1867 to 1869

IN THE YEAR 1867, for some reason or other, Edward H. Spooner,⁽¹⁾ a New York lawyer, appeared as partner in the firm of Beadle & Co. (Fig. 12).⁽²⁾ He may have come into the firm late in 1866, after Robert Adams' death, but he remained with them less than two years. Being the attorney for the American News Co., he may have come in when Beadle & Co. purchased the American News Co.'s American Tales, if this series was not already a Beadle publication. The last number of these tales (No. 44) with the News Co.'s imprint, appeared April 30, 1867, while the first under Beadle & Co.'s imprint (No. 45) did not appear until over a year and a half later, on November 1, 1869.

In American Tales No. 44 appeared this announcement:

Having assumed the publication of this very popular series, we shall change the issue to large 12mo .... The New Series will be especially characterized by striking originality, power and spirit. No books to be published during the year will possess as many elements of excellence calculated to please those who seek for vigor and force of narrative, decided newness of character, and high dramatic interest of story.

As though Beadle did not have enough competition, several more publishers of cheap books entered the field. Robert M. DeWitt, who heretofore had been publishing more expensive books, came out with DeWitt's Ten Cent Romances in May, 1867. These were little booklets of the same size as the Dime Novels, but had yellow covers with a cut of ten one-cent coins at the top. In November appeared Loring's Tales of the Day, published bv A. K. Loring of Boston. The early numbers sold for ten cents each but had only about fifty pages as against Beadle's one hundred. Several of Louisa M. Alcott's tales appeared here, otherwise the series was of little importance. George Munro's Backwoods Series was also begun in the same year.

June, 1867, saw the discontinuation of Beadle's Monthly at the end of the third volume. It had been started by Robert Adams and had been a pet idea of his for some time, but after his death it languished and finally died. It was not sold, but was "simply withdrawn, to be re-started at any future time when the literary atmosphere seems auspicious for it."⁽³⁾ The air, apparently, never did become auspicious, and although Beadle started other periodicals, the Monthly remained dead.

The number of booklets published during 1867 was not quite so great as in the preceding year. The list consisted of Dime Novels Nos. 114 to 140, Americm Tales Nos. 42 to 44 (American News Co.), Song Books Nos. 19 and 20, Dime Pocket Songsters No. 5 and 6, Dialogues Nos. 5 and 6, Speaker No. 7, Base Ball Player for 1867, "Hand Book of Yachting," "Riding and Driving, .... Skating and Curling," and "Pedestrianism." There were also issued the fifty-cent books, "Romance of the Green Seal" and "Our New States and Territories.''

Irwin's activity during 1867 was noted under the year 1866. We know that as early as July, 1866,⁽⁴⁾ the title of Irwin Beadle's American Novels had been changed to Irwin's American Novels, and the publisher's name changed from Irwin P. Beadle to Irwin & Co. The change may even have come somewhat earlier. At the same time, however, the Mercantile Agency Directory⁽⁵⁾ gave the same street address to Irwin P. Beadle, showing clearly that Irwin & Co. was actually Irwin Beadle. Irwin & Co. remained the firm name at least as late as July, 1867⁽⁶⁾

During the year, Irwin's American Novels Nos. 23 to 37 were published, but no complete set of this series has been seen, consequently the exact date at which the publisher's name was changed is unknown.

Fig. 12. Beadle & Company's letterhead in 1867, showing Edward H. Spooner as a temporary partner

There were but three events in the history of the Beadles in 1868 that need be recorded. The first, while of relatively little significance, seemed important at the time. Captain Mayne Reid, well-known Irish novelist and writer of stories for boys, entered into an agreement with Beadle and Company to write for them a series of original dime novels.⁽⁷⁾ The first of these was "The Helpless Hand," published January 14 as Dime Novel No.141. The second was "The Scalp Hunter," Dime NovelNo. 150, published May 19. The third was "The Planter Pirate," Dime Novel No. 152, published June 9, and the fourth was "The White Squaw," Dime Novel No. 155, published July 24. For the latter novel, Reid received $700,⁽⁸⁾ at that time and for a long time afterwards a record price for the manuscript of a dime novel. These novels of Reid's are really much more readable than his so-called stories for boys--Sunday school books filled with a padding of un-natural history that is almost, but not quite, as bad as that of Jules Verne. But how, as boys, we did eat it up!

The second event of the year was the removal of Beadle & Co., on the first day of May,⁽⁹⁾ from 118 to 98 William Street, where they remained for twenty-eight years. Whether as a vantage point in advertising, or because the new offices were better, George Munro very promptly moved from 137 William Street to 118, the second time he had immediately occupied offices abandoned by Beadle.

The third event of the year was the appearance of the last of Irwin's American Novels, No. 48, sometime in November or December. Nos. 38 to 48 were published during the year, and it is probabIe that Irwin Beadle was out of the firm before any of these appeared. At whatever time he left, it marked his disappearance, forever, as a publisher.⁽¹⁰⁾ His business address, until July, 1867, was still 102 Nassau Street, but where he was the next year is unknown. Lain's Brooklyn City Directories for 1868-69 and 1869-70 list him as a publisher, but with a business address at 21 Ann Street. He had apparently broken all connection with the American Novels, but what he published at the new address is unknown. The New York Directories show, in those years, the following firms at 21 Ann Street: National News Co.; James Young, printer; Seth C. Douglass, printer; Thomas A. Glover, printer; Henry L. Penfield, engraver; Spangehl & Cordes, bookbinders; and Thomas R. Dawley & Co., publishers. He may possibly have been connected with Thomas R. Dawley & Co., who also were publishing cheap novels, but since Dawley is not listed in the Copartnership Directories, the make-up of the firm could not be determined. Irwin may have returned to bookbinding, for from 1870 on he was listed as a bookbinder. His star was in the descendent though he deserved a better fate. Not only was his subsequent lot a hard one, but in all articles heretofore published about the House, his part has been minimized. Poor Irwin! May this book serve a bit, at least, to bring back lustre to your name!

The year 1868 in the midst of a post-war depression must have been a bad one for book publishers in general, for we find that the number of novels and handbooks issued by all firms was much less than usual, and new series are missing. Beadle & Co. published Nos. 141 to 167 Dime Novels, Song Books Nos. 21 and 22, One Cent Song Books Nos. 1 to 10, "Songs of the Hour," "Grant and Colfax Songster," Dialogues No. 7, Speakers Nos. 8 and 9, "Dime Fortune Teller," "Ladies' Letter Writer," Base-Ball Player for 1868, and a new edition of the "Ball Room Companion."

The American Tales had ended its first series under the American News Co. imprint with No. 44, and Beadle & Co. had announced--having acquired all rights--that No. 45 would appear June 1, 1867. As a matter of fact, it was not issued until November 1, 1868, when it appeared with the new imprint of the publishers. Nos. 46 and 47 also appeared during this year.

Spooner apparently retired from the firm in 1868; a certain event, to be mentioned in a moment, makes it almost absolutely certain that he left them late in the year. Unfortunately, none of the firms is listed in Wilson's Copartnership Directory for 1868-69.⁽¹¹⁾