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American Book Exchange (used books) at 55 Beekman Street from 1874; began publishing 1879 and sold cheap books ($.35 and $.50 apiece) direct to customers rather than to bookstores (which threatened retailers "until he demonstrated that it was not possible to sell books at less than the cost of production, and his bankruptcy followed," Tebbel). 1880 moved to 154 Nassau, employed 500 people producing 4,000 books a day. 1881 moved to 764 Broadway, went into receivership (see Tebbel analysis of production cost of one title) and formed the Useful Knowledge Publishing Company at 18 Vesey Street. Renamed Alden Publishing Company in 1883 and moved to 393 Pearl in 1884. (Played a role in the United States Book Company, 1890: cf Tebbel). 1893 began the Elziver Publishing Company, assigned for debt in 1894 to Frank Tracy. John B. Alden Publisher formed at 12 Vandewater in 1895, moved to 440 Pearl in 1897 and to corner of Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue in 1900. Changed name to Alden Brothers Publishers in 1905 and retired in 1908. (DLB 49). For Raymond Howard Shove's brief history of Alden's activities, click here. See also Korey essay in Stern Mass Entertainment (references);  for a disparaging 1881 remark about Alden and the quality of his publications, click here.

1883. Meredith, Poetical Works. Household Edition. 120x190mm, 480p. Brown cloth stamped black and gold, aeg. Light brown endsheets. S&EH: inscribed Christmas 1884.

1884 PTLA: "Meredith" included in the Library of Poetry, "neat cloth" for $.50.

1885 PTLA: "Meredith, including Lucile" in the Library of Poetry, set in Brevier type, plain cloth for $.60. "I also publish the same works, at prices 20 cts. a copy higher than above, in a very handsome cloth binding, with full gilt edges and ink and gold stamps, comparing favorably in the opinion of many persons of the best taste, with the "Red Line Editions" on account of the absence of the Red Line, and the less gaudy binding."

1887. ----. Lucile. 104x188mm, 172p. Light brown cloth stamped black with title in gold; abstract floral with strong nouveau feel. Title is same plate as BAP A2. Plain endsheets. BAP A1; University of Miami NUC Supp NSL 0043401.

----. nd.104x192, 172p. Dark brown (with purplish tone) cloth stamped black with title in gold; black stamping differs from A1, but title plate is same. Plain endsheets. BAP A2: 1889 signature of C.E. Longfellow on titlepage; S&EH, cloth more distinctly purple.

----. As above but dark blue/green cloth. BAP. S&EH

----. As above but red cloth. BAP: Inscribed Xmas 1889.

----. Text block as above, dark blue/green cloth [shown here too blue/purple in order to contrast stamping] with varient blind and title stamping. S&EH.

1888 PTLA: Lucile, a Novel in Verse, is included among the "latest issues" in the Elzevir Library, price postpaid, $.12.

1890 PTLA: Ideal Ed., cloth. $.30. 1892.

----. 105x191mm, 172p. Light green cloth stamped silver. Plain endsheets. Four pages of ads at rear: Chinese Classics, Divine Healing, "Seal" Edition of the World's Best Books, etc. BAP A3.

----. 20cm, 172p. Dark green cloth. University of Michigan (no photocopy).

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