The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-01-19
Books and Booksellers.

| Books and Booksellers.
TIE ArPLErOHs AND THEIR kBW BSTABLlsuAENr-
| THE HARPERs AND THEIR PBKsEEr CosDI rI0H.
But few persons comparatively speaking are a~ars O
the Importance and extent OF tie book printing
ing, and selling business. Occasionally the CURTAIN
lifted by grest calamity like the recent dres; bus
even then ths public idea shat there are ot<
establishments equal In magnitude to that which ysSs
day fourished, ike this fuIlnen Of m3dsummer, ~
to day is but heap Of ruins. We hsvs colleotse
few facts for the sake of snlightennsst on ehAs
point. The shops, stores, warehouses OF New fo6
are among her brightest jewels and the enterprises
hsy merchants In ali branches Of trade forms -
keystone Of the arch Of her glory. This generally
received proposition equally true With regard to ths
booksellers and affords shssring evidence Of the tass
Of the reading public thai tbs weathest Nvw York pub
fishers arc those who furnish the most uns-ooptionabs
literary pabrllun This particularly true Of the APps-
.ons and Of thsr nov establishment thAtwe Purpo
10 speak.
About twenty years ago. Daniel Appleton and o.s a
his ced the bookseliny business at No -
Broadway They soos obtained highly rsspsctabs rsr.
camille character and Keeping themselves oarefuy ase
nom everything except their own 2arttsuiAr bshnsus
they uccseded Ten years Afterwards the senior member
the firm was gathered 70 his fathers Oss son afssR
present time is managed Sy four brothsr-s powsrf0
and fraternal suartstts.
1t found about year since that the od stAnd
not sufficiently commodioun for the rapidly acrsasiRg
business OF the 6rm and early in 1853 the Appetoua
purchased the Society Library buildings Of Broad
way and Leonard street. This buBdng crested In
1885, and at expense Of 500 900 For the and
land the Appstons paid 800 ooo and tbs work Of
alteration which commenced the 1ss Nay 1864.
II tn -L-kI ~-kI--
value Of the building about $50 ooo In the alterations
taste and convenience happily combined. Tts
tire interior was Destroyed The aist floor toTuly
used a. ecturs roo with heavy staircase In the oe,tr
new flight o. steps Of glass and IRON, have been
sructsd to Aosd With the upper ptTs q
the building New hoors have been laid and the hall IL d.
vidsd into three compartments by lines Of Corinth!sn
pillars painted In imitation OF Sienna marble. Thsas
pillars also support the book Shelves which OF OAK
The ceiling Is ornanented In light ircsco work. which,
gives pleasant relisf to the eye The basement has been
finely fitted up and ave hundred neAl feet Of shelv
ing There vault front OF sixty fact under Boadvsy
This portion OF the establishment Is Get apart pack
Ing department where orders from the country and
abroad ere Yeceived. Cn CAhsrne lane separate build
ing mainly glass and IRON, has been oonstruoted Hero
all thu goods for the house ressivsd and the msk
entrance on Broadway win be oSstrucssd There
are also separate entrances Leonard street. The
d ensons o tho main building sixty feet 'front.' hx-
tysix feet roar and hundred feet deep; and thx
space been judicously disposed of The build
ing is heated by steam pipes, the boiler being
placed in Cstharns lxne. BY these water
carried to the upper stories OF the building, and
quantity Of hose is always ready In casa OF nrs The
printing and binding Of this house dons by contract
Their stereotype plates kept In vaults In various psr
OF the city for tbs sake Of greater security.
Such In BRIEF IL the Establishment Of the Apple
tons. 1t has already been visited BY Thousands OF pee
p who have included al ranks Of the peoolsfrom the
literary 9owmard, whose eye gaasd with envy and D.
light upon the splendid London and Oxford book the
ed,ons de lure from such publishers Lonsman, MuT
ray, Hebsrt Alderman, Virtue Rvington, Parker, a
Bohn-to the Juveniles who turn over the Christmas
books aud wonder At the fact that their elders cannot sp-
prscAts the pictures they do Everything can -
found hsefrom the twsnt Ave cent to the twenty
Eve dollar volume The arrangement Of the books upoa
the shelves and the oIAssaea ion Of each department.
excellent idea, combining the uile with the dulcs
The Appstons carry all branches Of the bookseins.
book importing. and book publishing business They
have about $3.50 ooo capital invested and give employ
ment constantly to about Ave hundred persons Their
yearly sales amount TO S7oo 000 They remit TO Losdoa
for EDglish books, every year not less than $3.50 Coz
and they have orders for American books hsr own pub
lie sons and those Of other housss to the amount q
$3.50 900 yearly They print books for foreign countries
in foreign languages; they send many books including
dictionaries from Spanish TO Engish and from Spanish n
French to South America market that has hestofoss
bern supplied by PArisian psblshsrs. They avsraes
four new books per week. but have great difasuI
ty in supplying the demand for their eduss-
tonal publications and standard works They have nearly
ready "Bsntoa's Thirty Years In the Ssna and Irepa-
ratous have been made to supply atty Thousand copies a
the nrst edition They publishing . uniform
edition OF the British poets, which win form BY itself
library OF hundred volumes. They have supplied the
London publishers with ane edition Of the Speotatoe,
which In wsy inferior in appoararce (sxcspns the
fact that The paper s not whts and arm-A diaou
y which be rsmeded TO any Eugsh book OF shs
same class Their pronouncing dictionaries Of the Ger
man, Frenoh and Spanish languages unsurpasssd-
idea Of variety OF the business they may
be had from this List OF their publications for the iAss
wesk-A edition Of Tssnaqus; volume Ave Of CAL
houus works. collection Of German literature and I've
msnsss.
The above dssuory sketch win give the reader idsa
tho Applstons who In the height OF thsir pros
pery. Let take glance at the present condition Il
this HArpsrs, who have lately suffered most severe
blow BY the burning Of their sstablishnsnt In Pear
street. to show that the spirit Of chants nos
de,srt them in adysIsty.
The HArpsr had splendid building Pearl strsse.
They occupy the Hrst door Of Nc 83 Bsskman street,
where they receive books which in the hands Of ths
binders at the time Of the as aad 8 orders best thsy
may. The traits Of thirty years. labor swept away
before their eyes, but they have Lost time in
cling their .bors TO replace It. Thy had about thirty
presses. They now employ ~ many - thsy oan and
idle Of their work has bssn sent TO Phladss
pha aad Boston, they could not and presses for h
Nev York. rhs workmsn are busy in rearing . ssw
building the ruias Of the sdiHess In Pearl street. 40
the HN prs have leased the iron building Bss,
street., Gold, which they viii occupy urM
their own IL completed They intend t. receive their Co.
toners IN the iron building ssxt week Thsy have 800
hand several books in sheets waiting for the lndss
hands The ksssss~e tor January viii not spps bssnss
the 2sth inst. The Hsrpsrs employ sbfst thirty
oompostors, and nearly one hundred youss women, the