Willey & Co. was a small subscription book publisher founded around 1888 by John S. Willey (né John Stephen Willey; 1855–1927) in Springfield, Massachusetts, at 195 State Street and operated by he and his wife, Kate Willey (née Catherine Casler; 1856–1894). Earlier, John. S. Willey Publishing Company ran in Manhattan, New York from about 1881 to about 1886.
History
edit- Standard Publishing House, , New York, John S. Willey, proprietor
- John S. Willey Publishing Company, New York
- Willey & Co., Springfield, Massachusetts
- Willey Incorporated, Springfield, Massachusetts
Willey & Company, based in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company was operated by English immigrant printer John Stephen Willey along with his wife Catherine. Mainly a publisher of religious volumes, Willey & Company had also printed Penn’s Afro-American Press and Alexander Crummell’s Africa and America: Address and Discourses, both in 1891. Although small, the firm advertised itself in the 1890s as the publisher of "great Race Books."[1]
- Citation: Penn to Douglass, 14 September 1892, General Correspondence File, reel 6, frames 667–69, Douglass Papers, Library of Congress; Harrison and Harrison, Irvine Garland Penn, 39; 1860 U.S. Census, New York, Oneida County, 80; 1905 New York State Census, New York County, 25; 1910 U.S. Census, New York, New York County, 147; The National Corporation Reporter: A Weekly Journal Devoted to the Interests of Business and Municipal Corporations, Finance and Commerce (Chicago: The United States Corporation Bureau, 1893–1894), 249; Massachusetts Birth Records, 1840–1915, Ancestry.com; U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995, Ancestry.com; New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829–1940, FamilySearch.org; New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795–1949, FamilySearch.org; FindAGrave.com.
Willy Incorporated was established in Springfield in 1893 by John S. Willey as President and Treasurer with capital stock of $10,000.
Willey & Co.'s address, 195 State Street, is the current location of the Springfield Fire & Marine Insurance Co. building, erected in 1905, and, in 1983, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
John S. Willey
editJohn Stephen Willey was born March 31, 1855, in Leamington, Warwickshire, England.
Willey & Company, New York
edit- 1895 Directory, John S. Willey, publisher → work: 26 Frankfort → home: 108 East 10th Street.
- Trow's New York City Directory for the Year Ending May 1, 1883, Vol. 96
- 211 East 57th Street, New York (home on 1883 Naturalization papers)
- John S. Willey, Arrived March 1864, Naturalized in Common Pleas Court, New York County, January 22, 1883
Selected works (in chronilogical order)
editStandard Publishing House
edit- Yaggy, Levi Walter (1848–1912); Haines, Thomas Louis (born 1844) (1882). Museum of Antiquity – a description of ancient life: the employments, amusements, customs and habits, the cities, places, monuments and tombs, the literature and fine arts of 3,000 years ago.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) OCLC 910254643 (all editions).
- Dobbins, Frank Stockton (1855–1916); assisted by Samuel Wells Williams (1812–1884) and Isaac Hollister Hall (1837–1896) (1883). Error's Chains: How Forged and Broken – a complete, graphic, and comparative history of the many strange beliefs, superstitious practices, domestic peculiarities, sacred writings, systems of philosophy, legends and traditions, customs and habits of mankind throughout the world, ancient and modern. New York.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- Haines, Thomas Louis (born 1844) (1883). Worth and Wealth; or, The Art of Getting, Saving, and Using Money. (Henry Franklin Cutler – born 1862; died 1945 – is cited in a 1950 book by Richard Ward Day as having brokered the sale this book to John S. Willey Publishing Company).
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link)[4] LCCN unk83037751 ; OCLC 26789839 (all editions).
Willey Brothers & Co.
edit
John S. Willey Publishing Company
edit- Leavitt, John McDowell (1824–1909) (1885). Kings of Capital and Knights of Labor. John S. Willey Publishing Company (original publisher). Powers and LeCraw (also a publisher) → Ordell "Alfred" Hercules Powers (1859–1949) and Charles Veazey LeCraw (1857–1942). Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Google Books ("Leavitt's best-known book.").
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) LCCN 51-48707; OCLC 17546338 (all editions).
