The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-04-30
A Grand Establishment.
The Great Book Palace OF the U. s.
Books uorM fros. One Cent to Three
Hnnd,e ed and Fifty Dollars saeh.
Jansen, MccIurg 4 Co.


wo took occasion 10 visit and look
through the Magnificent Book Estab-
lishment Of Jansen, McClurg d Co.
III & 119 State ST., and it occurred
to rs that short description of the
house would not prove uninterestins
to our readers.
A number OF years ago, away back
in tho early history Of Chicago, Mr..
s. e. Griggs started an unprstendlny
Book and Stationery Store. Two OF
the present firm, +. L. Jansen and
A. c. McClurg were admitted into
partnership at different times, and
with the growth of Chicago and the
great NorthweAt, they kept even
pace and were continually adding to
their stock, and bcautlfying their
store until in 1868 they had the
finest Book Store in America, a:d the
second finest in the world. Think
OF il! Away out here in the west,
where less than SO years before was
:, unbroken, uniphahited wilaar~~.-
eurs on the globe! In the latter
art Of January, 1868, about the 2sth,
we believe, came the grea: Lake
Street fire, End in few hours their
magnificent store was a mass of
ruins. Their loss IN this fire was
over $20G0ee. Before the smoke
had cleared away they received telc-
grams from all the leading publish
crs in this and foreign countries,
sympathizing with them in their loss
and telling them to order what they
wanted to commence again, and pay,
when they could. They immediate
)y re established their business across
the street, and went on as usual until
they moved into their new ana splen-
did building in Booksellers Row, on
State Street. They were inst get
ting fairly on their feet again when
the Great Conaagration OF October
9th, 1871, came and again swept out
every vcs!igo of their hard earned &C
cumulations. Nothing daunted, they
again rs.established, and as they
could get no other room for some
time they occupied the elegant resi-
dsnce Of Mr.. E. L. Jansen, on Wabash
Avenue. until Booksellers Row !"
was rebuilt, where they removed
in December, 1872. In April, 1872,
the partnership expired by limitation,
and the senior Of the frm, Mr.. S. G.
Griggs, retired from II and started .
publishing house, leaving Jansen,
McClurg. and Mr.. +. 3 Smith, an
old attachs Of the house, who took
an interest in the establishment, to
go it alone" The young firm took
hold with renewed vim and energy
and their success has been al that
they could ask. They now have a
store equal, il not superior. to any
thing they hare had before. We
think their room is far supsrior to,
i
and better calculated Tor tbs accom-
OF their immense business
han The old one
The store room, proper, is 50 feet
ride ", 100 tset long, lighted BY
srqe.plsts glass windows in front,
ind Eunsing through to the alley is
Ils3 lighted from tho rear. The
,eiling w should judge to be about
% or 25 Iest high. The lower part
/ the. wallis say 10 or IL feet, i
ttsd up with shelves, which arc
rovded with books, while the up:
a. part contains envelopes and sta ,
ionery, aaad is reached By : gallery /,
aiming the entire length Of the room.
,sths front part ofths store il . /
eat reading room paled Of, fitted 1