Oliver and Brother, New York

John W. Oliver (1815-1908) was born in Cornwall, England and moved with his family to the Baltimore area in 1818. He served as a printer's apprentice for two different companies until the age of twenty. Subsequently he moved to New York.

In 1840 Oliver helped organize New York's Washingtonian movement.

In May,1842 after working in several "journeyman" positions, he and his brother Isaac along with several other partners started the New-York Organ. Oliver continued this paper until July, 1842 when he gave it to others to run. He and his brother took over this journal again in October, 1844 as a temperance organization prevailed upon them to keep this periodical going. In the spring of 1847 the partnership of Oliver and Bro. (John and Isaac) was established and The New-York Organ was under its control. Subsequently the brothers sold the New York Organ so that they could concentrate on the publication of other materials. In 1850 Brognard and Co. published the New-York Organ.

Oliver and Brother not only published the New-York Organ but other temperance related materials, including a number of books/pamphlets written by T. S. Arthur. Arthur was a contributor to the New-York Organ. It appears that most (perhaps all) of the Oliver and Bro. published works of Arthur originally appeared in the Organ. If this latter fact is confirmed for any particular piece, I have noted it below. Since these works are very scarce, I have not verified this information for all the editions.

Later John W. Oliver moved to Yonkers and purchased and edited the Yonkers Statesman.

Arthur First Editions:
This firm published five Arthur first editions and no Arthur reprints.

Temptations: A Story for the Reformed
1848 32 pp 8 vo in wraps
Seven original engravings by R. Major
New York Organ Temperance Tales #4
(This material originally appeared in the New-York Organ)

(Pictures courtesy of the Huntington Library)

The Political Campaign, or the Club Room 1848
24 pages 12 mo. in wraps
5 cents
This story appeared in the Western Literary Messenger (Buffalo) in October, 1848.

Lost Children 1848 32 pp in wraps
Originally published in the New York Organ
Organ Temperance Tales #3
Nine engravings by Tudor Horton
10 cents. In wraps

Our Children: How We Shall Save Them
1848 (Copyright), 1849 Title page
32 pages
Eight engravings
10 cents

Pictures courtesy of the Huntington Library

Pictorial Temperance Tales for the Young 1948
192 pages with 36 engravings
20 cents

In 1848 Oliver and Brother advertised "Juvenile Temperance Books" by T. S. Arthur. These books cost 3 cents. Their titles are unknown.