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.

Vademecum Series

Q:  What can you tell me about the attached book (Emerson's Essays) – date of publication, series, value, etc. Thanks very much.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1901.

It it a reprint and was originally sold within a labeled box.

Because it is a print of a not very collectible title, it has only nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hi I have the book Line Upon Line, it appears to be very old. It has a copyright stamp of 1897 by Henry Altemus. Just wondering if you could tell me if it's worth anything? Or maybe you could direct me to someone that may know about this book.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1900.

It originally was sold within a labeled box. It is a reprint.

This book is worth maybe a couple of dollars.

Vademecum Series

Q:  I have this Black Beauty book it has written inside by the owner the date August 7, '05. And I'm 100% sure it's not 2005 as the book has been in my family as long as I can remember and I'm 80. After looking through your identifications I do not find the exact cover. There is no published date inside and the last pages are listings of publications. I think I'm safe in assuming the book has no monetary value as it appears that many and varied books were printed for all titles. But am curious as to its published date. It's a cute little book.

A:  This book is part of the Vademecum Series and is a reprint as are all of the Vademecum Series’ titles. It was published in 1905-1906. Four different flower patterns have been noted as appliqués’. This year’s books have been seen with various colors and originally came boxed. See here.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  I recently purchased a book named The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley that was published by Henry Altemus Company. I would really appreciate your help in identifying the date in which this book was published. Enclosed is a picture of the cover of the book.

A:  Your book is part of the Petit Trianon Series and was published in 1903-1904. During this year the titles which are all reprints had the pedestal on the left half of the front cover (beige, pink or blue) and one of 16 flowers on the left. It was originally sold within a labeled box. See here.

Kipling Series

Q:  I picked this book up because I love Kipling and was curious about it, i saw that it is part of a series - do you know anything else? Is it rare? I cant seem to find it on any rare book sites. Thanks! On the City Wall

A:  Your book is part of the 21 title Kipling Series. This set was published in 1899-1900. Kipling books were reprinted by numerous firms and are not especially rare.

This book was originally published with a dust jacket.

Vademecum Series

Q:  I've been carrying this book around for years. Was wondering if was a collector item. House of the Seven Gables

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published between 1909-1912. It is a reprint (as are all of the titles in this series) of a not very desirable title and thus has only nominal value.

It was originally released within a label box. An example is shown here.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  According to your website this book cover is referenced as 1897 book, but inside this one shows copyright 1895.

Could you explain this for me?

A:  The copyright date is not necessarily the date of publication. In this instance, your book which is part of the publisher’s Petit Trianon Series was published in 1897. For books of this series, the cover changed every year or so. Thus, the year can be determined by the cover. These yearly covers are shown on the series website.

See: http://www.henryaltemus.com/series/series141.htm

Banbury Cross Series

Q:  I'd like to know more about this book. I did not find it described on your website. Chicken Little

An inscription says that the book was in the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake and was owned by a Mrs. Bresson. Is it a rare book? Does it have any value?

Thank you for any information you can provide.

A:  Your book is part of the ten volume Banbury Cross Series and is pictured here: http://henryaltemus.com/series/series44.htm

It was published in 1904 and originally came with a dust jacket.

It has nominal value.

Wyncote Series

Q:  Hi, I have this red hard cover, Altemus printing of The Man Without a Country with a 1908 copyright date. The title is in gold on the front but without the author, and since there is also nothing on the spine, I think it had a dust jacket. I tried for about an hour to find a similar copy but could not. The last distinguishing feature is the red border found on most pages; I saw this on a small number of other printings. I would really appreciate help in finding out more about this edition. Thank you.

A:  Your book is from the Wyncote Series and was published between 1927-1933.

The four books in this series are reprints and did originally have dust jackets. See here.

Petit Trianon Series

Q:  Hello. I have an undated copy of Representative Men by Emerson, published by "Henry Altemus Company", Philadelphia. From cover images on your web page, the cover design resembles 1901 Petit Trianon #14. The Vademecum Series list in the back includes 1--244, in alphabetical order. Is 1901 the likely year of publication?

A:  You are correct. This is the the 1901-1902 cover for a book in the Petit Trianon Series. It is a reprint. It originally was sold within a labeled box.

The right half of the front cover had one of 16 flowers or one of two Alphonse Mucha pictures. The left side had a lady hiding up the title. It was seen in beige, blue or pink. The blue cover is the most uncommon. Examples are shown here.