Willey & Co.
edit- Cook, Rev. Richard Briscoe, D.D. (1838–1916) (1886). The Story of the Baptists in All Ages and Countries. New York: Willey Bros. & Co. (publisher) – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) OCLC 729499113 (all editions).
- Cook, Rev. Richard Briscoe, D.D. (1838–1916) (1887). The Story of the Baptists in All Ages and Countries – Revised and Enlarged by a Supplementary Chapter on the Colored Baptists. Greenfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Google Books.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) OCLC 987864915 (all editions).
- Hyde, Ammi Bradford, D.D. (1826–1921) (1888). The Story of Methodism: Tracing the Rise and Progress Of That Wonderful Religious Movement, Which, Like the Gulf Stream, Has Given Warmth to Wide Waters and Verdure to Many Lands: And Giving an Account of Its Various Influences and Institutions to To-Day. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN tmp92003542 ; OCLC 969922481 (all editions).
- Penn, Irvine Garland (1867–1930) (1891). The Afro-American Press and Its Editors. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher). Clark W. Bryan & Co. (printer). Charles Van Vlack (electrotyper). Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Google Books (see article: The Afro-American Press and Its Editors)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) LCCN 10-7631 (1891); LCCN 69-18574 (1969 re-print); OCLC 12540471 (all editions).
- Crummell, Alexander (1819–1898) (1891). Look Within. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Internet Archive (promotional pamphlet for Africa and America).
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) OCLC 659534158 (all editions).
- Crummell, Alexander (1819–1898) (1891). Africa and America – Addresses and Discourses. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Internet Archive.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 12-2895 (original); LCCN 70-77198 (1969 re-print); LCCN 72-79009 (1969 re-print); OCLC 25501838 (all editions).
- Freedom's Journal. New York: Originally published by Cornish & Russwurm: September 1827 – February 1829. Re-printed 1891 Willey & Co → Main article: Freedom's Journal).
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: CS1 maint: postscript (link) OCLC 950947592 (all editions).
- Editors:
- Pegues, Albert Witherspoon, PhD (1859–1929) (1892). Our Baptist Ministers and Schools. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 78-31017; OCLC 1013298187 (all editions).
- Morgan, Horace Hills, LLD (1839–1993) (1892). The Historical World's Columbian Exposition and Chicago Guide – Authentic and Reliable Instructor for Visitors to the Exhibition the Most Profitable Companion for the Sight-Seer Who Has to Stay at Home – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 05-30131; OCLC 264981180 (all editions).
- Gregory, James Monroe (1849–1915) (1893). Frederick Douglass the Orator – Containing an Account of His Life; His Eminent Public Services; His Brilliant Career as Orator; Selections From His Speeches and Writings. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 25-11801; OCLC 7796091 (all editions).
- Perry, Rufus Lewis, D.D. PhD (1834–1895) (1893). The Cushite, or, The Descendants of Ham: As Found in the Sacred Scriptures and in the Writings of Ancient Historians and Poets From Noah to the Christian Era. Springfield, Massachusetts: Willey & Co. (publisher) – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) LCCN 05-39821; OCLC 679320226 (all editions).
Not sure
edit- Willey, John S. (1885). The History of a Libel Suit – John S. Willey, Proprietor of the Standard Publishing House, Now President of the John S. Willey Publishing Company, Versus Freeman B. Dickerson, of F. B. Dickerson & Co., Publishers: or, Six Cents Versus Twenty-five Thousand Dollars (pamphlet). OCLC 1097498589 (all editions).
Litigation
edit- "Exhibit: Memorandum of an Agreement between John S. Willey and The Sherman Publishing Company; November 23, 1885". New York Supreme Court, General Term; Case on Appeal: Hart Z. Norton and Eldridge D. Norton v. Christopher B. Keogh. New York: Oberhauser & Co., Steam Law Printers → Frederick Oberhauser (–1893). October 1886. pp. 35–37. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Google Books.
- Atlantic Reporter (April 25 – June 13, 1888). "Marsh v Hayford". Maine. 13. Saint Paul: West Publishing Company: 273. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via Google Books.
