Part 2

Most spectacular and attractive of all, in their outward appearance, are the books of the Type H series. These are likewise octavos, published in 1870 and the years immediately following, and they have dramatically drawn covers published in colors. For a long time it was not known by modern bibliographers that these tales were published by Beadle, since, almost without exception, they bear an imprint reading “Frank Starr and Company, Publishers, 41 Platt Street.” Investigation, however, at length disclosed that Frank Starr was a foreman in Beadle’s employ, and that 41 Platt Street was a rear entrance to the Beadle establishment. And finally a copy of “The Texan Spy” of this series was discovered, with the Beadle imprint on the title-page, and also a Beadle copyright, although the “Frank Starr” attribution appears on the front cover. The title-page of “The Texan Spy,” which ultimately settled the problem, is shown in the exhibition. Although this series is among the most rare, no less than thirty-nine examples are in the collection. They embrace historical tales dealing with Kit Carson, the Gulf Pirates, the Black Hawk War, Pioneer Life in Texas, the New York Wilderness, the Seminole War, Early California, the Trappers of the West, the Civil War, Early Ohio, Marion’s Rangers, the Settlement of the Susquehanna Region, and many other equally absorbing phases of American pioneer conditions.

Following comes an assemblage of very different outward aspect. These are 105 specimens of the “Pocket Library,” which are collectively known as Type J. They are uniform, small octavo pamphlets of thirty-two pages each, with the front covers occupied by illustrations in black-and-white. The very first issue of this series is shown. It is Edward Wheeler’s story of “Deadwood Dick, the Prince of the Road.” Among the more important items in this division of the collection are Omohundro’s story of the Scout New Wylde, Captain J. F. C. Adams’ “Oregon Sol,” the same famous pioneer’s tale of “Nick Whiffle’s Pet,” Mayne Reid’s “The Yellow Chief,” Prentiss Ingraham’s “Buffalo Bill’s Bet,” and Ingraham’s “Pony Express Rider.” The dominant motif of this series is far western adventure, but there are also numerous stories portraying life in New York City.

The succeeding group (belonging to Type K) reveals another striking reversal of form and outward appearance. These are fat little 12mo books of about 200 pages each, with colored illustrated covers. But much of the coloring used in decorating the covers in this series, was not done by the printing press. It was performed by paint brush and human hand, on each separate volume, as part of the original publication process. As a result of this innovation, and also of course due in part to the increased size of the books, these volumes were sold at 20 cents each. Their publication began in 1871, and but few titles appeared. They are now exceedingly rare, although fifteen of the thirty-one known items of the series are shown by the Library, including No. 1. It is Albert Aitken’s story of “Overland Kit.” No. 11 is “Idaho Tom,” by Oll Coomes; No. 17 is Mrs. Victor’s “Turkey Dan”; No. 27 is Buffalo Bill’s “Deadly Eye,” and No. 29 is Badger’s “Old Bull’s Eye.” All are attractive and well-made little volumes. “Deadly Eye” is embellished by a cover portrait of Cody, done in colors.

Following the Type K books in the exhibition come 317 issues of the “Beadle’s Half-Dime Library.” Somewhat more than one thousand titles appeared in this series, and the Library’s collection, therefore, contains nearly one-third of the titles published in this form. As their collective name indicates they were sold for five cents, and were the most ephemeral of all the Beadle imprints. Millions of them came from the press, but, owing to their cheapness, form, and popularity, virtually none were saved.

These tales are sixteen-page pamphlets of royal octavo size, with the front page almost always filled by a strongly-drawn and dramatic illustration portraying some vital incident of the narrative. Although the series, as a whole, is mainly devoted to far western life and conditions, it also contains numerous stories dealing with New York City. Among these the exhibition shows copies of “Broadway Billy’s Boodle” (No. 514); “Broadway Billy in Clover” (No. 678); and “Bicycle Bob’s Hot Scorch, a Story of the Schoharie County Hayseed in New York” (No. 989); all by Cowdrick; “Bowery Ben in Chinatown” (No. 892), by Harold Payne; and “Buck Bumblebee, the Harlem Hummer” (No. 623); and “The Big Four of the Bowery” (No. 837), both by Joseph Pierce.

