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Hurst & Company
New York, 1871-1919
122 Nassau Street; 135 Grand Street in 1900 [i.e., 1895]; 354 Fourth Avenue in 1919; Cameo Editions of the Poets sold at $.30, Arlington Editions at $1 (DLB 49). PW 1897 Christmas Bookshelf ad places firm at 135 Grand Street. Some additional information on the Major Publishers pages of the Hyde Park Book Store.
This view of the Hurst building is from its catalog in PTLA 1911, therefore showing135 Grand Street.
Thomas D. Hurst, an electrotyper, began this firm in 1871 by reprinting books in his shop on Nassau Street, in New York. Like Worthington, his specialty was clothbound standards in twelvemo, and he was among the first to make this kind of low-priced popular book. From his Argyle Press, which turned out books bearing his imprint, came a flood of volumes and the famous pirated edition of Britannica which Henry Allen and his associates published in 1886. Another of Hurst's popular successes was his "Cameo Edition," containing, as he said, "all the Best Works of the Great Poets." Prospective purchasers were told in advertisements that they were getting books "tastefully printed and bound in the best English cloth," but in fact they got badly printed, indifferently bound books printed on the cheapest paper. Even among the reprinters, Hurst did not stand out as a bookmaker. Hurst was another Lovell acquisition in 1890. He leased his plates to the United States Book Co. on a royalty basis, and when it failed, they reverted to him, and he resumed publishing on his own. (Tebbel). For a brief 1924 obituary from Publisher's Weekly, click here. Shove also has three pages on Hurst; see references.
Hurst produced 12mo. (about 5x7.5" in size), 16mo., and one 18mo. (both about 4x6" in size) editions of Lucile in many series. His editions of Meredith's Poetical Works (containing Lucile) were, with one exception, in 12mo. format. These editions are indexed on this page first by format, and second by kind of covering material.
For the catalog of 12mo. editions, go to Hurst's 12mos.
For the catalog of 16mo./18mo. editions, go to Hurst's small formats.
For the catalog of Poetical Works, go to Poetical Works.
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Index of 12mo. editions, by covering material. For descriptions and reported copies, go to Hurst 12mos.
CLOTH: Argyle Series, 1896-1897; Arlington Edition, 1883-1889, 1892; Avon Edition of the Poets, 1900-1901; Canterbury Edition of the Poets (white art cloth, lithographic inlay), 1906-1913; Floral Edition of the Poets (cloth, floral inlays, jacket), 1909-1913; New Floral Edition (cloth, delicate inlay, jacket), 1914-1915; Medallion Edition of the Poets (12mo, cloth, lithographic medallion of author), 1908; New Argyle Series (12mo, cloth, sides worked in colored inks), 1898-1907; Plain Edition of the Poets (12mo, cloth), 1895-1903; Plain Edition of the Poets (12mo, cloth, lithographic medallion of author), 1905-1907; Red Line Edition, 1881-1889, 1892, 1896-1899.
RUSSIA: Red Line Edition, Russia, 1885-1886; Red Line Edition, Half Russia, 1887-1889; Companion Books (small 12mo, bookcraft leather), 1918-1919.
PADDED: Alligator Poets (padded Alligator, titles gold), 1912-1915, 1917; Cathedral Edition of Padded Poets (padded leather), 1910-1912; Florentine Edition of Padded Poets (tints of leather, imitating autumn leaves in natural colors), 1908-1913; Padded Edition of the Poets (embossed padded leather), 1895-1903, 1905-1907; Padded Edition of the Poets (embossed padded leather of new design), 1908-1913; Padded Poets (cross-grain leather), 1917; Premier Edition of Padded Poets (extra heavy grain leather), 1907; University Edition of Padded Poets (padded leather), 1909-1913.
LIMP Leather: Burnt Leather Edition of the Poets (ooze calf, designs painted by hand, titles burnt), 1904-1913; Flexible Circuit Edition of the Poets (French morocco, Divinity Circuit style), 1902-1903; Hand Painted Edition of the Poets (limp burnt grained leather, hand-painted floral designs), 1908-1909; Ooze Calf Classics, 1917; Ooze Leather Edition of the Poets (ooze leather, title burnt, embellished with hand painted floral designs), 1905.