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- Continental Publishing Company v. John S. Willey Publishing Company Chicago: Circuit Court of Cook County (Septemrer 1885).
Family
editWilley's son, Rev. John Stephen Willey, Jr., from 1945 to 1955, was Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in Oklahoma City. From January 4, 1944, to late October 1945, he was a Navy Chaplain at Cabaniss Field, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Before that, he was with a large bank in Manhattan. He was ordained as Priest December 21, 1933.
Related subjects
edit- Subscription literature
- Subscription book trade near the turn of the 20th century
- Subscription books, with the elegant bindings and gold-edged leaves, caught the eye of many who were hungering for knowledge on the intellectually starved frontier. A longing to have a pretty volume in the home or to give the children advantages which parents never had, influenced others to part with their hard-earned cash.[6]
- Subscription publishing was tantamount to today's gofundme styled publishing and ArtistShare, a fan-funded platform where artists provide content for patrons who subscribe to access levels of their choosing.
- "The serious trend of the public's reading, as illustrated by Chicago library circulation statistics," said R. S. Branch, of a Chicago publishing house, "sounds a note of optimism for the subscription book industry. When we learn that 'The Mind in the Making' was the most popular book in the library in 1922, we cannot escape the fact, as surprising as it may be to many, that the books the public wants nowadays are those of educational value. This is the kind of books subscription publishers sell. We would have to go out of business if we depended upon best-sellers whose popularity lasts a few months or a year. Our books represent a large investment, and if they are to prove profitable they must have continuing interest and be as valuable ten years in the future as they are when issued." – R.S. Branch, in a speech before a convention of the Subscription Book Publishers Association, 1923.[7]
Subscription Book Publishers' Association
edit- 1921: Frank Elbert Compton (1874–1950), President
- 1955: David S. Beasley, President
National Association of Book Publishers
edit- The Publishers Association disbanded sometime on or before 1929, but many of its members joint the National Association of Book Publishers, founded in 1920 in New York, and from within it, formed a Subscription Group Committee.
- 1920: Frederick G. Melcher, founding Executive Secretary
Conventions
edit- 1923: Eighth Annual Convention
The American Society for Publishing Subscription Books
editEducational Subscription Book Publishers Association
editBibliography
edit- ^ Law, King & Law Publishing House: H. Law, President; R.S. King, Vice President; H.E. Law, Secretary and Treasurer.
- ^ The Hubbard Bros. of Philadelphia was founded in 1868 in Philadelphia by Alfred Hamilton Hubbard (1839–1902). Those joining the firm include his brother, Amos Tyler Hubbard (1836–1912) (joined 1871; retired June 1881), Francis Wayland Ayer (1848–1923) (joined in 1875; retired 1882), and Frank Wallace Judd (1856–1887) (joined in 1993). The firm, among other things, was a subscription publishing house and also a Bible publisher. Imprints included the Edgewood Publishing House (which published Edgewood Editions, beginning 1888), John W. Lovell Company, and the Cottage Library Publishing House. In 1893, the firm was renamed Hubbard Publishing Company. (Philadelphia Inquirer, April 18, 1890)
- ^ Stringer & Strien was located at 1420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. Michael S. Strien, Jr. (1850–1907). For thirty-four years, until his death, Strien was associated with the Business Department of the American Baptist Publication Society in Philadelphia. (Publishers' Weekly, July 6, 1907)
- ^ The Dominion Company, based in Chicago – at 352-356 Dearborn Street, and later, at 334 Dearborn Street – was a publishing house that specialized in subscription books. the company was founded around 1897 and was sold in bankruptcy to David B. Clarkson in 1906. (Saturday Evening Post, November 17, 1906)
Notes
edit- ^ McKivigan, 2020, pp. 41–42.
- ^ Publishers' Weekly, July 6, 1907.
- ^ "Annual Reference List", 1881.
- ^ Day, 1950, p. 35.
- ^ Blum, 2013, p. 236.
- ^ Dick, 1937, p. 487.
- ^ Burns, May 3, 1923.
