H. C. Peck and Theo. Bliss, Philadelphia

Horace C. Peck started a publishing concern with Theodore Bliss in 1850. Bliss had previously been associated with E. H. Butler. The firm of H. C. Peck and Theo. Bliss was dissolved in May,1862 and Bliss carried on as Theodore Bliss & Company until his retirement in 1873.

This publisher printed six T. S. Arthur first editions in 1856. All of the first editions note 1856 on the copyright page as well as the title page.

The Wedding Guest: A Friend of the Bride and Bridegroom 1856
Words of Cheer; For the Toiling and the Sorrowing 1856
Our Homes: Their Joys, and Cares and Duties 1856
The Mother's Rule; or, The Right Way and the Wrong Way 1856
Friends and Neighbours: or, Two Ways of Living in the World 1856
The True Path; and How to Walk Therein 1856

Several other firms published these six titles on their own imprints in 1856. These publishers included:
Keen and Lee, Chicago
Edwards and Bushnell, St. Louis
E. Darrow and Brother, Rochester
H. W. Derby and Co., Cincinnati

The copyright pages on these other publishers' books list Peck and Bliss as the 1856 copyright holders but interestingly enough they all list the same stereotypers and printers (Smith and Peters, Philadelphia). In addition each of these other publishers include four pages of Peck and Bliss advertisements.

One wonders if all of these books were published at the same time by the same printers and whether all could be considered "first editions".

The 1856 titles were published in Muslin at 75 cents and full gilt at $1.25. Each book has 300 pages and is 12 mo. (7.25” x 5”). Its appears that the Peck and Bliss muslin copies all have the same format whereas the full gilt books have several different formats. Reprints after 1856 had an 1857 Peck and Bliss copyright until 1869 when the new Theodore Bliss & Co. 1869 copyright is noted.

Other Peck and Bliss editions were published in 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, and 1861.

Examples of different formats are shown below.

1856

This format was used between 1856-1861 for the muslin format.

1857
1858 (This format also seen in 1859)
1859
1860

Theodore Bliss & Company published these six titles in 1861, 1863, 1864, 1866, 1868, 1869. An undated post-1869 edition has been noted.

There were two Bliss formats of the six titles. One cheaper edition in muslin cost $1.20. Each books has six illustrations. The other format are "presentation books". They are 12 mo. with six steel illustrations and are 300 pages. The fancier books are called Presentation Editions and each cost $2.25.

1863
1866
Post 1869

Seen in 1868. Also this cover has been seen post-1869. Various color covers noted.

The Floral Offering
This title is included as an Arthur authored book in Theodore Bliss listings. But earlier ads (1851) indicate it was edited by Henrietta Dumont when it was published by Peck and Bliss as a first edition in 1851. Thus this appears to be a mistake in the ads.