AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY.

—On June 14, 1890, an announcement was made by the American Book Company as follows:

“American Book Company, Incorporated, New York, Cincinnati, Chicago. Birdseye Blakeman, President; Alfred C. Barnes, Vice President; Harry T. Ambrose, Treasurer; Gilman H. Tucker, Secretary. Directors: Caleb S. Bragg, Chairman; William H. Appleton, William W. Appleton, Daniel Appleton, Alfred C. Barnes, Charles J. Barnes, Henry B. Barnes, Birdseye Blakeman, George R. Cathcart, A. H. Hinkle, David B. Ivison, Henry H. Vail.

“The American Book Company is a stock company incorporated under state laws for the purpose of carrying on the manufacture and sale of books. The American Book Company has purchased the schoolbook publications hitherto issued by D. Appleton & Company, A. S. Barnes & Company, Harper & Brothers, Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Company of New York, and Van Antwerp, Bragg & Company of Cincinnati. The company is organized in the interest of economy in the production and sale of schoolbooks, etc.”

Mr. Birdseye Blakeman served as President from April, 1890, until May, 1893. He was succeeded by David B. Ivison, who served as President until 1896. Harry T. Ambrose was President of the Company from 1896 until 1914, when L. M. Dillman was elected to that office. Mr. Blakeman died October 9, 1894, and Mr. Ivison, April 6, 1903.

General A. C. Barnes served as Vice President from 1890 until his death in 1904, when he was succeeded by Dr. Henry H. Vail. He in turn was succeeded by the present Vice President, A. Victor Barnes.

Mr. Ambrose served as Treasurer of the Company until he was elected President in 1896, when Charles P. Batt, the present Treasurer, succeeded him. Gilman H. Tucker was Secretary of the Company at its organization in 1890, and remained as such until his death, November 14, 1913. He was succeeded by John Arthur Greene, who died in 1917. The present Secretary is W. L. Billmyer.

Dr. Henry H. Vail was Chief of the Editorial Department at the organization of the Company, and held that position until his resignation in 1909, when he was succeeded by Russell Hinman. Mr. Hinman died in 1912, when Mr. G. W. Benton was made Editor-in-Chief and is still serving in that position.

Since its organization, the American Book Company has taken over by purchase the schoolbook properties of the following houses: Werner School Book Company, Chicago; Standard School Book Company, St. Louis; D. D. Merrill, St. Paul; Cowperthwait & Company, Philadelphia; Taintor Brothers & Company, New York; E. H. Butler & Company, Philadelphia; Western School Book Company, Chicago; Sheldon & Company, New York; Williams & Rogers, Rochester; the elementary list of the University Publishing Company, New York.

SCHWARTZ, KIRWIN & FAUSS.

—This house was established in 1890, the founders being Alonzo Schwartz, James J. Kirwin, and Denis C. Fauss. In 1893, Mr. Schwartz retired on account of ill health, and the business continued under the direction of Mr. Kirwin and Mr. Fauss.

In 1898, this firm purchased the business of the Catholic School Book Company, taking over its entire list. That company, in turn, was the successor of the Catholic Publication Society, established originally by the Paulist Fathers in 59th Street, New York, with Mr. Lawrence Kehoe as the manager.

Among the earliest publications of the house were The Young Catholic’s Illustrated Readers, Deharbe’s Catechism, Gazeau’s Histories, Edward’s Hygiene, Hassard’s Histories, Farrell’s Spellers, and the Columbus Series of Readers, by Dr. William T. Vlymen, which series had already been contracted for and the first book published by the Catholic School Book Company, when Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss purchased their list and completed the series.

The offices of this firm are located at 42 Barclay Street, New York, with Mr. Kirwin and Mr. Fauss still in charge of the business.

THE GREGG PUBLISHING COMPANY.

—This organization is an outgrowth of Gregg Shorthand, first published by John R. Gregg in Boston, October, 1893. In 1896 Mr. Gregg moved to Chicago, where he established a school and continued to publish his system. In 1907, the publishing business was incorporated as the Gregg Publishing Company, and is owned by Mr. Gregg, with the exception of the few shares held by others to comply with the legal requirements. In 1907 Mr. Gregg moved to New York, where he established an Eastern office. The San Francisco office was opened in 1912, the Boston office in 1919, and in 1920 an office was established in London. At the present time the executive officers are: John R. Gregg, President; Mrs. J. R. Gregg, First Vice President; Rupert P. SoRelle, Second Vice President; W. F. Nenneman, Secretary-Treasurer; Hubert A. Hagar, General Manager.

