Henry Altemus Company

Henry Altemus Company
StatusDefunct
Founded1842; 182 years ago (1842)
FounderHenry Altemus
Defunct1936; 88 years ago (1936)
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Publication typesBooks

The Henry Altemus Company was a publishing company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for almost a century, from 1842 to 1936.[1][2]

History

The firm started as a bookbindery. In 1863, Altemus was awarded a patent for a particular type of binding for photographic albums. These albums were huge sellers for Altemus and were the mainstay of their publishing business until the mid-1880s. The albums were supplanted by Bibles in the 1880s. Starting in 1889, books were published with the Henry Altemus imprint. Like other publishers of its era, it published a wide variety of titles, in a wide variety of formats. The company published over two hundred series. These series can be seen listed at henryaltemus.com.[1] More than 95% of all the published works of Henry Altemus were in series form.[3]

Altemus' most popular series included the Young People's Library, Wee Books for Wee Folks, and their numerous juvenile series books.[1] Among the latter are those written by H. Irving Hancock.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Henry Altemus Company – History & Overview". 31 March 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  2. ^ A Bibliography of 19th Century Children's Series Books, oldchildrensbooks.com. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  3. ^ The Henry Altemus Company: A History and Pictorial Bibliography, oldchildrensbooks.com. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

Further reading

  • Cary Sternick, The Henry Altemus Company: A History and Pictorial Bibliography, The Woodlands, Texas: Cary Sternick, 2005.
  • Cary Sternick, A Bibliography of 19th Century Children's Series Books, The Woodlands, Texas: Cary Sternick, 2003.