Part 3

WILLIAM H. SADLIER.--The founder of the business was Denis Sadlier, who organized a general Catholic publishing house in 1835. In 1841, James, the brother of Denis, was admitted to partnership, the firm name being D. & J. Sadlier & Co. Upon the death of the original partners, the firm was continued by James F., the son of Denis Sadlier.

In 1872, William H. Sadlier left the old firm and started a purely textbook publishing house. His first books were the Excelsior Geographies, followed shortly by the Excelsior Histories and Readers, and then a general line of Catholic textbooks. William H. Sadlier died in 1877 and the business was continued by his widow, Annie M. Sadlier, who still lives and who may rightfully claim to be the original business woman of New York. A law had to be passed in the Assembly permitting her to do business under her husband’s name. Mrs. Sadlier retired about ten years ago, and the business is now being conducted by her son, Frank X. Sadlier, of the third generation. The surviving textbooks of the original firm are now being published by the firm of William H. Sadlier, which is the lineal successor of the original firm of D. & J. Sadlier & Company.

G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS.--This firm was founded in 1837 by the late George 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.