H. W. Derby & Co., Cincinnati

Henry William Derby (1820-1892) began his career after a move from New York to Columbus, Ohio in about 1838. He clerked in the bookselling/publishing firm of Isaac Whiting. He struck out on his own as H. W. Derby as well as with a partner H. S. Allen in Derby and Allen. Both these Columbus firms dissolved and by sometime in 1844. Derby had moved to Cincinnati where H. W. Derby & Co. was established with Charles F. Bradley as a partner. A short term name change between 1846-1848 to Derby, Bradley & Co. reflected Bradley’s partnership. By 1848 the name had returned to H. W. Derby and Company.

Derby was the publisher of the Western Literary Advertiser.

Of interest is that Henry’s brother, James Cephas Derby was a well known publisher in New York City. He was the named partner in both Derby & Jackson as well as J. C. Derby & Co.

Six T. S. Arthur books have the H. W. Derby & Co. imprint. All the titles were published in 1856.

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:
H. C. Peck and Theo. Bliss
Keen and Lee, Chicago
Edwards & Bushnell, St. Louis
E. Darrow & Brother, Rochester, New York

The copyright pages on Derby’s and these other publishers' books list Peck and Bliss as the 1856 copyright holders. Interestingly enough, all of the aforementioned publishers note the same stereotypers and printers (Smith & Peters, Philadelphia). Each also has four pages of Peck and Bliss advertisements.

I suspect that the printer in Philadelphia put this firm’s name on the title pages and shipped the books to Cincinnati to be sold by Derby. That would explain how with the exception of that imprint, these volumes are identical, including ads, to the Peck and Bliss editions.

One wonders since all of these books appear to have been published at the same time using the same printers, whether in fact they are all in reality “first editions”. Realistically however, the formal bibliographical first editions are the H.C. Peck and Theo. Bliss books.

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”) Both blue and red covers have been seen.