A Brief Account of the Educational Publishing Business in the United StatesPulsifer, William Edmond
History
A Brief Account of the Educational Publishing Business in the United States
Pulsifer, William Edmond
Publishers and publishing -- United States; Textbooks -- United States
The firm’s first educational venture occurred in 1867, when the foreign
language publications of S. R. Urbino and DeVries, Ibarra & Company of
Boston were taken over. These two lists included the Otto French and
German Grammars and some sixty French and German texts. Most of these
same texts still appear in Henry Holt & Company’s list, though not in
the form first issued. In 1869, the firm began what was practically
its first original enterprise in the educational field when it issued
Whitney’s German textbooks, starting with his _German Reader_, and
following shortly with his _Compendious German Grammar_. In 1879,
the _American Science Series_ was begun with Packard’s _Zoology_.
The announcements included James’ _Psychology_, Walker’s _Political
Economy_, and Martin’s _The Human Body_. In the same year the first of
Johnston’s books, _American Politics_, appeared. These books represent
the earlier development of Henry Holt & Company’s educational business.
GINN & COMPANY.--This house was founded in 1867 by Edwin Ginn. He
began business at No. 3 Beacon Street, Boston, and soon admitted as
a partner Mr. Aaron Lovell, afterward the head of the house known
as A. Lovell & Company of New York. Mr. Ginn’s next partner was Mr.
R. F. Leighton, the author of Leighton’s _Latin Lessons_, then Mr.
Frederick Ginn, Edwin Ginn’s brother. Later Mr. Daniel C. Heath and Mr.
George A. Plimpton were admitted to the firm, Mr. Heath in 1876 and
Mr. Plimpton in 1880. The firm was then known as Ginn & Heath. In 1885
the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Heath retiring. The business was
continued by Edwin Ginn, George A. Plimpton, and Frederick Ginn under
the firm name of Ginn & Company. Since then there have been admitted
at different times as members of the firm, Thomas Ballard, Justin H.
Smith, Lewis Parkhurst, O. P. Conant, Ralph L. Hayes, Selim S. White,
Thomas W. Gilson, Fred. M. Ambrose, Austin H. Kenerson, Henry R.
Hilton, Richard S. Thomas, C. H. Thurber, T. B. Lawler, Dana W. Hall,
Selden C. Smith, O. J. Laylander, F. C. Hodgdon, E. A. DeWitt, L. B.
Robeson, Mark R. Jouett, Jr., J. W. Swartz, LeRoy J. Weed, Edward H.
Kenerson, Norman C. Miller, and H. B. Conway. Of this number there are
now eighteen surviving partners.
Mr. Edwin Ginn died in 1914. Of the other partners who have been
admitted, Mr. Conant, Mr. Gilson, Mr. White, and Mr. Kenerson, Sr.,
have crossed the Great Divide. Mr. Justin H. Smith retired from the
firm to enter the faculty of Dartmouth College. Mr. Ballard, Mr. Hayes
and Mr. Ambrose also retired.
The first educational book that Mr. Ginn published was Craik’s _The
English of Shakespeare_. This was followed by Goodwin’s _Greek
Grammar_, the Allen & Greenough Latin Series, White’s _Greek Lessons_,
and a course of _Grade School Music Readers_ by Luther Whiting Mason.
This series was early introduced into the Boston schools and for some
time was the standard series of school music in America.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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