series which was published at its earliest in 1926. See: http://henryaltemus.com/juveniles/ This ubiquitous book without a dust jacket has only nominal value. As is frequently the case, the seller confuses a copyright date with a publication date.

Appreciate with very few exceptions that these juvenile series books without jackets have virtually no value. They are just too common to be worth much.

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.

Young People's Library Format 2

Ebay description:  "Old Louisa M Alcott Book! Flower Fables!

You are bidding on a Louisa M. Alcott book with 34 illustrations!!

I don't know a lot about vintage books but here goes!!
It was given to someone in 1898
Publisher is Henry Altemus.
It apears to be a first addition!
Boston Dec 9 1854.."

The Reality:  This is a 1898-1902 book which is part of the Young People's Library-Format 2.

See: http://henryaltemus.com/series/series202F2.htm

Altemus published no books for reading until 1889. The first edition was published by George W. Briggs, a Boston publisher in 1855 (Xmas, 1854).

This might be a first "addition" to your collection but it will not be a first edition.

Sanspareil Series

Ebay description:  PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS Rudyard Kipling 1808 1st Am?

PLAIN TALES FROM THE HILLS by Rudyard Kipling. This small hardcover book is copyright 1808 and I am thinking it may be a First American Edition. Publisher is Henry Altemus of Philadelphia, PA.

The Reality:  This is an 1898 book from the Sanspareil Series. Since Kipling was born in 1865 it is somewhat unlikely he wrote this book in 1808. http://henryaltemus.com/series/series162.htm
The first American edition was published by Macmillan and Co. in 1890.

Valenciennes Series

Ebay description:  The Sketch Book by Washington Irving 1848.

The Sketch Book By Washington Irving, Hardcover.
Publisher: Henry Altemus, Philadelphia
Small volume in fair condition. Bound in cloth, elegantly decorated with floral design on front cover. Spine moderately faded, board edges rubbed. A solid copy. The preface to this revised edition is dated 1848.

The Reality:  This book is part of the publisher's multi volume Valenciennes Series and was published in 1897. Once again a seller mistakes the preface date for the publication date. This book originally came within a labeled box.

Pony Rider Boys Series

Ebay description:  1910, THE PONY RIDER BOYS in OZARKS, Frank Gee Patchin

Printing Year: 1910

Description

THE PONY RIDER BOYS IN THE OZARKS or The Secret of Ruby Mountain by Frank Gee Patchin

Illustrated frontispiece and three plates with black and white drawings

Published by Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia, copyright 1910, no other date. Hardcover blue cloth binding with pastedown illustration of two Pony Rider Boys; 252 pages plus 16 pages of book advertising, 5" x 7 1/2".

The Reality:  This book is a third format style in this series. The applique covers were first printed in 1924. Thus, that is the earliest date for this book. See: http://henryaltemus.com/series/series25.htm for more information.

By the way, the starting price of 24.50 for this late edition without a jacket is way out of line. A couple of bucks would be more like it.

Boys and Girls Classics Series

Ebay description:  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell c.1897 with 50 illustrations

The earliest black beauty I have ever seen, and I have seen a few. 1897 copy Black Beauty, the autobiography of a horse. by Anna Sewell with 50 illustrations. 1 color the rest in black, copyright 1897 by Henry Altemus Philadelphia. Hard cover in ok condition, binding good, pages good, 250 pages, low starting bid, really early for this book.

The Reality:  This book is from the Boys and Girls Classics Series which was a 15 book series published first in 1908 and reprinted for many years later. The books of this series used the earlier plates from the Altemus Young People's Library. This seller confuses the copyright date which is on the title page with the publication date. If the seller studied the ads in the back of the book, the date of the book would have been obvious.

The linen covers of this series varied and many patterns have been seen. The books originally came within a labeled floral decorated box.

Young People's Library Format 2 (and 1)

Ebay description:  EXPLORATION & DISCOVERY IN THE FROZEN SEAS/1896/RARE!!
1ST ED/ALTEMUS YOUNG PEOPLE' LIBRARY/NEW IN SERIES 1896

PRINTED IN 1896 BY THE HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY AS A NEW EDITION TO ITS YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIBRARY SERIES. WRITTEN BY PRESTON HOLMES WITH ENGRAVINGS TAKEN FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND ART WORK DONE ESPECIALLY FOR THIS VOLUME.

EMBOSSED PICTORIAL COVER DEPICTING ESKIMO IN KAYAK. SPINE TITLE READS: THE FROZEN SEAS. NO DJ, AND I COULD NOT FIND ANY COPIES OF THIS BOOK THAT SAID IT ONCE HAD ONE -- ALL THREE OF THE COPIES I DID FIND INDICATE IT WAS JACKETLESS, "AS ISSUED." SIZE IS APPROX. 6" X 7" VERTICAL FORMAT. COLOR FRONTISPIECE, 80 ILLUSTRATIONS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THE ART NOUVEAU FLORAL EMBOSSED SPINE WHICH INDICATES "FORMAT 2" BUT DOES NOT STOP THIS FROM BEING A FIRST EDITION, AS IT HAS ALL THE OTHER EARMARKS: ILLUSTRATED END PAPERS FRONT AND BACK, AND THE FULL "HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY" PUBLISHER'S LINE ON THE TITLE PAGE. THESE ARE NOT PRESENT IN TRUE SECOND EDITIONS. I BELIEVE THE SPINE IS "FORMAT 2" BECAUSE THAT WAS THE FORMAT BEING USED WHEN THIS BOOK WAS PRINTED.

254 TEXT PAGES PLUS 20 PAGES OF ADVERTISING FOR OTHER ALTEMUS PUBLICATIONS. NOTE THIS BOOK IS NOT YET LISTED IN THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIBRARY SERIES...WHICH, ALONG WITH THE ALTEMUS COPYRIGHT LINE ON THE TITLE PAGE, LEADS TO THE ASSUMPTION THAT THIS IS INDEED A FIRST EDITION.

The Reality:  This seller has argued with me about why this book is really a first edition and published in 1896.

Here is why this seller is wrong.

This book was published first in 1896 as part of the First Format of the Young People's Library. Since Altemus incorporated in 1900, any book with the imprint of Henry Altemus Company was published in 1900 or later.
The true first showing the 1896 date and the imprint of Henry Altemus is shown below. The second printing of the First Format in 1897 (title page shown below) differed from the 1896 printing by the addition of 8 more pages of text,the author's name on the title page and a new frontispiece. All editions from this 1897 one on are identical in content.

The seller also makes the claim that their book was not issued with a dust jacket. All format 2 books had jackets. Here is this one's.

Finally just for interest sake, this seller's frontispiece is a late Format 2 frontispiece. Included here is the first edition (1896) frontispiece and the one used from 1897 until the seller's book was published-probably in 1902. From 1897 until 1901 the explorer had a red suit. In 1902 in the seller's book, the explorer's outfit was brown.

Young People's Library - Format 4

Ebay description:  1899. 1st THUS ROBINSON CRUSOE, DANIEL DEFOE ILLUSTRATED

FIRST EDITION
1899

The Reality:  By the time Altemus published this book in the 1920s as part of the 4th format in the Young People's Library, this title had been published by him numerous times.

The first time was in 1895 in the first format of the Young People's Library. That book is pictured here.