The far western tales and biographies in this series are particularly interesting. Among the biographical issues are “Buffalo Billy, the Boy Bull-whacker” (No. 191), by Captain Taylor; “Buffalo Bill’s Bet” (No. 194), by Taylor; “Bison Bill” (No. 216), by Ingraham; “California Joe’s First Trail” (No. 376), by Col. Monstery; “California Joe’s War Trail” (No. 395), by Captain Whittaker; Ingraham’s narrative of Joe Bruce, the Texas Ranger, under the title of “Arizona Joe” (No. 495); and the same author’s story of William L. Taylor of Texas, under the title of “Buck Taylor, King of the Cowboys” (No. 497). The illustrations borne by all the titles of this series will be found to possess unusual interest, but some of the drawings have an especial fascination. Notable in such regard are “Giant George” (No. 246); “Sierra Sam’s Pard” (No. 253); “The Scalp King” (No. 288); and “Ker-Whoop, Ker-Whoo” (No. 318).

The largest group of all, in the Library exhibit, is that representing the Type M publications of Beadle. These were collectively known as the Dime Library, of which each issue was an imperial octavo of thirty-two pages, with an illustration on the front cover. Nearly one thousand titles were issued in this series, of which the Library possesses and shows 356, or considerably more than one-third of all that were published. Probably a majority of the Dime Library tales portray the conditions and famous characters of the Far West, and among the pioneer phases of western life with which its titles deal are overland emigration, fur trapping, lumber-camp life, gold hunting, the Texas War, the exploits of the Texas Rangers, the stage coach era, cattle rustling, ranch life, vigilante rule, the depredations of road-agents, Indian fighting, and conditions in all the new states and territories.

Many of these Dime Library pamphlets are also biographical. The narratives of this type dealing with celebrated western characters embrace “Kit Carson, Jr., the Crack Shot of the West” (No. 3), by Major Hall; “Joaquin, the Saddle King” (No. 154), by Badger; “Wild Bill” (No. 154), by Ingraham; “Big Foot Wallace” (No. 204), by Major Hall; and “The Lasso King’s League” (No. 653), and “The Cowboy Clan” (No. 658), by Ingraham. The last two named deal with Buck Taylor of Texas. Several of this series were written by Cody, and still others relate to him. Among these are “Buffalo Bill’s Secret Trail” (No. 682), by Major Burr; and “Buffalo Bill’s Body Guard” (No. 727), by Ingraham.

Included also in this department of the collection are a number of Aiken’s stories of New York City life. Some of these titles are “The Wolves of New York” (No. 161); “The Phantom Hand, or the Heiress of Fifth Avenue” (No. 72); and “The Wall Street Blood, or, Tick, Tick, the Telegraph Girl.”

Following the imposing array just described there come, in the exhibition, representatives of seven exceedingly rare groups of Beadle publications. Of “Beadle’s Dime Fiction Library,” published in 1864 and 1865, only five examples are present. The “Library of Choice Fiction,” also published in 1864, is represented only by “The Maiden Martyr,” which deals with the New England witchcraft horror. “Beadle’s 15 cent Novels” series, which appeared in 1861, has a New York history specimen in the shape of “The Maid of Esopus, or, The Trials and Triumphs of the Revolution.” The “American Novels” series contains nine titles. It appeared from 1865 to 1867, and the little books bear the imprint of Irwin P. Beadle, who was a brother of Erastus. No. 7 of this type is “Fort Stanwix; a Tale of the Mohawk in 1777,” by Hamilton Myers. Next in succession are “Frank Starr’s American Novels,” of which there are but four, published from 1870 to 1872, and they, in turn, are followed by four specimens of the “Frank Starr’s Fifteen Cent Illustrated Novels,” which appeared in 1870 and 1871.

Last of all, in this group of rarities, are six copies of the “Boys’ Books of Romance and Adventure.” These, which are perhaps the most uncommon and important of the Beadle issues, are attractive octavos, on colored covers. No. 1 of the series (which the Library shows), is Robinson Crusoe, but all the others deal with famous personages and events in American history. Some of the books contain several such narratives, among them being stories of Marion and his men, of Daniel Morgan, of Tecumseh, Moody, Simon Girty, and other historic characters of pioneer times. This series of publications was edited by Edward S. Ellis, and, like several other groups with which it is associated in the exhibition, has hitherto escaped the knowledge of bibliographers.

