New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-06
OLD AND MODERN BOOKS.
SOME OF D. APPLETON & CO.'S PUBLICA-
TIONS.

fishing business in this city. But two PRACTICAL
and satisfactory examples may be found in the
history of the well-known firm Of ID. Appleton
a. Co. of Nos. l, 3 and 5 Bond-st. 1t has been
said that this house has become specially famous
through three great works, Picturesque America"
"The American Cyclopaedia," and Webster's
SPELLING Book" While it is doubtful If one
can thus choose any three particular works from
a catalogue containing many publications of
international reputation and point to them as
the magnets Of credit and fame, they undoubtedly
illustrate the striking features TO which great
measure of the brilliant success Of the firm is
due. These features are all included in each
of the examples.
D. Appleton d Co. published in 1s46 :" the
first of series of readers and spoilers on new
pan," by Albert d. Wright. The little book
with its lao pages, some of them containing not
more than half dozen words and few OF them
more than Dozen would hardly strike the
a, b, youngster of to-day as being attractive
in appearance or particularly interesting And
vet this publication at that time was an educ;t
tional triumph, gotten up at great expense and
with no less care. The pictures were the finest
engravings that could be made, with every boy
wearing flowing curls and having broad, studious
brow, men who are taller than the great oaks
by which they stand 1.-THE leaves look like clusters
of grapes, and bats whose wings completely over
shadow five or six children who g run to see
the bat" Here is sentence which the primer
class of those days had TO struggle with IN the
great light for knowledge: If the bee is IN the
tree big bee, little tree in picture) it is as true
II is to see the ak, the pie, the tree and me-"
(The pie is big enough to serve at barbecueJ
MODERN sCHooLBooK.
The same house has just put in circulation " A
First Book in American History" by Edward
Eggleston. Daniel Appleton thinks that it is
one of the hardsomest and most suitable educa-
tional books of the day. 1t is neatly bound in
red and on the cover is raised map Of the United
States, with the rivers, lakes and bays clearly
traced thereon Opposite the utle-page Is line
engraving of Washington taking the oath of office
in 7S9. There is group picture at the end OF
the book, showing the dress, household fixtures,
methods Of transportation, etc. at different perl
DDS. The history begins with the life OF Columbus
and closes with the Civil War. The last chapter
is devoted to an explanation of territorial ac-
QUESTION by the United States, and there are
several sectional maps, which are TO be cut out
and fitted together in the order of acquisition un
ill the complete map of the United States of to-
day is obtained The engravings and cuts are
the finest that modern art and skill could furnish
The history is written like story and the school
boy who begins his history to-day is hardly likely
to find ii severe task with so much TO eaten
his fancy and interest and entertain him. That Is
example No /. showing what has been done by
these publishers in the last fortythree years for
boys and girls.
The third book published by Daniel Apple
ton, the founder of the house, was in 1882. 1t
was The Refuge in the Time of Plague and
Pestilence.' The little volume fits snugy into a
I. 4osr hrfnf cXrn-
sitions of the 1st Psalm, one by William Bridge,
the other by Bishop George Horne, and an en-
tract from an account of the great plague in the
fourteenth century. There is little to be said
about this book, beyond the fact that it was
success But The American Bookseller" Joli-
ingly says that perhaps many people bought 1t
thinking that it contained the secret OF wardlng
of plaques and pestilences. The two books printed
before this by Daniel Appleton were Crumbs
from the Masters Table" and Gospel Seeds
The first was 3x3 inches and / inch thick. One
thousand copies were issued. One of the first
volumes of the first work is now handsomely
bound, and is kept in a silver box by the firm as
a valuable relic. Such was the modest beginning
of house which only twenty-five years afterward
undertook a work which was as stupendOus and
magnificent scheme as it was bold and hazardous.
GREAT WORK BEGUN.
From the outset the progress of the house had
never once been retarded. Its ventures might he
hkened 10 long campaign of superb marches and
brilliant manoeuvres. New regions had been eX-
plored from year to year and new tactics had been
adopted from time TO time 10 meet the public
demand, or perhaps one might better say. 10
anticipate the public demand. The step of begin.
ming such work as the New American Cyclic
paedia" must have been preceded by many con-
situations deep consideration and no little looking
I'M
there was never for moment a doubt as TO where
it would carry this project. The work
was begun in j 57 time when the panic light
have frightened at least given rise TO uncer-
tainty, in the minds of the projectors had they
been possessed of less keen Judgment or less
confidence in themselves. 1t was finished In the
critical year Of 663. There were sixteen vol
umes, and the first edition cost not less than
100000. The editors were Charles A. Dana and
George Ripley. They secured the services of
large corps of assistants who were eminent each
in his speciality. A vast amount of labor was
expended on the work, that there might be no
question about the trustworthiness of a single
feature. The editors took a departure
from old methods, employed new ideas, sought new
fields, and brought out work TO meet " the
sales were immense.
In 1872 it was found necessary to reviss the
work An entire new edition was determined
upon. and the whole work was recognized again
to suit Z" the times" The second and immensely
greaVr task was again under the direction and
editonhp of Mr.. Dana and Mr.. Ripley: There
were lHOuSdDuS Ol new tuGIdNIuso, o'OUV maps
and illustrations and the edition was made TO
cover everything of the day. Each article was re-
vised several times, the new edition issued in
b-monthly volumes from 1872 to 1876, and each
volume cost 100000. The new was dropped
from the name, and the work which is the firms
pyramid became. as it is known to-day, the Amer
lean Cyclopaeda" Then there followed new
series of annual cyclopaedias.
FOLLOWING THE SANE LINE.
Other works begun and carried out on the same
incompatible scale were the Picturesque Amer
ica," edited by William Cullen Bryant and 0. b.
Bunce, and finished in 1872 in two fine quarto
volumes; the Picturesque Europe which fol-
lowed in S75, edited by Bayard Taylor, in three
volumes of the same size and Picturesque Pal
rstine" all the illustra tions for which made
IL arti. sIAnciallIr % In LIZ