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Editorial offices at 806 Market Street by 1874, 28 South Fourth by 1890, moved to 1326 Vine Street in 1914. By 1886, could manufacture 5,000 books a day. Specialized in elaborate yet inexpensive bindings. Began reprinting in 1889 (Altemus Library); Laurel Series 1893; Vademecum series 1894; Representative Poets, Devotional, and Young People's Library 1895. Altemus Library prices ranged from $.75 for cloth to $1.50 in half levant and $1.75 for half English calf. Laurel series were boxed, two volume sets priced from $1 to $4. Vademecum books were priced $.25 to $.75 (DLB 49). 1902 United States Catalog: Lucile. 40c, 50c, $1. 1912 United States Catalog: Lucile. 40c; 50c.

This important Philadelphia firm began life as a bookbindery established by Henry Altemus' father, Joseph T. Altemus, who died in 1854. For historical information on the firm, based on an inventory of the contents of the bindery at the time of Joseph's death, see Mary-Parke Johnson, "An Inventory of the Joseph T. Altemus Bookbindery, Philadelphia, 1854," The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America 80:2 (1986), pages 179-191.

Altemus produced editions of Lucile in just two sizes: "12mos" (about 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, from 1892?-1902 only) and "Handy Volume" (about 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches, from 1889?-1926). Both formats seem to result from the same setting of type with the larger-size volumes more heavily leaded (to make a longer column of text) and with more generous margins. This resulted in text blocks of 361 pages in all copies, so that page count alone does not distinguish 12mo and Handy Volume editions.

Altemus' Library, 1913-1919, 1921; Library of Standard Authors, 1897-1900; Popular Library, 1902; Presentation Edition(s), 1897-1898; Riviere Series, 1901; [Rose] edition, 1892?; Standard Twelve Mos, 1895-1896.

Beauxarts Series, 1897-1898, 1900, 1902; Fairmount Series, 1895; Diplome d'Honneur Series, 1902; Handy Volume Classics in Sets, 1897; La Belle Fleur Series, 1901; Laurel Series, 1895-1897; Marqueterie Series, 1899; Noveau Series, 1901; Petit-Trianon Series, 1896-1909; Poems We Love Series, 1912-1917; Representative Poets, 1895, 1897-1898; Sanspareil Series, 1898-1899; Universal Classics, 1913-1921; Vademecum Series, 1895-1921, 1925-1926; Valenciennes Series, 1897-1898.