Once more there is a striking change in the bewildering display arranged in the exhibition. The small and colorful exhibits just described are succeeded by a large illustrated series printed in black and entitled “New and Old Friends.” These well-made royal octavo pamphlets of thirty-two pages appeared in 1873, and of the fifteen known titles the Library possesses and shows no less than fourteen, only No. 2 of the file being absent. All relate to American pioneer life. This series was enlarged to folio size after the fifteenth issue, and two examples in the larger form are in the exhibit. One of them is “Oonomoo, the Huron,” by Ellis. Of this tale Senator Zachariah Chandler once said: “The man who does not enjoy ‘Oonomoo the Huron’ has no right to live.”

“The New York Library,” issued under the Frank Starr imprint for a short time in 1877 is next represented by No. 19, which is “Red Cedar, the Prairie Outlaw,” and it is followed by nine copies of “Beadle’s Popular Library,” an imperial octavo series devoted to western and detective exploits. These bring to an end the historical and semi-historical tales published under various imprints by the house of Beadle.

There still remain, however, two other important phases of its activity which demand attention, and which, in point of chronology, even ante-dated the different types of books and pamphlets already described. When Erastus Beadle removed from Buffalo to New York, in 1858, his first ventures were a number of little hand-books on various subjects, and song books. These appeared from 1858 to 1860, and numerous specimens of them are contained in the Library’s exhibit. These were 12mo or 16mo in size, and were presented in attractive colored covers, sometimes with illustrations. Most important and historically valuable of these publications were the Beadle Baseball Guides, that began to appear in 1859 or 1860 and were continued for about twenty years. They were the first continuous series of baseball guides in the world, and contain a huge mass of information relating to the national game that is nowhere else to be found. In that respect they are invaluable, and no history of baseball can be written without constant recourse to them.

Other volumes of like character in the exhibition are the “Joke Books”; the “Year Book and Almanac”; the “Ladies Letter Writer”; the “Housewife’s Manual”; the “Book of Verse”; the “Debater”; the “Elocutionist,” and the three issues of the “Book of Fun.” The “Book of Fun No. 3” is notable because of the fact that it is the first edition, in book form, of Mark Twain’s story of the Jumping Frog, which is contained on pages 29 to 32. This volume appeared in 1866, preceding by a year the appearance of the pamphlet commonly accepted as the first edition of the tale.

Of similar size and make-up are the series of “Dime Dialogues” and “Dime Speakers,” which are also shown. The Dialogue series contained at least forty-one issues, and the speaker series is known to have embraced twenty-five books. Numerous copies of each are shown, the Speaker No. 1 being dated 1861.

Erastus Beadle was himself a great lover of out-door sports and out-door life (due, no doubt, to his immediate pioneer ancestry), and in addition to the baseball guides he published many other similar hand-books. The Library exhibition contains copies of the Beadle “Book of Cricket,” of “Football,” of “Croquet,” of “Skating,” of “Curling,” of “Pedestrianism,” and of “Riding and Driving.” All these appeared in the ’60’s.

With the outbreak of the Civil War the publisher began the issuance of little volumes designed to inform the Northern public regarding its military leaders, and this phase of Beadle activity continued until 1865. Among books of this sort shown in the exhibition are biographies of the principal Union Generals, the “Report of General Grant,” and the “Story of the Grand March” made by Sherman. All were published at ten cents, and each contains about 100 pages of text.

Most important of all the Beadle series, from the historical standpoint, is that known as Type C and entitled “Lives of Great Americans.” It appeared monthly, in the 70’s, for about a year, and contained thirteen different titles. All these are rare, yet the Library file, as shown, contains no less than eleven of them and embraces the lives of Washington, Paul Jones, Anthony Wayne, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, Israel Putnam, Crockett, Tecumseh, Lincoln, Pontiac and Grant. Those lacking are the lives of Boone and Kit Carson. This series is attractively bound in colored illustrated covers, much of the coloring having been done by brush. There was also issued a Life of General McClellan, and a memorial edition of the Life of Grant, issued after his death. Both of these are shown.

The other manifestation of Beadle’s early activities after his removal to New York was his issuance of popular song books. One of the first of these was the “Dime School Melodist” of 1859. The Library copy (a later edition) is dated 1860.

Following it came three distinct series of song literature. The first was a collection called the “Dime Song Book,” which began in 1859 and embraced some twenty or more separate numbers that came out periodically. The earliest shown by the Library is Number 3, dated 1859. They were 12mos in salmon colored covers, and each number contained sixty or seventy of the popular ballads of that time.

