Publisher:John W. Lovell
ISFDB publishers:
- John W. Lovell Company
- United States Book Co.
2019-03-16
- This effort resumed after a few weeks. At some point, material on the theme "Publication series and Magazine series" must be gathered and relocated (perhaps in User space only), both [a] tracking ISFDB current use of the two kinds of series, and current guidelines; [b] assembling data on particular 19c series, featuring but not limited to those currently in the database.
- This effort is not ready for prime-time, ie visitation by database users, and it's getting worse, as a collection of notes with great and growing scope.
- For now, the scope is information about primarily US, 19th century "Libraries" and "Series" as covered in The American Bookseller (1880s/90s), in the Leblanc Dime Novel Bibliography (LeBDNB), and in ISFDB Publication and Magazine Series. --That is, not much about Lovell's per se.
Crucial related locations in User space:
- User:Pwendt --where many notes are composed, and some are deleted or exported
- User:Pwendt/Publishers/Lovell
- User:Pwendt/Publishers/Cassell
- User talk:Rtrace#Lovell's Library (mid-February 2019), and later sections on Series
End headnote 2019-03-16
"Lovell's" Libraries and Series
Eight "Lovell's" series are covered in the first December 1889 issue of The American Bookseller: A Semi-Monthly Journal [...] ("Additions to the Libraries", pp. 666-67):
- Lovell's American Novelists Series
- Lovell's Household Library
- Lovell's International Series ( ISFDB span 1889 1890 )
- Lovell's Illustrated Series
- Lovell's Library ( ISFDB span 1883 1884 )
- Lovell's Literature Series
- Lovell's Occult Series ( ISFDB span 1889 1890 )
- Lovell's Political and Scientific Series
Two more series are known from October 1890 advertisements by United States Book Company, the successor to John W. Lovell.
- Lovell's Foreign Literature Series
- Lovell's Westminster Series ( ISFDB span 1890 only )
Four of ten (linked here to the database) are now ISFDB "Publication series" with at least one publication in the database.
One purpose in assembling these data is to help judge which, if any, should be handled as magazine "Series".
December 1889
| numbers | cents | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| # 1-16 | 25, 50 | American Novelists | |
| #240-269 +3 to 276 |
25, 50 | Household Library | |
| #32-50 | 30, 50 | International S | |
| # 1-3 | 50 | Illustrated S | |
| #1411-1450 +3 to 1457 (end?) |
20 | Lovell's Library | |
| # 1-15 | 20, 30 | Literature S | |
| # 1-4 | 50 | Occult S | |
| # 1-5 | 15 ... 35 | Political and Sci S | |
| (start 1890) | Westminster S |
Dates are not publication dates, but issue dates of the sources in which the series are advertised or otherwise listed.
Probably this covers the final, highest-numbered issues of Lovell's Library, namely #1411 to 1457. If so, it appears that Lovell, and its successor USBC, terminated the one series and inaugurated at least six new ones in late 1889 and 1890.
A largest batch of additions is listed for only one other Library, namely "Seaside Library--Pocket Edition", #1222 to 1249.
Some works are listed as new additions in multiple series. For instance, Allan's Wife by H. Rider Haggard --presumably either the 1889 collection, or its title novel alone-- is listed as Seaside Library #1248, Lovell's Library #1446, Lovell's Household Library #265, Globe Library #113; at prices 20, 20, 25, 25 cents.
October 1890
| numbers | cents | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| # 15-17 | 50c, cloth $1 | American Novelists [now as "American Authors"] | |
| # | Household Library | ||
| #113 ... 131 | 50c, cloth $1 | International S | |
| # | Illustrated S | ||
| (end 1889) | ---- | Lovell's Library | |
| # | Literature S | ||
| # 8, 11 | 50c, cloth $1 | Occult S | |
| # | Political and Sci S | ||
| # 5, 6 (new in 1890?) |
50c, cloth $1 | Foreign Literature S | |
| # 10 ... 17 (new in 1890?) |
25c, paper only | Westminster S |
Sources:
The American Bookseller: A Semi-Monthly Journal Devoted to the Interests of the Book, Stationery, News, and Music Trades (New York) (largely available at HathiTrust Digital Library, HDL)
- 1889-12-01 "Additions to the Libraries", p. 667 at HDL
- 1890-10-15 p272, "Lovell's Recent Publications" advert by USBC
"Additions to the Libraries" appears in most of the 24 annual issues.
The Critic: A Weekly Review of Literature and the Arts (New York)
- 1890-10-04 pII, "Lovell's Recent Publications" advert by USBC
Other Libraries in December 1889 "Additions"
American Bookseller "Additions to the Libraries" covers 28 named series in its early December number, 8 "Lovell's" and 20 others listed here.
