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M.J. Ivers & Co. records
Notifications
Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The New York based publishing firm of M.J. Ivers and Company was best known for its production of cheap books in the United States including Beadle's Dime Dialogues, Dime Speakers, Dime Hand Books, Boy's Library, and Deadwood Dick Library during the late nineteenth century through the early 20th century.
Following the dissolution of Beadle and Adams in 1898, James Sullivan, the owner of M.J. Ivers and Company, purchased the collections of Beadle Dime and Half Dime Novels. M.J. Ivers and Company continued to publish these titles as monthlies under the name of Beadle and Adams until 1905. Ivers printed sixty four numbers of Beadle's Boy's Library and sixty four of Edward Wheeler's novels in addition to one hundred other works. The company continued to operate throughout the early part of the twentieth century. Eventually, the plates and stock of M.J. Ivers and Company were bought by the Arthur Westbrook Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, who continued to publish both the Deadwood Dick and Frontier Libraries until 1937. Included in this collection are business receipts, correspondence, and publication lists. This archive represents only a small portion of material generated by M.J. Ivers and Company.
Johannsen, Albert. The House of Beadle and Adams and its Dime and Nickel Novels (DeKalb, Ill.: Norther Illinois University Libraries). The Beadle and Adams Dime Novel Digitization Project. http://www.niulib.niu.edu/badndp/ (accessed August 18, 2003).
Included in this collection are business receipts, correspondence, and publication lists produced by M.J. Ivers and Company between 1880 and 1915 with the bulk of the material dating from 1898 and 1905. Other companies that M.J. Ivers conducted business with include Beadle & Adams, Hurst & Company, and George Munro's Sons. This archive represents only a small portion of material generated by M.J. Ivers and Company.
The materials in this collection are separated into two folders. The first folder pertains to materials dating from 1880-1898. The second folder pertains to materials dating from 1900-1915 and other undated materials.
Box 1: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes (1 inch)
Purchase, 1990.
Processed by Theresa Hessey, August 2003. Encoded by Natalie Baur, September 2009.
Organization
Subject
- Publishers and publishing--United States--History--19th century
- Publishers and publishing--United States--History--20th century
- Dime novels, American
- Dime novels--Publishing--United States
Occupation
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2009 September 10
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Collection Inventory
Contains a receipt for dime novel plates from Hurst and Company, statement of credit from M.J. Ivers and Company, correspondence from other publishers including George Munro's Sons, publication lists, and receipts from Beadle and Adams for the purchase of Dime and Half Dime novels.
Includes receipts, correspondence, a commission account from McLeod and Allen, receipt from Blauvelt-Wiley Paper Manufacturing Company regarding the sale of the American Series. Also includes undated correspondence and order lists for the American Series.