The second series of songsters was named the “One Cent Song Book,” of which nine different numbers are known to exist, and of which the Library shows eight (lacking only No. 6). As its name indicates, it was sold for a cent, and was a 16mo eight-page pamphlet. All numbers are extremely rare. It was published in 1868. Previously, in 1861, the “Dime Union Song Book” in two numbers had been brought out, containing the war songs of the North.

The third and last songster series was a pretentious royal octavo in size, and named “Beadle’s Singers’ Library.” Beginning in 1878, it continued weekly into 1879, and 43 separate numbers are known. Of these the Library possesses an almost complete file, lacking only numbers 3 and 20, with nearly all the numbers in first edition. The first editions of these items had large colored vignette illustrations on the front page, with much of the coloring done by hand. Each number contained fifty or more songs of the day, the entire series, therefore, embracing more than two thousand of the songs most popular with the Americans of 43 years ago.

For that reason it is also a historically invaluable collection, since the song literature it contains discloses, in striking manner, the prevailing thoughts and manners of society. Many of the songs themselves, both in title and text, reveal the prevalence of an artificial sentimentality, a tolerance of crime and vulgarity, a worship of alcohol, and a laxity of morals decidedly in contrast with ideas now prevailing. A column might be filled with the peculiar titles to these interesting ditties. Among them are “The Crackman’s Chant,” “Pull Down the Blind,” “Battle of the Kegs,” “Since Terry First Joined the Gang,” “Grease the Griddle, Birdie, Darling,” “When Brown Comes Rolling Home,” “She Was Clerk in a Candy Store,” “Billiards and Pool,” “See that my Nose is kept Red,” “The Way my Daddy Went,” “I’m Dancing Mad,” “The Old Whisky Jug,” “Go It While You’re Young,” “The Rat Catcher’s Daughter,” “On Coney Island Beach,” “She Wept her Life Away,” “Charge the Can Cheerily,” “Bright, Bright Wine,” “I Fancy I’ve seen you Before,” “Charley the Masher,” “Please Father don’t Drink Any More,” “Come Home Mother,” and “Dear Father, Come Down with the Stamps.”

Although the preceding outline of Beadle activities sufficiently suggests that his career was not confined to the publishing of adventure tales, according to the general impression, there still remain to be noticed the items which terminate the distinctively Beadle phase of the Library’s exhibition. They are four in number, of which three are newspapers and one is a pretentious monthly magazine. The magazine in question is “The Home Monthly,” four volumes of which appeared in Buffalo during the years 1856-1860, before Beadle came to New York City. It ranked among the best periodicals of the country. The Library shows it in completeness.

The newspapers were all published in New York City. “Belles and Beaux” was a home weekly issued during 1874. It is represented by Number 3 of Volume I. Only a few scattered numbers are known. “Girls of Today,” which came out in 1875/6, is shown in a complete volume. The “Young New Yorker,” which was issued in 1878/9, is also on view in the shape of a complete volume. It was an excellent illustrated journal intended to foster a love of nature and out-of-door life, and completes the cycle of Beadle literature, which, for extent and variety, has scarcely been approached by any other American publisher.

The remainder of the collection (not exhibited) consists of numerous series of adventure tales and other dime novels, nearly all of which were inspired by, and followed, in the wake of the Beadle imprints. First in this section come thirty-two of the tales published by DeWitt in imitation of the original salmon-colored Beadle books. Robert DeWitt began their publication in New York in 1867, closely following the outward appearance of the Beadle books, and they continued to appear, to the number of more than 118, during the following ten years. To some degree, also, the DeWitt volumes dealt with the same pioneer subjects and conditions, although they were frankly fiction, and not nearly so well written as the Beadle books.

Another imitator of Beadle had appeared in Boston in 1864 or 1865, in the shape of the publishing firm of Elliott, Thomes and Talbot, which then began the issuance of a series of little blue bound books of adventure. Some thirteen of this series are known. They are excellently made volumes, well printed, of about 120 pages each, and were sold for ten cents. They, however, were not wholly confined to American life in their subject matter, but included stories dealing with other lands.

Still a third imitator of Beadle was Sinclair Tousey of New York, who, in 1864, began publishing a series called “American Tales.” These were octavos in colored illustrated covers, and were sold for 15 cents. They (doubtless due to the date of their appearance) relate to the Civil War and its events.