Beginning with shorthand, an extensive line of publications in that subject was developed, to which were added textbooks in other commercial subjects. In addition to its two magazines, the list of publications of the Gregg Publishing Company at the present time comprises more than one hundred titles.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

—In January, 1896, an American branch of the Oxford University Press opened offices at 91–93 Fifth Avenue, New York, under the management of John Armstrong, with whom were associated W. W. McIntosh, W. F. Olver, and C. C. Schepmoes. In 1897, the Branch took over from The Macmillan Company the publications of The Clarendon Press. In 1915, Mr. Armstrong died. He was succeeded by W. W. McIntosh, the present Vice President and General Manager. Mr. W. F. Olver, the first Treasurer of the Company, died in 1919 and was succeeded by Isaac Brown. Mr. C. C. Schepmoes became Secretary at that time.

The first schoolbook manufactured and published by the Oxford University Press in this country was Schiller’s Wilhelm Tell, edited by Sphoenfeld, which was issued in 1902. The concern publishes the Oxford English, French, and German Series. In 1918, the Branch added a Medical Department, which handles all the medical publications of Henry Frowde and Hodder & Stoughton of London.

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.

—Mr. George P. Brett, the present President, with the proprietors of Macmillan & Company, Ltd., London, the people who had been interested in the agency of Macmillan & Company previously operating in the United States, undertook the organization of the corporation, The Macmillan Company, in this country in 1896. Mr. Brett has been the President of the American corporation since that date.

There have been several heads of the Educational Department. It was organized first under the direction of Dr. F. L. Sevenoak, who gave a part of his time to this work, the balance being devoted to teaching. He was succeeded by James R. McDonald, who filled the position until the fall of 1902, when he was succeeded by William H. Ives. In 1906 Mr. Ives was succeeded by F. C. Tenney, who filled the position until July, 1912. At that time A. H. Nelson became the head of the Educational Department and held the position until July, 1920, when Charles H. Seaver, who now occupies it, succeeded Mr. Nelson.

School textbooks were published in America by Macmillan & Company before the time when The Macmillan Company was formed as an American corporation, the records showing the publication of Hall and Knight’s Elementary Algebra and Algebra for Beginners in 1895, Tarr’s Elements of Physical Geography in 1895, and Channing’s Student’s History of the United States in April, 1896. Immediately following the establishment of the American corporation, there was published Miller’s Trigonometry in 1896, and in 1897 the following books appeared: Tarr’s High School Geology, Nichols’ High School Physics, Lewis’s Writing English, Tarr’s First Book in Physical Geography, McLellan and Ames’ Arithmetic, Hall and Knight’s Algebra for Colleges and Schools, Davenport’s Elementary Economics, Murche’s Science Readers. The McLellan and Ames Arithmetic and the Murche Science Readers were the first textbooks published for elementary grades. The Macmillan Company first undertook the work of publishing books for that field in the fall of 1897.

W. H. WHEELER & COMPANY.

—This Chicago concern was organized in 1897 by Mr. W. H. Wheeler. In 1898 W. C. Fidler purchased an interest in the Company. Some years later, E. E. Wheeler, son of W. H. Wheeler, was admitted to the firm, as was also John H. Pugh. These four men are still active in the business.

The first books published by this house were Wheeler’s Graded Studies in English, First Lessons in Grammar and Composition. These were followed a little later by Wheeler’s Graded Primer.

NEWSON & COMPANY.

—This concern was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York, July, 1900. Mr. Henry D. Newson was its first President. He was succeeded in that office by Mr. Everett Yeaw, the present President, in April, 1912. Mr. Newson severed all relations with the Company on January 1, 1920.

Newson & Company immediately on its organization began the publication of educational books, the first of which was Buehler’s Modern English Grammar, the original of the present Revised Edition, published in 1914.