xt7qjq0stw34_2860 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7qjq0stw34/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7qjq0stw34/data/1997ms474.dao.xml unknown archival material 1997ms474 English University of Kentucky The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. W. Hugh Peal manuscript collection Ernest Dressel North letter from W. O. Wiley, with a short history of John Wiley and Sons, Inc text 43.94 Cubic Feet 86 boxes, 4 oversize boxes, 22 items Poor-Good Peal accession no. 11453. Ernest Dressel North letter from W. O. Wiley, with a short history of John Wiley and Sons, Inc 2017 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7qjq0stw34/data/1997ms474/Box_28/Folder_1/Multipage9712.pdf 1925 September 24 1925 1925 September 24 section false xt7qjq0stw34_2860 xt7qjq0stw34 LONDON
_ w . CHAPMAN & HALL,LTD.
PRES'DENT’ , H HENRIETTA STREE'T
E‘P. HAMILTON. _ COVENT GARDEN,W.C.2
VlCE’PRESIDENT&TREASLIRER. “—
S.E.NORRIS, CABLE ADDRESS:
schETARv. 440 FOURTH AVENUE “onwar-
E.A.SMITH. NEW YORK
ASSTTREASURER.
R.M.TRIEST. {09441

ASST. SECRETARY. ' N E W YO R K TELEPHONE )0945i ASHLAND

_0946,

September 24, 1925.

Mr. Ernest D. North,
587 Fifth Ave.,

New York City.
Dear Sir:

I am sending you a.00py of "The Manuscript,"
which has some of the illustrations of the places that
the firm of Wiley has been in during the last century.
I am also giving you a.brief sketch of our doings.

Major Wiley and I have had it in mind for
some years to go into the matter rather carefully, and
compile material. I think probably I shall try to do
that this winter, as some of the younger men are anxious
to have it. My grandfather never cared anything about
our past history as he felt that in science peOple did
not care to know how long you had been in business but
what you were doing now.

Trusting this material may be of some service
to you, I am,with kindest regards,

Yours very faithfully,

WOW/FF , .
8110 S o

 

 A Short History of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

The publishing house of Wiley is one of the oldest
in our country. It was founded, according to one history,
in 1800, but this date cannot be definitely established. We
do know, however, that in 1807, Charles Wiley, Publisher,
was in business at 6 Reade Street, New York City. He was the
son of Major John Wiley, a Revolutionary soldier and a great
patriot.

An early history states that Charles Wiley was
a men of e xcellent education and of decdded literary taste.
In 1821, he laid the foundations of the prosperity which has
since been almost uninterrupted, by the publication of
”The Spy", the first of that series of romances which made the
name of James Fenimore Cooper second only to that of the _
author of the “Waverley Novels."

While travelling in Western New York, Mr. Wiley
had made the acquaintance of Mr. COOper, but had no idea of
his literary sepirations until, in 1821, Mr. Cooper walked in,
to his New York office and offered him the manuscript of
"Whe Spy." After this, Mr. COQper came frequently to the
office, where he was a great attraction, drawing around him
many literary men, among whom were William Cullen Bryant,
1 James K. Pauldings, Fitzgreene Halleck, Gulian C. Verplanck
and others who have since taken high rank among the writers of
America. In the rear of Charles Wiley's store there was a
room set apart for these men and known far and wide as the
"literary den."

At about this time, Mr. COOper formed a club,
which is described as follows in Lounsberry's "Life of
COOper." ‘

"In 1824 he QCooper) founded a club. All forms of
intellectual activity were represented. To this club, among
others, belonged Gulian C. Verplanck, Chancellor Kent, Jarvis,
.the painter, Wiley, the publisher, Halleck, Bryant, etc. ****
, It was cowmonly called the "Bread and Cheese Lunch' and met
weekly. a** Wiley and Halsted were his publishers *** Wiley,
until his death, continued to be his publisher."

Another reference to this club is found in HaswellWS
”Reminiscences of an Octogenarian":

"James Fenimore Cooper conceived and originated
the formation of a club which was designated the Bread and
Cheese Club, which met semi—monthly at the Washington Hall
in Broadway, now the northern part of the site of the Stewart
Building. Amongst its members were eminent scholars and
professional men of the period. In balloting for membership
'bread' was an affirmative vote and 'cheese' a negative."

 

 Lamb's "History of New York" states that the
meetings of the club were often swollen to quite a
formidable assembly by members of Congress and distinguished
strangers. Daniel Webster was a frequent guest, as were
also William Beach Iawrence, Henry R. Storrs and the French
minister, DeNeuville., , ‘

John Wiley, whose name the corporation of John

Wiley & Sons now bears, entered the employ of his father,

.q Charles Wiley, at the age of sixteen, and two years later
,‘Ft stepped into his father s place; to him belongs the credit

fiior the magnitude and success of the business. In 1828,
“he became the New York agent of Thomas Wardle of Philadelphia,
who at that time was the principal American importer of p
, English books. He also became the New xgrk agent of Carey
“Lifil and Lea, then the leading publishers in America. The head-
' quarters of this firm was also in Philadelphia, which, in those
days, was the publishing center of the United States.

In 1852, John Wiley and George Long, the latter
\ the son of an old New York bookseller of the same name,
‘ 5 formed the firm of George Long, Wiley and Long. After the
1/?ffi 39 dissolution of this firm in 1836, George Palmer Putname,
\ who had been for many years with Jonathan Leavitt, became
Mr. Wiley‘s partner. Soon afterward, Mr. Putnam was sent to
Europe to see something of the book world abroad, and while
there he formed the acquaintance of the leading book publishers
_ g’in London and elsewhere. In 1858, on one of his visits to
;?}§ W London, he established a branch house - the first American
' house ever established in London for the publication of books.
The_new firm continued in both places as Wiley and Putnam.

One of the early undertakings of Wiley and Putnam
was the publication of a series of volumes under the general
./ title of the "Library of Choice Reading" edited by Evart A.

, Duyckinck. About 1840, the volumes of this series, in their
uniform red cloth binding, attained great popularity; they
included the words of Hawthorne and Poe and other books which
now rank among the classics of America. Among their publica-

flung? tions, the works of John Ruskin were the most important.

fiéyb} About 1848 thskfirm of Wiley and Putnam was dissolved, when
Mr. Putnam st ed in business for himself, establishing what
later became the well-known publishing house of G. P.
Putnam's Sons.

One of the earliest technical books published by
Wiley of which there is a record, is "A View of the Lead
Mines of Missouri." ‘It was written by Henry R. Schoolcraft
and published by Charles Wiley and Company in 1819. The
title page of this book is reproduced in the Wiley Bulletin
of December, 1920. The oldest technical book on Wiley's
lists today is the “System of Mineralogy" by James Dwight Dana,
first published in 1857. During its long career, this book
has been frequently revised or added to by appendices and is
today, as always, a veritable Bible to the mineralogist.