Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:
Title:	New York State Printing and Publishing Collection
Inclusive Dates:	1811-1927
Quantity:	1.5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Collection of material related to printers, publishers, and booksellers in New York State, including both printed (broadsides, catalogs, forms, etc.) and non-printed material (correspondence, invoices, etc.)
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Printing in New York state has a long history. The first newspaper in the state, the New-York Gazette, printed its first issue on November 8, 1725. Notable early American writers and poets, including Washington Irving and Mark Twain, worked or wrote for various newspapers in New York State. The first African-American newspaper, Freedom's Journal, was published in New York City on March 16, 1827. Printing followed people as villages and towns were established along the Hudson Valley, spreading north and west from New York City during the late 18th and early 19th century. In addition to newspapers, early printers focused on broadsides (notices of sales, auctions, social gatherings), pamphlets (often religious or political in nature), and forms for financial and legal transactions (e.g. indentures or land sales). Books were often published via subscription -- a publisher would circulate a prospectus and interested parties would subscribe; these subscription fees then paid the cost of printing and binding the book.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The New York State Printing and Publishing Collection consists of printed ephemera from printers, publishers, and booksellers in New York State. Types of material include broadsides, leaflets, pamphlets, legal and financial forms, job printing specimens, sales catalogs, and so on. It also contains non-printed items related to printers or publishers in New York State such as lists of books sold, printers' requests for payment, and so on. Where possible, the inventory includes location, name of printer or publisher, and type of material.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Since this is a geographically-based collection, material is arranged alphabetically by city or town.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has a number of books, pamphlets, serials and other items related to the history of printing in New York State which are cataloged in the Rare Books Collection. Please be sure to search the Classic Catalog for these related materials.

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

New York State Printing and Publishing Collection,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchase, various, 2009-2014.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MRC
Date: 3 Nov 2011
Revision history: 30 Sep 2020 - processed (MRC)