CLOTH: Ansonia Classics (cloth, lithographic panel inlay in ten colors), 1909-1912; Cambridge Classics (cloth, stamped in white leaf, medallion portraits), 1896-1902-1907; Fleur de Lis Classics (cloth, gilt side and back embellished with floral designs), 1906; Halcyon Classics (white vellum cloth with medallions of delicate flowers on a silver background), 1906; Half Bound Classics (half cloth), 1917-1918; Knickerbocker Classics (16mo, cloth, lithographic panel, white stamping), 1907-1915, 1917-1918; Laurelhurst Series (16mo, half vellum cloth stamped silver, floral sides), 1899-1906; One Million Series ("Every title has sold over 1,000,000 Copies"; tall 16mo, three colors of cloth, ink and gold stamping, tinted papers), 1914-1915; Poetical Classics (16mo, cloth, white stamping, inlaid lithographic portrait of author), 1907-1912; Primrose Classics (Tall 16mo, cloth, floral inlay), 1914-1915.
PADDED: Alligator Classics (alligator cover, gold titles), 1911-1915, 1917; Burnt Leather Classics (ooze calf, floral and scenic designs painted by hand, titles burnt), 1904-1907, 1909-1913; Calumet Padded Classics (padded covers), 1909-1913; Crushed Levant Classics (Crushed Levant, padded), 1913-1914; Ideal Series of Standard Classics (padded morocco, floral design), 1902-1907, 1909-1913; Ooze Leather Classics (padded burnt leather, hand-painted designs), 1905; Premier Classics of Select Literature (padded leather), 1907; Tuxedo Classics (cross grain padded leather), 1917-1918; Venetian Classics of Select Literature (padded leather), 1908-1913; Westminister Classics (Alligator grained padded leather), 1910-1911.
LIMP Leather: Biltmore Classics (flexible leather), 1917-1918; Flexible Leather Classics (limp leather), 1903-1904; Gems from the English Poets (16mo, limp burnt grained leather, hand-painted floral designs), 1909; Ooze Calf Classics (ooze calf, uncut edges), 1913-1915; Pocket Classics (limp dark green leatherette), 1906; Westminister Edition of the Poets (limp Morocco), 1906-1907;
HALF CALF/LEVANT: Half Leather Classics (leather backs and corners, marble sides), 1904-1905; Half Leather Classics (leather backs, marble sides), 1906-1907, 1909-1910; Little Gem Classics (5 vols, half calf), 1907-1912
Index of 18mo. Editions. Description and reported
copies are included in Hurst
16mos file:
See Popular Classics, 1883-1884.
Number of Hurst editions of Lucile, per year, as described in PTLA:
1881: 1 12mo = 1; 1882: 1 12mo = 1; 1883: 2 12mo, 1 18mo = 3; 1884: 2 12mo, 1 18mo = 3; 1885: 3 12mo = 3; 1886: 3 12mo = 3; 1887: 3 12mo = 3; 1888: 3 12mo = 3; 1889: 3 12mo = 3; 1890; 1891; 1892: 1 12mo = 1; 1893; 1894; 1895: 4 12mo = 4; 1896: 4 12mo, 1 16mo = 5; 1897: 4 12mo, 1 16mo = 5; 1898: 4 12mo, 1 16mo = 5; 1899: 4 12mo, 2 16mo = 6; 1900: 4 12mo, 2 16mo = 6; 1901: 4 12mo, 2 16mo = 6; 1902: 4 12mo, 3 16mo = 6; 1903: 4 12mo, 4 16mo = 8; 1904: 2 12mo, 5 16mo = 7; 1905: 5 12mo, 6 16mo = 11; 1906: 6 12mo, 6 16mo = 12; 1907: 8 12mo, 7 16mo = 15; 1908: 6 12mo, 3 16mo = 9; 1909: 7 12mo, 10 16mo = 17; 1910: 7 12mo, 10 16mo = 17; 1911: 6 12mo, 9 16mo = 15; 1912: 8 12mo, 9 16mo = 17; 1913: 7 12mo, 8 16mo = 15; 1914: 2 12mo, 6 16mo = 8; 1915: 2 12mo, 6 16mo = 8; 1916: 1917: 4 12mo, 5 16mo = 9; 1918: 1 12mo, 3 16mo = 4; 1919: 1 16mo = 1.
1902 United States Catalog. Lucile. 30c, 35c, 50c, $1, $1.50, $2. 1902 United States Catalog. Poems. $1.40, $1; 50c. 1912 United States Catalog. Lucile. 35c; 50c; 75c; $1; hf. lea. 60c; lea. $1; $1.25; $1.50; $2; $2.25. Poems. 50c, lea. $1.25.