Palmer Putnam, who was born at Brunswick, Maine, in 1814 and died
in 1872. The London House was established in 1841. Some years after
the death of Mr. George Palmer Putnam, the firm was changed into a
corporation under the laws of the State of New York. Since 1880, the
President of the corporation has been Major George Haven Putnam, who
was born in London in 1844.
Educational books, that is to say, books for the use of higher
grade students, have been included in the Putnam list, but common
school books have not been included. The first book coming under the
description of “educational” published by the house was _The Tabular
Views of Universal History_, compiled in 1832 by the late George Palmer
Putnam.
The present firm consists of Major George Haven Putnam, Irving Putnam,
Sidney Haven Putnam, Edmund W. Putnam, and George Palmer Putnam, under
the firm name of G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
A. S. BARNES & COMPANY.--The business of this firm was begun by
Mr. A. S. Barnes about 1837 at Hartford, Conn., but soon moved to
Philadelphia, Pa., where the title of the firm was changed to A. S.
Barnes & Burr, Mr. Burr being a brother-in-law of Mr. Barnes. A few
years later the business was moved to 51 John Street, New York City.
The name of Burr disappeared from the firm early in its New York days,
and the title became A. S. Barnes & Company. After a few years at 51
John Street, the business was moved to 111-113 William Street, where it
remained until 1890, when the textbook publications were purchased by
the American Book Company. During the period between the establishment
of the business in New York and 1890, Mr. Barnes took in as partners,
in the order named, his son Alfred C. Barnes, Henry W. Curtis, Charles
J. Barnes, a nephew, and Henry B. Barnes, Edwin M. Barnes, Richard S.
Barnes, and William D. Barnes, all sons of A. S. Barnes. At the time of
the sale of the business to the American Book Company, the partners
of the firm consisted of the five sons of A. S. Barnes, and Charles J.
Barnes of Chicago.
In 1837, Mr. A. S. Barnes published a series of mathematical books
written by Professor Charles Davies. Other well-known publications
of the house were Monteith’s Geographies, Barnes’ Histories, Parker
and Watson’s Readers, Barnes’ Readers, Steele’s Science Series, and
Maxwell’s Grammars.
CHARLES E. MERRILL COMPANY.--Mr. Merrill writes:
“It appears that the original house was founded by William G. Webster,
a son of Dr. Noah Webster, author of the Dictionary, and Lucius E.
Clark, a farmer’s son who was born at Washington, Conn., July 4, 1814.
They began business under the name of Webster & Clark in 1842. A few
years later Mr. Webster retired and Mr. Clark, associated with Jeremiah
B. Austin of Wallingford, Conn., continued the business under the name
of Clark & Austin. Soon afterward Cornelius Smith of W. B. Smith & Co.
of Cincinnati became a partner and the firm name was changed to Clark,
Austin & Smith. In 1859, Mr. Smith died and the firm was reorganized
under the name of Clark, Austin, Maynard & Company, Effingham Maynard
and Livingston Snedeker being admitted to partnership.
“The Civil War, beginning two years later, brought disaster to
the firm. A large amount of money due from Southern customers was
uncollectable and after a desperate struggle to hold over, a compromise
with its creditors became necessary. After obtaining releases from
creditors, the business was resumed in 1863 by Clark & Maynard, whose
careful and efficient management enabled them in 1872 to pay in full,
principal and interest, all the debts from which the firm of Clark,
Austin, Maynard & Company had been released. Their most notable
contributions to textbook publishing were the Anderson Historical
Series and the Reed & Kellogg Grammars.
“Mr. Clark retired from business at the close of 1888, and Mr. Maynard,
with Mr. Everett Yeaw of Lawrence, Mass., continued the business
under the firm name of Effingham Maynard & Company. In 1893, the firm
consolidated with that of Charles E. Merrill & Company, consisting of
Charles E. Merrill and Edwin C. Merrill, the resulting organization
being incorporated under the name of Maynard, Merrill & Company. Its
officers were Effingham Maynard, Charles E. Merrill, Everett Yeaw, and
Edwin C. Merrill. Mr. Maynard died in 1899. Mr. Charles E. Merrill
bought the Maynard interest from the two sons of Mr. Maynard, and the
name of the corporation was changed to Charles E. Merrill Company.
