Seventy-Five Years of Book Publishing

An excerpt from the beginning: THE PIONEER PERIOD: 1838-1863: PRIOR to the year 1838 the publishing center in the United States was at Hartford, Connecticut. At that time there were but three or four publishing firms that are now in existence - Messrs. Harper & Brothers, the Appletons, William Wood & Company, among them. It was in that year (1838) that Mr. A. S. Barnes, then a young man of twenty-one, founded the house which bears his name. Previous to that he had been employed in the book store of D. F. Robinson & Co, in Hartford, in which city he began the business of book publishing in a store 12 x 20 feet. Mr. Barnes' own narrative of the beginning of his business career in Robinson's Book Store, where his duties were those of the youngest clerk and his salary the munificent sum of $30 per year and his board, is interesting: "I would open and sweep out the store before breakfast and remain until the next older came to relieve me. My next duty would be to go to the Post Office and get the mail, and then get my breakfast - sometimes cold and sometimes hot - and after family prayers, back again to the store, lay out orders, pack books, mark the packages and send them to the stage offices; generally I carried the packages, either on my back or in a wheelbarrow. We had no porters; the boys did that kind of work. There were no railroads in those days, but steamboats to New York and Springfield were the water travel from Hartford, and stage coaches by land. I remember the first thing I did in this bookstore was to unravel twine which came in packages, and wind it into balls for future use. The rule was to be busy. In writing, I copied letters and invoices into a copy or letter book, (the copying press was not then known.) Steel pens had not been introduced, and an immense amount of time was daily devoted to making and mending quill pens." The following is a copy of a letter written by Alfred S. Barnes while in the employ of Robinson & Pratt of Hartford. The date of the letter indicates that he was only seventeen years of age. There are only one or two changes and omissions which were unimportant. "New York, Apr. 21, 1834. "Mr. Pratt. Dear Sir: - The Trade Sale closed on Saturday evening last for which reason I cannot be able to commence packing Mr. Ensign's books until Wednesday. "He was disappointed in finding books to go so high; purchased but a little over $900. He wishes me to say to you that he has concluded not to take any of the Cottage Bibles which are at Conner & Cooks, they being bound so very poorly. Mr. Sumner feels quite huffy because Messrs. Connor & Company are supplying the trade at $400. He is flying around to-day pushing Brinsmade Geography. He thinks he has made two or three 'Glorious Bargains'. "Mr. Ensign starts to-morrow for Cincinnati. I probably can finish all that is to be done by Friday at the latest, at which time I shall be ready to leave. "I am indebted to Friend Prescott for his attention to me in giving me (by way of letter) an introduction to Mr. Demarest. He appears to be a very fine fellow. "Messrs. Harper wish you to send them a few hundred more Olney immediately. "Mr. Ensign says he has not money to spare Mr. Robinson. He has made a contract with the Harpers to send him a stipulated number of each of their new works as they appear. "Yours sincerely, (signed) "Alfred S. Barnes."