References linked to notes
edit
- "Annual Reference List of books recorded in The Publishers' Weekly, from July 1, 1880, to June 30, 1881, with additional titles, corrections, changes of price and publisher, etc.". The Publishers' Trade List Annual – 1881. Fifth Provisional Supplement to the American Catalogue. 9. New York: Frederick Leypoldt (1835–1884) (publisher): 15. 1880–1881. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Google Books.
- Blum, Edward J., PhD. Chapter 11: "'To Doubt This Would Be to Doubt God': Reconstruction and the Decline of Providential Confidence".
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- Clarkson, David Bagley (1876–1923) (the book broker) (1907). Bankrupt Bargain List. Chicago: David B. Clarkson Company.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Lua error in Module:LCCN at line 53: Template:LCCN: You must provide an ID..; OCLC 56619512 (all editions).
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- Day, Richard Ward (1950). "Chapter 2: The Lonely Quest". A New England Schoolmaster – The Life of Henry Franklin Cutler. Bristol, Connecticut: The Hildreth Press, Inc. (Edwin Larkin Hildreth; 1863–1950). pp. 35 & 241 (note 51). Retrieved July 12, 2021 – via Internet Archive. LCCN 50-2261; OCLC 1049895862 (all editions).
- Dick, Everett, PhD (1937). "Chapter 33: Itinerants". The Sod-House Frontier. New York & London: D. Appleton-Century Company, Inc. pp. 480–491. Retrieved July 15, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) LCCN 37-19335; OCLC 479847 (all editions).
- Geyer's Stationer and the American Paper Trade and Wood Pulp News (March 26, 1903). "Candidate for Mayor of Chicago – Thomas Lewis Haines". 35 (855). Orange, New Jersey & New York: Andrew Geyer (editor & publisher): 20. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Google Books.
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- McKivigan, John Raymond, PhD (born 1949) (2020). "'The Most Wonderful Man that America Has Ever Produced': Frederick Douglass and His Contemporary Biographers". New North Star. Vol. 2. Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Institute for American Thought: 33–44. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
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:|volume=
has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) ISSN 2693-1486 (publication); doi:10.18060/24508 (article); OCLC 8680513810 (article).
- Philadelphia Inquirer (April 18, 1890). "Financially Embarrassed – Hubbard Bros., Book Publishers, Call a Meeting of Creditors". Vol. 22, no. 98. p. 5. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Google Books.
- Publishers' Weekly, The (July 1, 1905). "Business Notes". 68 (1): 25. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
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- Publishers' Weekly, The (July 6, 1907). "Literary and Trade Notes – Michael Strien" (obituary). 72 (1). New York: Frederick Leypoldt (1835–1884) (publisher): 25. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Google Books.
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- Saturday Evening Post (November 17, 1906). "A Trainload of Books – Failed" (advertisement). 179 (20): 35. Retrieved July 14, 2021 – via Google Books.
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- Simmons, Charles A. (born 1933) (1998). The African American Press – With Special Reference to Four Newspapers, 1827–1965. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. – via Internet Archive Retrieved July 12, 2021.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link) LCCN 97-40233; ISBN 0-7864-0387-X; OCLC 493202370 (all editions).
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- Springfield Directory. Springfield Directory, Including Chickopee and West Springfield. Springfield, Massachusetts: The Price & Lee Co. (publisher and compiler). Springfield Printing and Binding Co. (printer).
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) LCCN 01-12868.
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- Burns, Walter Noble (1866–1932) (May 3, 1923). "The Public's Preferences in Books". The Journal of Education. 97 (18): 488–489. Retrieved July 15, 2021 – via JSTOR.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) ISSN 0022-0574 (publication); OCLC 7964834244, 7967406672 (article).
- Robinson, James Harvey (1921). The Mind in the Making – The Relations of Intelligence to Social Reform Retrieved July 15, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: postscript (link) OCLC 251290603 (all editions).
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- Encyclopædia Britannica (March 22, 1999) [last upated June 25, 2021]. "James Harvey Robinson – American historian" (online). Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- Green, Jay D., PhD (1999). "Robinson, James Harvey 1863–1936". Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing. Vol. Vol. 2 (of 2) "M–Z". London & Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. pp. 998–999. Retrieved July 28, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
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has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) LCCN 98-193149; ISBN 1-8849-6433-8; .