In 1910 Mr. Yeaw, now the head of Newson & Company, retired from the
organization, which was joined a few years later by Mr. Edwin W.
Fielder. The present officers are Charles E. Merrill, President,
Charles E. Merrill, Jr., Vice President, Halsey M. Collins, Secretary,
and Edwin W. Fielder, Treasurer. These officers, with Harold S. Brown,
are the directors.”
IVISON, BLAKEMAN, TAYLOR & COMPANY.--Mr. Henry Ivison, a bookseller
at Auburn, N. Y., came to New York City in 1846 and was admitted to
the firm of Mark H. Newman & Company. In 1852, a new partnership for
three years was founded under the firm name of Newman & Ivison, but
the senior partner died before the end of the first year, leaving the
business entirely in Mr. Ivison’s hands. Mr. Ivison later bought out
the entire interest of the concern and took in as a partner H. F.
Phinney of Cooperstown, N. Y., an experienced bookseller and son-in-law
of J. Fenimore Cooper. In 1866, Mr. Phinney’s health failed and Messrs.
Birdseye Blakeman, Augustus C. Taylor, and Mr. Ivison’s eldest son,
David B., were admitted to the firm, which was continued under the name
of Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co. Subsequently, on the withdrawal of
Mr. Phinney, the firm name was changed to Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor &
Co. Mr. Ivison retired from the firm in 1881. In 1890, the business of
this concern was purchased by the American Book Company.
In Ivison & Company’s Almanac for the year 1847 are found advertisements
of Porter’s _Rhetorical Reader_, Newman’s _Rhetoric_ and _Elements of
Political Economy_, Day and Thomson’s Series of _Practical Arithmetic_,
Sanders’ School Readers, Wilson’s Histories of the United States,
Bradbury & Sanders’ _Young Choir_ or _School Singing Book_, Gray’s
_Elements of Chemistry_, and Hitchcock’s _Elementary Geology_.
CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS.--The business was founded in 1846 by Isaac D.
Baker and Charles Scribner, under the firm name of Baker & Scribner.
Later the organization became a partnership under the different names
of Charles Scribner & Company, and Scribner & Armstrong. Mr. Charles
Scribner died in 1871, and was succeeded by his eldest son, John Blair
Scribner. Mr. Armstrong retired in 1878 and the business was then
reorganized as a partnership under the firm name of Charles Scribner’s
Sons, with John Blair Scribner as the head, the other partners being
Charles Scribner and Arthur H. Scribner, sons of the founder. When
John Blair Scribner died in 1879, Charles Scribner became the head of
the business. In 1904, the corporation of Charles Scribner’s Sons was
formed with Charles Scribner, President, and Arthur H. Scribner, Vice
President, and that organization remains the same in 1921.
Among the earliest educational publications of the house are a treatise
in physical geography entitled _The Earth and Man_, by A. Guyot,
translated by C. C. Felton and published in 1849; Felter’s Arithmetics,
1864; Guyot’s Wall Maps, 1865; Perry’s _Elements of Political Economy_,
1865; Guyot’s Geographies, 1866; Porter’s _Human Intellect_, 1868;
Cooley’s _Chemistry_, 1869; Cooley’s _Natural Philosophy_, 1871;
Cooley’s _Physics Experiments_, 1871; Hopkins’ _Outline Study of Man_,
1873.
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY.--This firm originally was Lippincott, Grambo
& Company, founded in 1850, and later became J. B. Lippincott Company.
The present Lippincott who is the head of the concern is the son of the
original founder, J. B. Lippincott.
