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/Beauxarts Series (#48)

Q:  Hello, I recently picked up these two volumes for my wife. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1899 to 1902, I think. Through The Looking Glass was written in 1899. Both editions are described as being in Very Good condition. Could you give me some information on these two books? Are they worth anything? I bought them both because I thought they were nicely done. I know my wife will love them as she is a high school English teacher. I wanted to do something different this year for Christmas. Thank you for your time.

A:  You have two very nice books. The first editions were published in 1866 and 1871. Your books, of course, are later reprints. The Alice book is from the Vademecum Series and was published in 1899. The Through the looking Glass book was published in 1902 as part of the Beauxarts Series. Both books originally came in labeled boxes.

Although they are not the most collectible of the Altemus reprints (those books have illustrated covers), their contents are the same. Clearly they are in great shape and have a very nice appearance in their own right.

Value is difficult to determine. The reason is that although the books are quite common, because of the Alice interest, they occasionally sell for decent dollars. I have seen them sell for $5 and I have seen them sell for $50. Rarely should they go for more than that because they are so easy to find.

Devotional Series

Q:  We have this book in our possession and are not able to find another like it. It is title Evening Thoughts. The inside says Evening Thoughts Philadelphia Henry Altemus Company. There is no year.
Can you share any other information with me?

Thank you

A:  Your book is part of the Devotional Series (Format 9)

The exact year of publication is unclear but it was probably in the teens.

It is a reprint and has only nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hello, I have another book (She Stoops to Conquer) I hope you can tell me more about. From looking at the Henry Altemus web site it appears to be from the Vademecum Series, its #189 in the L'Art Nouveau Series and I think it would be dated in 1901.

I've looked on the internet for more information but there seem to be numerous books and I have no idea of what the value of this book would be.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1902. This title appeared in numerous Altemus Series. If you look at the pictures of the covers, you can identify where it belongs.

During 1902 this format was published with a number of different color covers. More than 40 different pictures have been seen within the cover template. See ../vademecum.htm.

Beauxarts Series

Q:  This seems to be an 1988 Beaux Arts series edition of Lalla Rookh, based on your series descriptions and photos. However, the cover is green rather than blue as described in various listings on Abe Books and in your photos. Wonder if that makes any difference in value - if this is of more than nominal value. It’s in VG condition based on my inexpert inspection.

A:  This book is part of the Beauxarts Series and was published in 1898. The green colored cover is probably the most commonly seen.

It is a reprint and this title is not a very desirable one. Thus, it only has nominal value. Other representative covers are shown on the series page.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hello. I found this book (Poe's Weird Tales) among my grandmother's things and am wondering if it has any value. It is marked copyrighted 1895 by Henry Altemus. Thank you for any information you may be able to give me.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1896. It is a reprint which originally came within a labeled box.

There is quite a bit of collector's interest in books by Poe. So even though it is a reprint, it may have some value. Determining that value is probably best done by an auction like Ebay.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Hi. I was wondering how much this book is worth if it is worth anything at all. It's A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne.

A:  Your book is part of the Vademecum Series and was published in 1903. It originally was sold in a labeled box. Here is an example of the box.

During 1903, more than 40 pictures have been seen on the cover. Numerous colored covers were published. The book is a reprint and only has nominal value.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Could you folks give a publishing date for this book (Emerson's Essays). The title page states first series. Thanks.

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

During this year any one of more than 40 paste-on pictures have been seen on the cover. This cover was published in a number of different colors. It was originally sold with a labeled box.

Young People's Library

Q:  My father just passed away and I found this book (Exploration and Discovery in the Frozen Seas) amongst his belongings and I was wondering about this book due to its age and the little research I did online about it. Can you shed some light on it?

A:  Your book is part of the Young People's Library. This series was published from 1895 to 1933. This book is part of Format 1 which was published between 1895 and 1898. Each format has a characteristic spine decoration. The Format 1 spine is shown here.
The Format 1 books with this title have been seen with two different cover illustrations and in several different colors. They are shown on the series page. The edition of your book can be determined by examining the ads in the front and the back and looking at the website information. ../series/series202F1.htm
The Format 1 books are slightly smaller (6.5 x 5) than the Format 2-4 books.

Vademecum Series

Q:  Greetings, I am curious about this little copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published by your company. There is no publication date, but the date 1903 is handwritten in the front. There is also an extensive catalog of other books for sale in the back of the book.

The book has all of the original black and white illustrations. It is in good shape. The binding is intact with no torn, damaged or missing pages.

I have been unable to locate any other copies to compare it to. If you could give me any information, e.g., possible worth, publication information, and/or any other insights I would be very grateful.

A:  Your book was published in 1903 as part of the Vademecum Series. It originally came within a labeled box. It is, of course, a reprint but has all of the original text by Lewis Carroll.

Alice books are widely collected and although it is one of a myriad of reprints published during this era, there may be an Alice collector who just has to have this format. The only way to determine the worth is probably by putting it up for auction (on Ebay for example) and see what happens. You just never know.

Waistcoat Pocket Series

Q:  I am having a hard time finding information on this book and was hoping for some insight and value of possible. Thank you. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

A:  Your book is part of the Waistcoat Pocket Series.

It is Format 3 in that series and was published between 1911 and 1921. It originally came in a labeled box.

It only has nominal value.