Key
- ++ --1889 issues are numbered 1000 and higher, as for Lovell's Library
- + --1889 issues are numbered 100 to 999, as for Lovell's Household Library
- --1889 issues are numbered 1 to 99
- Appleton's Town and Country Library
- + Beadle's Boys Library
- + Beadle's Dime Library
- magazine Beadle's Dime Library; magazine Beadle's Dime Novels !
- + Beadle's Half-Dime Library
- + Beadle's Pocket Library
- magazine Beadle's Pocket Novels !
- Cassell's Sunshine Series
- ISFDB contains 3 "Cassell's ... Libraries" as publ. series.
- magazine Cassell's Sunshine Series
- Detective and Adventure Library
- + Globe Library
- publ. series Globe Library, 1 publ. record
- + Harper's Franklin Square Library
- magazine Harper's Franklin Square Library
- + Humboldt Library
- Library of American Authors
- + Lippincott's Series of Select Novels !
- publ. series Lippincott's Select Novels, 1 publ. record
- Log Cabin Library
- ... Lovell's libraries and series (8), covered above ...
- Nugget Library
- magazine The Nugget Library
- + Old Cap Collier Library
- Puck's Library
- Sea and Shore Series
- ++ Seaside Library--Pocket Edition
- publ. series Seaside Library Pocket Edition, 9 publ. records
- magazine The Seaside Library
- Secret Service Series
- Street & Smith's Select Series
Eight of the 20 are now either ISFDB publication series or ISFDB magazine series, as noted here. Among them Beadle's Dime Library and the Seaside Library may be doubly represented.
In the mid-December 1889 issue of American Bookseller (page 684) lists "Additions" to 19 named series, including none of Lovell's and at 13 covered also in the first December 1889 issue (and thus listed above; one of those is now covered under the heading "Pocket Seaside Library"). The 6 new series names, annotated in the same fashion as above:
- Brilliant Novels [titles unnumbered]
- + Detective Library [distinct from above]
- + Family Library
- Golden Library
- ISFDB magazines, pre-1920, include The Golden Argosy, The Golden Weekly, Golden Hours, and The New Golden Hours.
- The Household Library
- + Wide Awake Library
- magazine The Five Cent Wide Awake Library !
- Bottom line
For the two December 1889 "Additions" jointly, that is 34 named series, of which 12 appear to be represented in the database by 14 publication and magazine series (6 publ. series, including 3 Lovell's, and 8 magazine series).
And one more ISFDB publ. series, for one of 2 Lovell's probably inaugurated during 1890:
- unknown paper #41 Lovell's Westminster Series (1, 1890 only)
- Note 2019-02-22. Our single publication is available online with apparent outside/inside front and back paper covers
- ISFDB Publication Series covered in December 1889 "Additions to the Libraries"
- hc cloth/paper #54-76 Lovell's International Series (2, span 1889 1890)
- hc,tp -- #295-453 Lovell's Library (3, span 1883 1884)
- DNB: "Reprint Library" (no listings)
- hc cloth/paper # 1 - 8 Lovell's Occult Series (3, span 1889 1890)
- hc -- #188 Globe Library (1, 1894 only)
- hc -- #209 Lippincott's Select Novels (1, 1898 only)
- hc,tp,pb #613-1143 Seaside Library Pocket Edition (9, span 1883 1895)
- DNB: "Reprint Library"
- One of our 9 reports is #59 in 1883 at price $20.00, not verified, presumably spurious.
- ISFDB magazine Series covered in December 1889 "Additions to the Libraries"
- bedsheet -- (no #) Beadle's Dime Library (1 year, 1881)
- DNB "Nickel Weekly (B&W)"
- digest -- #228 Beadle's Dime Novels (1 year, 1871)
- DNB "Small Booklet"
- unknown -- #40 Beadle's Pocket Novels (1 year, 1876)
- DNB "Small Booklet"
- unknown dime #122 Cassell's Sunshine Series (1 year, 1892)
- DNB "Reprint Library" --series Cassell's Sunshine Series of Choice Fiction
- bedsheet dime #238-750 Harper's Franklin Square Library (5 in 5 years, 1882 1894)
- DNB "Reprint Library"
- publ search 5 various (1894-06 t.p.) unknown
- bedsheet ?? #2-144 The Nugget Library (9 in 4 years, 1889 1892)
- Entered as v1 #2 to (no volume) #144
- DNB "Nickel Weekly (B&W)" --series {The} Nugget Library
- publ search 9 by date, all The Nugget Library (V1); 7 bedsheet (1891/92) +2 "Nuggest Library" bedsheet (1889/90)
- bedsheet dime #5-2039 The Seaside Library (12 in 7 years, 1877 1885) (maybe distinct from that covered December 1889)
- DNB: "Reprint Library" --series Seaside Library (Ordinary Edition)
- publ search 12 by number
- quarto -- (below) The Five Cent Wide Awake Library (5 in 5 years, 1883 1894)
- v1 #541 to v2 #1195
- DNB:
- all 5 by date; quarto, MAGAZINE
4 bedsheet, 1 quarto, 1 digest, 2 unknown
What's at stake ("issues")? 2019-02-22
- what is the primary criterion if not frequency of issue?