Some of the old-time schoolbooks published by J. B. Lippincott
Company were Comly’s _Speller_, Sanford’s _Arithmetic_, Cutter’s
_Anatomy_, Wilson’s _Readers_, and Webster’s _Speller_. In 1876, the
firm purchased from Brewer & Tileston of Boston the entire rights
in Worcester’s Dictionary. The House has published in this country
Gibbon’s _Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_, Hume’s and Macaulay’s
Histories of England. It also projected _Lippincott’s Magazine_ in
1867, issuing the first number in January, 1868. Its first editor was
Lloyd Smith, the librarian of the Philadelphia library.
LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD COMPANY.--In 1850, Daniel Lothrop and his
brothers, John and Henry, formed a partnership known as D. Lothrop
& Company for the publishing of books in Dover, N. H. Their early
publications were mostly juvenile, and largely for use in Sunday School
libraries. A little more than ten years later, the business was removed
to Boston, and later incorporated as D. Lothrop Company. After the
death of Daniel Lothrop, the business was reorganized in 1891 as the
Lothrop Publishing Company, and so continued until 1904, when all its
assets were purchased by Lee & Shepard.
The Lothrop house published a great many books of educational value,
like Gilman’s _Historical Readers_, in three volumes, and Miss Cyr’s
_Interstate Primer and First Reader_. Their most important educational
book was _Finger Plays_, by Emilie Poulsson, of which 110,000 copies
have been sold.
The firm of Lee & Shepard was founded in Boston in 1861 by William
Lee, who had previously been a partner of Phillips Sampson & Company,
a Boston publishing house which went out of existence in the 50’s, and
Charles A. B. Shepard. Mr. Shepard died in 1889, and Mr. Lee continued
as sole partner until June, 1898, when he transferred his entire
business to E. Fleming & Company, book binders, who continued the
business by placing it in charge of Warren F. Gregory.
Lee & Shepard were general publishers and, like D. Lothrop & Company,
had strong lines of juveniles which were much used in school libraries.
Of their distinctively educational books, the most successful were
King’s _Picturesque Geographical Readers_, in six volumes.
In 1904, the owners of Lee & Shepard purchased the entire assets of
the Lothrop Publishing Company, and incorporated the combined houses
under the style Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company. Mr. Gregory, the
Manager of Lee & Shepard, was elected General Manager and has held that
position since. Among its most important works used educationally, in
addition to those mentioned above, are the _True Story Series_, the _U.
S. Service Series_, the translation of Froebel’s _Mother Play, with
Music_, and books for younger readers.
SHELDON & COMPANY.--Mr. Smith Sheldon of Albany, N. Y., organized
a firm which began business in New York City in 1853 at 115 Nassau
Street. He was soon joined by Mr. Birdseye Blakeman, who afterward
became a member of the firm of Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Company. In
1857 Isaac E. Sheldon, eldest son of Smith Sheldon, became a partner,
and subsequently Isaac Shailor entered the firm. Mr. Shailor was killed
a few years later in his barn by a stroke of lightning. This must have
been in the early 70’s, and about that time Mr. Sheldon’s younger sons,
Alexander E. Sheldon and William D. Sheldon, were made members of the
firm.
Some time in the 60’s Mason and Hamlin, the organ people, sold to
the Sheldons their schoolbooks, such as the Stoddard Mathematics,
Haven’s and Wayland’s Philosophies, and other standard books. Sheldon
& Company had branched out into almost all classes of publication,
including novels, autobiographies, religious books, hymn books,
schoolbooks, etc., and in addition published what was known as the
_Galaxy Magazine_. In 1877, the house decided to make a specialty
of schoolbooks, and gave up its other lines of publication. Among
the school and college textbooks which they brought out were Olney’s
Mathematics, Avery’s Science Series, Hill’s Rhetorics, Logic and
Psychology, Shaw’s Literature, Sheldon’s Word Studies, Sheldon’s Modern
School Readers, and Patterson’s Grammars.
