It is April 1 again and time for each amazing claim placed before you to be treated with more scrutiny than usual. Some series book fans like to play the April Fool’s Day game and have submitted articles to series book magazines that have misled some collectors to look for books that do not exist. […]
Edward Stratemeyer’s New York City
If you want to read more about this topic, see my article “The Metropolitan Streets of the Hardy Boys Mastermind” in Fine Books and Collections Magazine, Spring 2010 Edward Stratemeyer lived for most of his professional life in Newark, New Jersey. Most of his publishers had offices in nearby New York City. As Horatio Alger […]
1891 Christmas Story by Stratemeyer
Among the least-known form of Edward Stratemeyer’s writings are his short stories for newspapers, especially the Newark Sunday Call. This weekly from his home town ran a group of stories by Stratemeyer that were timed and themed to the holidays of the year. With only a local audience in mind, locations known to Newark-area readers were included. When […]
Artifact — Holiday Bookselling
Edward Stratemeyer was more than an author of books and proprietor of a literary syndicate, he was interested and actively involved in nearly every phase of the production, publication, and promotion of his books. For several years publisher catalogs were printed and mailed after Thanksgiving upon his direction.
Artwork — Ken Barr illustrates Tom Swift
The 1977 Tom Swift Jr. paperback reprints included new illustrations, including a finished painting based on this preliminary sketch by Ken Barr.
Location — 31 Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ
Edward Stratemeyer’s older brother, Maurice, owned a music store in Elizabeth, N.J. However, it was not the place where Edward wrote his first professional story.
Series Book Autographs
When collecting modern first printings, the typical desire is to obtain a first printing of a book in fine condition that is signed by the author. Sometimes these copies are the only ones that will sell at all. With juvenile series books, this is usually not possible because there were relatively few occasions to meet […]
Artifact — Tom Swift Shoes
Although there is no known connection with the books, Tom Swift Shoes were offered for sale at the same time as the Tom Swift Jr. books.
Artifact — Dana Girls electrotype printing plate
How a Series Book is Printed When series books were published, it was expected that thousands of copies would be printed and sold. The lead-based type metal (actually lead, tin and antimony) was too soft and heavy for a page’s worth of type. The electrotype printing plate was one of two main methods used […]
Hybrid Airship Inspirations: Santos-Dumont
Photographs and articles in popular science publications influenced the Syndicate stories. The Santos-Dumont No. 14bis seems to have made an impression on Stratemeyer, Garis, and their artists.