- format "unknown" --wrapper? pamphlet etc? why not simply pb or tp?
- loss of display that publication series bibliography provides
- entire loss of collection title
- single-issue serial with phoney titles a la "She (Complete Novel)" --for novels only, and judged by length?
- phoney date of first book publication --sometimes merely first in the database
- More data 2019-02-22
(See also that date above.)
Series search: Note contains "Dime Novel" (4, of which 3 listed above)
Galactic Central "Magazine Issues" (Magazine Data page 299, and 300)
- source for all 11 "Lovell's" magazines is The Edward T. LeBlanc Memorial DIME NOVEL BIBLIOGRAPHY (dimenovels.org) --LeBDNB for short
"The Edward T. LeBlanc Dime Novel Bibliography project aims to create a comprehensive online database of dime novels, story papers, reprint libraries and related materials." (9 categories)
- LeBDNB cover 10+1 Lovell's in the "Reprint Library" category, all except 2:
- L's Detective Series, category Paperback ("Thickbook")
- but the contents are not all reprints
28 1890 1892 Lovell's Detective Series
230! 1887 1889 Lovell's Household Library
16 1891 1893 Lovell's Illustrated Library
193 1889 1891 Lovell's International Ser.
8 1882 ---- Lovell's Laughter Literature
1421 1882 1889 Lovell's Library
202 1888 1891? Lovell's Literature Series
6 1893 ---- Lovell's Modern Novelists' Series
41 1889 1891 Lovell's Political and Scientific Series
8 1889 1890 Lovell's [Series of] Foreign Literature {Series} --out of alpha place
23! 1890 ---- Lovell's Westminster Series
Those are all 11 "Lovell's" titles at DNB but one other is an Alternate:
54* 1889 1890 {Lovell's} American Novelists' Series (LeBDNB Series) --* (Highest number seen advertised)
How do LeBDNB Lovell's (11+1) match December 1889 "Additions" Lovell's or October 1890 advertisements (10)
Evidently there are 9 matches, all but 1 in this list of the 10:
(December 1889, 8) Lovell's American Novelists Series --LeBDNB as alternative for American Novelists S. Lovell's Household Library Lovell's International Series Lovell's Illustrated Series --LeBDNB lists L's Illus. Library Lovell's Library Lovell's Literature Series Lovell's Occult Series --no match at LeBDNB Lovell's Political and Scientific Series (October 1890, 2 distinct) Lovell's Foreign Literature Series --LeBDNB lists L's Series of F. L. Lovell's Westminster Series
While 3 listed at LeBDNB do not match any of the 10:
Lovell's Detective Series Lovell's Laughter Literature Lovell's Modern Novelists' Series
Concerning "Beadle's"
listings in December 1889 "Additions" --copy/paste from above (5):
- + Beadle's Boys Library
- + Beadle's Dime Library
- magazine Beadle's Dime Library; magazine Beadle's Dime Novels
- + Beadle's Half-Dime Library
- + Beadle's Pocket Library
LeBDNB lists these among dozens of Beadle's series Title and Alternate Title:
- Beadle's Boy's Library
- --of Sport, Story and Adventure [3 formats]
- Beadle's Dime Library
- --as one Alternate Title for "Beadle's New York Dime Library"
- and distinct from "Beadle's Dime Library of Choice Fiction"
- Beadle's Dime Novels
- --yes, and distinct from "Beadle's Dime Fiction" and from "Beadle's Dime Library of Choice Fiction" and from others; and from "Beadle's New Dime Novels" and from the New York Dime Library, above
- Beadle's Half-Dime Library
- --yes, and distinct from "Beadle's Half-Dime Novelettes"
- Beadle's Pocket Library
- --yes, and distinct from "Beadle's Pocket Novels"
None in category "Reprint Library". Instead
- (1) category "Small Booklet" --Dime Novels (1860 to 1874)
- (4) category "Nickel Weekly (B&W)" --Boy's Library, in 2 formats; [New York] Dime Library; Half-Dime Library; Pocket Library
Taking for example Beadle's Dime Novels, very few issues take that title at LeBDNB, whose listing #1-321 may be complete. Only 13 have "Beadle's Dime Novels" Item names --because they contain more than a single work. 308 (~96%) have Item names that are work titles --because they contain only one work.