In 1891, the firm was incorporated under the name of Sheldon & Company,
with Isaac E. Sheldon as President and Joseph K. Butler as Secretary
and Treasurer. The following year they purchased the business of
Taintor Brothers. Later the house of E. H. Butler & Company was merged
with Sheldon & Company, there being included in E. H. Butler & Company
the firm of Cowperthwait & Company of Philadelphia, and a Pittsburgh
firm, the name of which I think was H. I. Gurley & Company. Isaac E.
Sheldon died about the first of July, 1898, and E. H. Butler was made
President, the firm becoming Butler, Sheldon & Company. On January 1,
1903, the business of Butler, Sheldon & Company was purchased by the
American Book Company and its books added to the list of that concern.
RAND McNALLY & COMPANY.--In 1859 Mr. William H. Rand was operating a
job printing business at 148 Lake Street, Chicago. About that time
his plant was consolidated with the job department of the Chicago
_Tribune_. In 1862, Mr. Andrew McNally, who had been in partnership
with Mr. John Collins in the printing and stationery business on North
Clark Street, sold his interest and purchased a partnership in the
_Tribune_ job office. He became superintendent of the business. In
1864, Rand and McNally bought out the _Tribune_ interest in the job
printing, and founded the copartnership of Rand McNally & Company. The
Company was incorporated in 1873. The present President of the concern
is Mr. H. B. Clow.
Rand McNally & Company has been known as map makers, book publishers,
atlas makers, bank publishers, ticket manufacturers, creators of map
systems, and other specialties. It has published the Dodge Geographies,
the Mace Histories, and a number of other large selling educational
books.
HENRY HOLT & COMPANY.--In 1866, the copartnership of Frederick Leypoldt
and Henry Holt was formed under the style of Leypoldt & Holt. From
the start they were merely publisher and not retailers or printers.
In 1871, H. O. Williams was admitted to the firm; Mr. Leypoldt soon
withdrew, and the firm name was changed to Holt & Williams. Two years
later Mr. Williams retired and the business was continued as Henry Holt
& Company. Charles Holt, a brother of Henry Holt, was an active partner
from 1878 to 1903, when the house became a stock company with Henry
Holt as President, Roland Holt, Vice President, Edward N. Bristol,
Secretary, Joseph F. Vogelius, Treasurer. In 1919, Mr. Vogelius
resigned after more than fifty years’ connection with the house.
The firm’s first educational venture occurred in 1867, when the foreign
language publications of S. R. Urbino and DeVries, Ibarra & Company of
Boston were taken over. These two lists included the Otto French and
German Grammars and some sixty French and German texts. Most of these
same texts still appear in Henry Holt & Company’s list, though not in
the form first issued. In 1869, the firm began what was practically
its first original enterprise in the educational field when it issued
Whitney’s German textbooks, starting with his _German Reader_, and
following shortly with his _Compendious German Grammar_. In 1879,
the _American Science Series_ was begun with Packard’s _Zoology_.
The announcements included James’ _Psychology_, Walker’s _Political
Economy_, and Martin’s _The Human Body_. In the same year the first of
Johnston’s books, _American Politics_, appeared. These books represent
the earlier development of Henry Holt & Company’s educational business.
GINN & COMPANY.--This house was founded in 1867 by Edwin Ginn. He
began business at No. 3 Beacon Street, Boston, and soon admitted as
a partner Mr. Aaron Lovell, afterward the head of the house known
as A. Lovell & Company of New York. Mr. Ginn’s next partner was Mr.
R. F. Leighton, the author of Leighton’s _Latin Lessons_, then Mr.
Frederick Ginn, Edwin Ginn’s brother. Later Mr. Daniel C. Heath and Mr.
