D. Lothrop & Company's children's book for Christmas 1875

In 1875, Boston publisher D. Lothrop & Co. advertised a book on the envelope below, presumably in time for Christmas since they referred to it as "The Children's Book of the Season." The back side of the envelope offers additional evidence that Christmas was approaching. More on that in a minute.

 The book is Wide Awake Pleasure Book, and it came out about 1875, as best as I can tell. I have come across only one bookseller claiming a first edition of this book and the year given was 1875. The address for D. Lothrop & Co. offers a clue as well.

Daniel Lothrop, according to a Wikipedia page about him, established his publishing business at the Cornhill address in Boston indicated on the above cover above in 1868. In 1874, he began publishing a magazine for children that shares the name of the book advertised on this cover. A year later, the Wikipedia article states, he needed more space and moved from his Cornhill address to another Boston location. If the dates are accurate, the Wide Awake Pleasure Book must have been one of his last published books at the Cornhill office. By the way, the Thoughts of Bibliomaven blog offers a good bit of information on D. Lothrop & Co. with wonderful images of various books and ephemera, including the latest entry--a Christmas greeting.

More points of issue for the bibliophile or collector are revealed in the envelope's ad copy, which states this book is the Largest, Most Fully Illustrated, and Handsomely Printed Volume Ever Issued in this Country at so Low a Price. Evidently, this ad is for a later printing of the original edition. The book may have been a collection of writing from the popular magazine of the magazine of the same name and was itself popular enough to go through several editions at the Cornhill offices before the company relocated just a year later.

Aside from the bibliographic content on this cover, a bit of Christmas conjecture comes to mind in the form of a seasonal sermon and perhaps the wishes of child at Christmas time.

The envelope is addressed to Rev. Henry Fairbanks of St. Johnsbury, Vermont (scratched out at some point). Turning the envelope upside-down, there is a Bible passage written in pencil below the address: And be not weary in well doing, for in due time we shall reap if we faint not (which I determined to be from St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians). Perhaps Rev. Fairbanks was drafting a few notes for a sermon--perhaps even a Christmas sermon with a message of charity and doing good deeds for others.


On the back of the envelope, in what looks to be a child's handwriting, there is an apparent address for St. Nicholas at December Holiday Harbor 74 (?), Grand Central Depot.

I've searched a number of combinations for the words above and cannot find anything related to "letters to Santa Claus" and Dec. Holiday Harbor and Grand Central Depot. So I can only wonder if Rev. Henry Fairbanks' name was scratched out by a child of his in an attempt to recycle this envelope to Santa with a Christmas wish for the book advertised on the front side. If so, I wonder if Santa heeded the Bible verse under that book ad and was not weary in his well doing Christmas Eve and put a certain book under a certain St. Johnsbury Christmas tree for a Christmas Day long ago in 1875?

Comments

  1. MrCachetDecember 24, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    Wonderful Post. I'd like to find some Bookseller paper offering the Palmer Cox Brownies! Fabulous find.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chuck WhitingDecember 25, 2011 at 1:15 PM

    Thanks, Dave, and Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Debbie Padgett April 26, 2014April 26, 2014 at 3:47 PM

    I came across 5 book called The Kettle-
    Drum Series, 1882 Uncle Archie's Cane, 1883Dolly's Kettledrum, 1888 The Black and Gray Prince, 1888 How the Boys Woke Him, 1888 Child Life in Labrador, they are hard back books and in very good condition....can you please tell me anything about them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chuck WhitingApril 27, 2014 at 7:01 AM

      Not off the top of my head--it would take a bit of research. When I get some time, I'll check it out. I'd like to learn about them, too.

      Delete
  4. Debbie PadgettApril 28, 2014 at 3:02 PM

    Correction, the 3-1888's are not dated, who ever got these books dated themselves in the front of the book...

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownOctober 8, 2015 at 3:12 PM

    Picked up a copy of "Our Animal Pets" (second line, "stories about domestic animals") published by Lothrop in 1902. Can't find any info about it. Any ideas? Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownOctober 8, 2015 at 3:14 PM

    Picked up a copy of "Our Animal Pets" with the subtitle "stories about domestic animals" published by Lothrop. Can't find out anything about it. Any ideas?

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousDecember 28, 2015 at 9:13 PM

    I have a book published by D Lothrop called Sunny childhood.On the inside cover it says Books by Margaret Sidney. Someone wrote on the inside "xmas 1894.
    It also says "Pictures and stories for Little People." Published by D Lothrop, Washington St opposite Bromfield.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2016 at 10:01 PM

    Hi, Hopefully someone can help I cannot find any information and found Ya'lls conversations. I recently purchased A book by D lothrop Company (Boston) called "Sunny Child Hood " Pictures And Stories For Little People COPYWRITE 1890 by him and I believe it is a First Edition. I cannot find anything on it .Any help wold grateful Thank yopu

    ReplyDelete

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