The "American Series" Songsters
BEARING only the imprint on cover and title of The American News Co., Publishers'
Agents, there appeared in 1865-1866 a series of three song books with "illuminated"
covers. The copyright notice, however, shows that the actual publishers were
Beadle & Co. The booklets are 6 3/8 by 4 1/8
inches in size, have wrappers which are deep orange outside and white within,
and have on the front an illustration printed in three colors (Fig.
121). The inside pages of the wrappers contain no printing, but the back
bears advertisements of Beadle publications. The books supposedly contain 100
pages, but as usual, the numbering begins at page 9 or 11, while the preliminary
pages are a few short. No. 1 contains four illustrations, but there is none
in the one following. Fifteen cents was the price per booklet — which,
perhaps, was one reason that Beadle — the Dime Publishing House —
did not advertise them under his own name.
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