George A. Plimpton were admitted to the firm, Mr. Heath in 1876 and
Mr. Plimpton in 1880. The firm was then known as Ginn & Heath. In 1885
the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Heath retiring. The business was
continued by Edwin Ginn, George A. Plimpton, and Frederick Ginn under
the firm name of Ginn & Company. Since then there have been admitted
at different times as members of the firm, Thomas Ballard, Justin H.
Smith, Lewis Parkhurst, O. P. Conant, Ralph L. Hayes, Selim S. White,
Thomas W. Gilson, Fred. M. Ambrose, Austin H. Kenerson, Henry R.
Hilton, Richard S. Thomas, C. H. Thurber, T. B. Lawler, Dana W. Hall,
Selden C. Smith, O. J. Laylander, F. C. Hodgdon, E. A. DeWitt, L. B.
Robeson, Mark R. Jouett, Jr., J. W. Swartz, LeRoy J. Weed, Edward H.
Kenerson, Norman C. Miller, and H. B. Conway. Of this number there are
now eighteen surviving partners.
Mr. Edwin Ginn died in 1914. Of the other partners who have been
admitted, Mr. Conant, Mr. Gilson, Mr. White, and Mr. Kenerson, Sr.,
have crossed the Great Divide. Mr. Justin H. Smith retired from the
firm to enter the faculty of Dartmouth College. Mr. Ballard, Mr. Hayes
and Mr. Ambrose also retired.
The first educational book that Mr. Ginn published was Craik’s _The
English of Shakespeare_. This was followed by Goodwin’s _Greek
Grammar_, the Allen & Greenough Latin Series, White’s _Greek Lessons_,
and a course of _Grade School Music Readers_ by Luther Whiting Mason.
This series was early introduced into the Boston schools and for some
time was the standard series of school music in America.
The Boston offices of Ginn & Company have been at Tremont Place, Beacon
Street, in the old John Hancock house, and are now at 15 Ashburton
Place.
The prototype of the Athenæum Press was started by Ginn & Company in
the early 80’s. The building which now houses this establishment is
located in Cambridge, and was erected in 1896.
ALLYN & BACON.--Mr. John Allyn began business in 1868. He imported
and published a line of books, chiefly Greek, but in 1886 he issued
Pennell’s Histories of Greece and Rome, Comstock’s _First Latin Book_,
and Kelsey’s _Caesar_. In 1888 Dr. George A. Bacon joined Mr. Allyn in
equal partnership. Dr. Bacon had been, before he entered business, the
principal of the Syracuse High School. Shortly after the partnership
was formed, the house purchased Walker’s _Physiology_ from A. Lovell
& Company, but the book had already been in existence for some time.
Both Mr. Allyn and Dr. Bacon are still living and carrying on their
business.
THE CENTURY COMPANY.--This company was organized July 21, 1870, by
Roswell Smith and Josiah G. Holland. It is a corporation. Mr. Smith
was the first president; he was succeeded by Frank Scott, he by W. W.
Ellsworth, and he by Dr. W. Morgan Shuster, who is at the present time
in office.
Strictly educational publications were first brought out in 1904,
Fetter’s _Principles of Economics_ being the first volume to appear.
Failor’s _Plane and Solid Geometry_, Forman’s _Advanced Civics_,
Smith’s _Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry_, and Thorndike’s
_Elements of Composition and Rhetoric_ were published shortly afterward.
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY.--The founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company was
Dr. Isaac Kauffman Funk, who established the business in 1876 with _The
Metropolitan Pulpit_, now _The Homiletic Review_. Some months later he
was joined by Adam W. Wagnalls, and the two entered into partnership,
forming the business of I. K. Funk & Company. These two men were joined
in 1879 by Mr. Robert J. Cuddihy.
In 1891, Funk & Wagnalls Company was organized with Dr. Funk as
President, Adam W. Wagnalls, Vice President, Robert J. Cuddihy,
Treasurer and General Manager. William Neisel joined the staff of the
publishing house in 1883, and was appointed head of the Manufacturing
Department. In 1884, Dr. Funk founded _The Voice_ and in 1890, _The
Literary Digest_. Edward J. Wheeler joined the staff as editor of _The
Voice_ in 1884, and in 1895 became editor of _The Literary Digest_,
which position he held until 1905, when William Seaver Woods became
editor.
