Lee & Shepard were general publishers and, like D. Lothrop & Company, had strong lines of juveniles which were much used in school libraries. Of their distinctively educational books, the most successful were King’s Picturesque Geographical Readers, in six volumes.
In 1904, the owners of Lee & Shepard purchased the entire assets of the Lothrop Publishing Company, and incorporated the combined houses under the style Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company. Mr. Gregory, the Manager of Lee & Shepard, was elected General Manager and has held that position since. Among its most important works used educationally, in addition to those mentioned above, are the True Story Series, the U. S. Service Series, the translation of Froebel’s Mother Play, with Music, and books for younger readers.
SHELDON & COMPANY.
—Mr. Smith Sheldon of Albany, N. Y., organized a firm which began business in New York City in 1853 at 115 Nassau Street. He was soon joined by Mr. Birdseye Blakeman, who afterward became a member of the firm of Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Company. In 1857 Isaac E. Sheldon, eldest son of Smith Sheldon, became a partner, and subsequently Isaac Shailor entered the firm. Mr. Shailor was killed a few years later in his barn by a stroke of lightning. This must have been in the early 70’s, and about that time Mr. Sheldon’s younger sons, Alexander E. Sheldon and William D. Sheldon, were made members of the firm.
Some time in the 60’s Mason and Hamlin, the organ people, sold to the Sheldons their schoolbooks, such as the Stoddard Mathematics, Haven’s and Wayland’s Philosophies, and other standard books. Sheldon & Company had branched out into almost all classes of publication, including novels, autobiographies, religious books, hymn books, schoolbooks, etc., and in addition published what was known as the Galaxy Magazine. In 1877, the house decided to make a specialty of schoolbooks, and gave up its other lines of publication. Among the school and college textbooks which they brought out were Olney’s Mathematics, Avery’s Science Series, Hill’s Rhetorics, Logic and Psychology, Shaw’s Literature, Sheldon’s Word Studies, Sheldon’s Modern School Readers, and Patterson’s Grammars.
In 1891, the firm was incorporated under the name of Sheldon & Company, with Isaac E. Sheldon as President and Joseph K. Butler as Secretary and Treasurer. The following year they purchased the business of Taintor Brothers. Later the house of E. H. Butler & Company was merged with Sheldon & Company, there being included in E. H. Butler & Company the firm of Cowperthwait & Company of Philadelphia, and a Pittsburgh firm, the name of which I think was H. I. Gurley & Company. Isaac E. Sheldon died about the first of July, 1898, and E. H. Butler was made President, the firm becoming Butler, Sheldon & Company. On January 1, 1903, the business of Butler, Sheldon & Company was purchased by the American Book Company and its books added to the list of that concern.
RAND McNALLY & COMPANY.
—In 1859 Mr. William H. Rand was operating a job printing business at 148 Lake Street, Chicago. About that time his plant was consolidated with the job department of the Chicago Tribune. In 1862, Mr. Andrew McNally, who had been in partnership with Mr. John Collins in the printing and stationery business on North Clark Street, sold his interest and purchased a partnership in the Tribune job office. He became superintendent of the business. In 1864, Rand and McNally bought out the Tribune interest in the job printing, and founded the copartnership of Rand McNally & Company. The Company was incorporated in 1873. The present President of the concern is Mr. H. B. Clow.
Rand McNally & Company has been known as map makers, book publishers, atlas makers, bank publishers, ticket manufacturers, creators of map systems, and other specialties. It has published the Dodge Geographies, the Mace Histories, and a number of other large selling educational books.