Following are fifty-six numbers of the most famous of the later generation of American dime novels. These are the “Old Cap Collier Stories,” first published by the house of Munro in 1883. George Munro, the originator of the house, was at first a bookkeeper for Erastus Beadle, but in 1866 Munro left the Beadle establishment, and, in conjunction with Irwin Beadle, set up a competing enterprise and began the issuance of Munro’s Ten Cent Novels. They likewise covered the same historic ground, were put out in the same general form, and acquired great popularity. Later, however, the Munro books underwent a radical change, and the “Old Cap Collier” stories took the place of the more solid historical material. The first of the Cap Collier series dealt with the Savin Rock Mystery of New Haven, and the ensuing numbers of the series did not bear any numerical designation until several had appeared. It continued as a semi-weekly issue for several years, as an octavo, and later became an imperial octavo. A copy in the large size, as it appeared 31 years ago, is also included. This title is “The Death of Sitting Bull, or, General Custer Avenged,” and is number 391 of the entire Munro output.

Other series of similar later publications are the “Old Sleuth Library,” the “Wide Awake Library,” the “War Library,” the “Five Cent Weekly Library,” the “Comic Library,” the “Army and Navy Library,” the “Nickel Library,” the “Log Cabin Library,” and the “Camp Fire Library.” All these are degenerate and feeble imitations of the earlier Beadle publications, but necessary in any comprehensive collection of this most unusual and significant phase of American literature. The final group, by contrast, contains several copies of “The Novelette,” first issued in Boston by Ballou in 1857, and which is believed to have suggested to Erastus Beadle--in part at least--his great enterprise. The “Novelette” titles are pretentious and well-printed tales relating to American history.

THE LIST

The works are entered according to series, and arranged under the series in their order of issue. All works listed here, unless otherwise stated, are kept in the Reserve Room.

=American tales.= no. 9, 11, 14, 16, 28-29, 55, 66-67, 70, 75.

no. 55, 66-67, 70, 75 also numbered second series, no. 11, 22-23, 26, 31.

HAZLETON, Harry. The prisoner of the mill; or, Captain Hayward’s “body guard.” By Lieutenant-Colonel Hazeltine [sic].... New York: American News Co. [cop. 1864.] 46 p. 8^o. (no. 9.)

WILLETT, Edward. The Vicksburg spy; or, Found and lost. A story of the siege and fall of the great rebel stronghold. New York: American News Co. [186--?] 48 p. 8^o. (no. 11.)

WARREN, J. Thomas. The traitor’s doom; or, The heiress of Bella Vista. A tale of the great rebellion, in the Crescent City. New York: American News Co. [186--?] 38 p. 8^o. (no. 14.)

---- Old Hal Williams; or, The spy of Atlanta. A tale of Sherman’s Georgia campaign. New York: American News Co. [186--?] 42 p. 8^o. (no. 16.)

---- Old Peggy Boggs; or, The old dominion inside out. A tale of the great rebellion. New York: American News Co. [186--?] p. 8^o. (no. 28.)

WILLETT, Edward. The cotton thief: a tale of the Red river country. New York: American News Co. [cop. 1865.] 40 p. 8^o. (no. 29.)

ROBINSON, John Hovey. Mountain Max; or, Nick Whiffles on the border. A tale of wild life in Missouri. New York: Beadle and Co. [cop. 1869.] 64 p. 8^o. (no. 55.)

CURTIS, Newton Mallory. The blue brotherhood; or, The young patroon’s inheritance. New York: Beadle and Co. [cop. 1870.] 96 p. 8^o. (no. 66.)

JOHNSON, Francis. Alapaha, the squaw; or, The renegades of the border. New York: Beadle and Co. [cop. 1870.] 98 p. 8^o. (no. 67.)

CURTIS, Newton Mallory. The Texan spy; or, The prairie guide. New York: Beadle and Co. [cop. 1870.] 100 p. 8^o. (no. 70.)

JOHNSON, Francis. The outlaw-hunter; or, Red John, the bush-ranger. A romance of the ranges. New York: Beadle and Co. [cop. 1871.] 100 p. 8^o. (no. 75.)

The =Army and navy library=; original stories of the heroism, suffering and adventures of American soldiers and sailors. no. 1-3, 5-7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 25.