The idea and plans of the Dictionary originated with Dr. Funk, whose
first managing editor was Dr. Daniel Seeley Gregory. The _Standard
Dictionary_ was projected in 1890 and completed in 1893. Dr. Funk was
editor-in-chief of all the publications of Funk & Wagnalls Company, and
in his work on the _Standard Dictionary_ was assisted by Dr. Rossiter
Johnson, John Denison Champlin, Dr. Francis A. March, Sr., and Dr.
Arthur E. Bostwick. The _New Standard Dictionary_ was projected in
1909, and was issued under the editor-in-chiefship of Dr. Funk, with
Calvin Thomas as consulting editor, and Frank H. Vizetelly as managing
editor, 1903-1913, editor of the same since 1914. The abridgments of
the _Standard Dictionary_ were produced under the general editorship of
Dr. Funk, by Dr. James Champlin Fernald, Frank H. Vizetelly, and others.
The office of Secretary has been held, sometimes in addition to other
offices, by the following persons: Robert J. Cuddihy, 1891-1898; Henry
L. Raymond, 1898-1904; Robert Scott, 1904-1913; Wilfred J. Funk,
1913-1915; and William Neisel, 1915 to the present time.
Following the death of Dr. Isaac K. Funk in 1912, Dr. Adam W. Wagnalls
was elected President of the Company; Benjamin Franklin Funk, Vice
President. On the death of Benjamin Franklin Funk in 1914, Wilfred J.
Funk became Vice President and William Neisel, Secretary.
The editorial policy of Funk & Wagnalls Company is directed by the
Executive Committee, under the guidance of the General Manager, Robert
J. Cuddihy. The Manager of the Educational Department is Mr. Wilfred J.
Funk.
Inclusive of the Dictionary and its abridgments, the first educational
books published by the Company were Fernald’s _English Synonyms,
Antonyms, and Prepositions_ and his _Connectives of English Speech_.
Of the firm’s publications circulated most widely in the schools, _The
Literary Digest_ takes first rank. It maintains an educational service
among 15,000 teachers and circulates in more than 10,000 schools.
In 1904, Francis Whiting Halsey became literary adviser of the Company
and editor of the book department of _The Literary Digest_. Under
his supervision were produced: _Great Epochs in American History_,
_Seeing Europe with Famous Authors_, and with the assistance of William
Jennings Bryan, _World’s Famous Orations_, and in conjunction with
Henry Cabot Lodge, _Best of the World’s Classics_. Mr. Halsey died,
November 24, 1919.
The officers and the principal editors of the Company are: President,
Dr. Adam W. Wagnalls; Vice President, Wilfred J. Funk; Treasurer
and General Manager, Robert J. Cuddihy; Secretary, William Neisel;
_Homiletic Review_, Editors: George Gilmore, Robert Scott; _Literary
Digest_, Editor: William Seaver Woods; _Standard Dictionary_, Managing
Editor, Frank H. Vizetelly.
LYONS & CARNAHAN.--This firm was organized and began publishing
schoolbooks about 1878. In 1888, Mr. J. A. Lyons became associated
with Mr. O. M. Powers in the publication of commercial texts. The firm
name was Powers & Lyons. They continued to publish commercial books
until 1909, when J. A. Lyons purchased the interest of O. M. Powers
and continued to do business under the firm name of J. A. Lyons & Co.
In 1912, J. W. Carnahan purchased an interest in the business, and the
firm name was changed to Lyons & Carnahan. Mr. Lyons died in November,
1920, and Mr. Carnahan was elected President of the new corporation
which was organized under the same name of Lyons & Carnahan.
Since 1912 the house has been engaged in the publication of both common
and high school books.