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.

Mother Goose Series

Q:  HI.. found your site.. I have this book (Aladdin) from my dad's collection & could not find any information on ebay or other sites.. just curious what feedback you may have..

A:  Your book can be found here: Series 131

It is part of the Mother Goose Series- Format 3. It is relatively common and originally came with a dust jacket. It generally does not sell for more than a few dollars.

Ever New Books for Young People

Q:  Good evening. I was curious as to how much a book like this is worth. It does not have a dust cover. It has slight wear but is in good shape.

A:  Your book is part of the Ever New Books for Young People Series.

It is one of the more uncommon Altemus Series. As you can see on the site, I still do not have most of the books in this series (because of their scarcity). These books are slightly different from the much more common Young People's Library books because they are slightly larger and they have the little squiggle design at the base of the front cover.

Even with this scarcity your book does not have much value ($5-15). A Black Beauty collector might pay more.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hello was just checking on the age and value of this book. The book is really good shape.

A:  Your book was published in 1899. It is part of the Vademecum Series.
See Series 180

Sanspareil Series

Q:  Hi - My mother recently gave my 7 year old the attached book. He is very fond of it and carries it everywhere. I am worried that it may be more valuable than she readily is aware and should be reshelved. Could you possibly take a look and let me know the history in regards the book?

A:  Your book was published in 1899 as part of the Sanspareil Series.
See Series 163

It only has nominal value so carrying it around won't hurt its value.

Sanspareil Series

Q:  I found this in my company’s leave-one-take-one book pile. It’s one of yours. John Ruskin’s Queen of the Air. I have no use for it but if you do lemme know. I like your site.

A:  Your book was published in 1898.

See Sanspareil Series

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  Can you tell me anything about this little book?

A:  Your book was published in 1901-1902 as part of the Petit Trianon Series. It original came in a labeled box.

See Series 143

The picture on the right of the cover was done by Alphonse Mucha, a well known Czech artist. It is called Poetry. See ../artists/artists-Mucha.htm

Vademecum Series

Q:  Could you please tell me what year this Alice in Wonderland was published? I looked at the website but I was unable to find one that was close to what this one looked like. I have enclosed a photo of the front cover. If you need more photos or more info please let me know. Also any information on the value would be greatly appreciated.

A:  Hello,
Your book was published in 1903. See Vademecum Series.
Your picture is listed on this page as #7.

For more on the Vademecum Series see Series 180

Most of the books of this format have only nominal value. Alice in Wonderland books however are more widely collected than most. $10-35 would be fair I think.

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.

Dainty Series

Q:  I would like to get some history on the book “The Children’s Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit, published by Henry Altemus Company, Copyright,1900. My wife and I just found this book in an old antique chest that use to belong to her Grandmother. I attached a couple .jpgs (cover and title page) for you to look at.

A:  Your book is part of the Dainty Series. A review of this series can be seen at Series 74. As you can see your book is a later reprint. Originally it had a dust jacket.

Young People's Library (Format 1)

Q:  Can you tell me what the age of this book is (Through the Looking Glass)?

A:  This book was published between 1895 and 1898.

To determine which year it was published in you can refer to the small chart that can be seen at: Young People's Library (Format 1)

Let me know if you have any other questions.