Knight and Colburn, Baltimore

Dr. Henry Colburn was a dental surgeon. Along with Knight he operated a medical bookstore and a publishing house between approximately 1840-1843. Early in 1841 the store was at 174 Market Street. By late 1841 to 1843 they were located at 174 Baltimore Street. From 1844 until at least 1846 Colburn published books on his own namesake imprint, H. Colburn.

This Henry Colburn should not be confused with the London publisher of the same name.

This firm published at least two T. S. Arthur books. Both are first editions.

The first was “Insubordination; A Story of Baltimore”. Copyright 1840. 207 pages. Several title pages have been seen.
No illustrations.
1. Knight and Colburn, 1841.
2. Knight & Colburn, Market Street, B. B. Mussey, Boston 1841
3. A third 1841 copy with Samuel Colman as the publisher and Knight & Colburn as the co-publisher exists but has not been seen. This book had the subtitle of "An American Story of Real Life".

Interestingly it appears that this title was first released in parts. Accounts reveal that Insubordination No. 1 and No. 2 were available by December 19, 1840 and the third number of Insubordination was available as of December 29, 1840. Arthur noted that there would be five or six parts, each being released every two weeks or so,.

The priority between the three editions is not known but based on newspaper reviews and the fact that the parts were published by Knight & Colburn, the Knight/Colburn only imprint edition appears to be the first.

This is most likely the first edition.

Title page of the edition co-published with B. B. Mussey.

The Widow Morrison: A Leaf from the Book of Human Life (1841) 16 mo. 110 page. It cost 25 cents. (Co published with James Giffing, a New York publisher.) This is a first edition.