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Inventory

	Ephemera
Box 1		Adams 1874-1876
			Hatch and Allen, publishers of the Jefferson County Journal - one invoice, one letter from William Allen to his brother about finances
Box 1		Albany 1896
			Luther Tucker & Son - letter from Tucker to a Mr. Huntington, on company letterhead
Box 1		Auburn 1850, 1920, undated
			Alden Beardsley & Company - handwritten contract with John Frost to print, publish, and sell his book entitled Great Cities of the World: In Their Glory and in Their Desolation Auburn Publishing Company - printed ad for two books, with the name of the agent E.G. Storke, at the bottom The Author's Press - form letter on illustrated company letterhead promoting one of their books
Oversize 1		Auburn 1815, 1892
			Printer unknown - printed indenture form, hand-completed The Gleaner, vol. 4, no. 2 (Oct 1892)
Box 1		Binghamton 1885, undated
			D. Appleton & Co. - several printed and hand-completed receipt cards for payment towards Appleton's American Cyclopedia Binghamton Lithographing Co. - letter from owner C.F. Case about his family, on company letterhead
Box 1		B, misc. 1876, 1906, 1913 - Ballston Spa, Boonville, Buffalo
			Printer unknown, Ballston Spa - Order of Services for Christ Church The Willard Press / Boonville Herald / Adirondack Tourist - letter from Garry A. Willard, on company letterhead, requesting reference for a job applicant; unsigned response typed on back The Dunston Lithographing Company, Buffalo - handwritten letter of reference for former employee, on company letterhead
Oversize 1		Carthage undated
			Printer unknown - broadside announcing 9th District Conference of the YMCA of New York
Box 1		C, misc. 1876, undated - Canajoharie, Canandaigua, Constableville
			Empire Club, Canajoharie - leaflet, "Annual Catalogue of the Empire Club", including open call for sales agents Modern Beauty Shop Magazine, Canandaigua - printed card with poem, with name of magazine local field representative Mandel Lipton at bottom Printer unknown, Constableville - small broadside advertising an auction
Box 1		Delevan 1927
			Empire Type Foundry - printed invoice form, hand-completed, requesting payment from the Rockland County Times in Haverstraw; printed form includes information about ink, typeface, and paper so also serves as advertisement for the company
Box 1		E, misc. 1910, undated - East Aurora, Elmira
			Printer unknown, East Aurora - broadside for The Roycroft Fraternity, entitled "Questions from the February 1910 FRA" L. A. & C. Hazard, Elmira - job printing specimen in red, green, and gold, with multiple fonts and design elements
Box 1		G, misc. 1927 - Garden City, Geneva
			Country Life Press, Garden City - leaflet, "The Way of the Cross" with wood engraving by Eric Gill Packard Printing Machinery Co., Geneva - two letters from William Packard, on company letterhead, about purchasing a press from The [Rockland County?] Times in Haverstraw
Oversize 1		Homer undated
			Republican Job Printing Establishment - broadside advertising auction of livestock and farm equipment
Box 1		H, misc. undated - Highmarket, Houseville
			Printer unknown - broadside advertising auction in Highmarket Printer unknown - small broadside advertising a "Sugar Party" benefit for a local church in Houseville
Oversize 1		Lyons Falls undated
			Printer unknown - broadside announcing "Fair and Ice Cream Social"
Box 1		New York City 1884, 1897, undated (2 folders)
			American Book Store - catalog Bangs & Co. - auction cataog J. W. Bouton & Co. - catalog of "English Books, Ancient and Modern" Columbia College - First Annual Report of the Chief Librarian Random House - broadsides for the Grabhorn Press editions of The Scarlet Letter and The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Maundevile Scribner, Welford & Armstrong - catalog for Bohn's Libraries
Box 1		N, misc. 1868, 1822, undated - Nicholville, North Brookfield, Norwich
			Sweet Printing Co., Nicholville - "Samples of Commercial and Job Printing" J. W. Avery & Co., North Brookfield - leaflet advertising The Masonic Wreath, an artistic engraving with words and imagery relating to Freemasonry, with handwritten letter from Avery on back S. A. Talcott, Norwich - printer's bill, addressed to J. F. Hubbard
Box 1		Owasco 1823
			A. H. Nichols - itemized list of books, which "are all at your service to Read, or the Doct. may have any of them if you wish towards my 'hopeless acct.' "
Box 1		Pulaski 1925
			The Pulaski Democrat - letter from editor Byron G. Seamans, on company letterhead, to Miss Helen Bentley of Jersey City, NJ thanking her for the Christian Science Monitor
Box 1		Rochester 1845, 1904
			J. M. Patterson, Rochester Daily American - printing bill to A. & F. F. Mason John C. Moore Printery & Bindery - letter to customer regarding "Loose Leaf Binders", on company letterhead Johnson, Fry & Co. - small broadside advertising Brown's Self-Interpreting Family Bible
Oversize 1		Rochester 1880
			Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser - "Extra Christmas Edition" for Dec 24, with four-color front page
Oversize 1		Savannah 1875
			Printer unknown - broadside offering $200 reward pertaining to four men who robbed the house of N. B. Kingsland
Box 1		Syracuse 1842, 1856, 1880, 1893, 1921, undated
			Clarence C. Depuy, Fine Job Printer - business card, in color D. Mason & Co. - printed invoice form, hand-completed, for copy of Illustrated History of Chenango and Madison Counties Earl Thompson Co. - printed and tipped-in engraving of John Greenleaf Whittier John Single Paper Co., Ld. - receipt for items sold to Mr. John Cavanaugh of Boonville Onondaga Photo-Engravers - printed invoice form, typed, to Rockland County Times in Haverstraw Onondaga Standard - printed affidavit form, hand-completed, relating to publication of a legal notice in the paper Timms & Howard, Inc. - two catalogs, one a list of books to be auctioned and the other a list of books for sale Wesleyan Book Concern - list of books sold to L. C. Matlock [?]
Box 1		S, misc 1811, 1821, 1876, 1880 - Saranac, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sherman, Smithfield
			Northern Subscription and Clubbing Agency, Saranac - catalog of magazines offered Wm. W. Griffes & Brother, Schenectady - business card Printer unknown, Schoharie - handwritten invoice, addressed to the Schoharie Republican C. E. Sheldon / Chautauqua News, Sherman - printed invoice form, hand completed, relating to fees for publication of legal notice Abraham R. Nichols, Smithfield - handwritten affidavit regarding printing and posting of a legal notice "upon the outer door of the Schoolhouse"
Oversize 1		Turin 1877-1880
			W. D. Holden, "Holden The Printer" - numerous broadsides in various sizes and paper colors advertising auctions, social events, new business openings, etc. in Turin and nearby towns
Box 1		Utica 1896, undated
			Rowley Bro's & Co. - accordion-folded agent's catalog The Saturday Globe - letter to Robert T. Ladd regarding insurance, on company letterhead
Box 1		Warren 1824
			Printer unknown - printed form, hand completed, for sale of pews in the Union Meeting-House
Box 1		Unidentified 1833, 1835, 1849, undated
			Handwritten letter to a James Monroe, complaining about "the volume of the Examiner, which has been in the bindery for two months or more" Handwritten inventory of books subdivided by initials (possibly of the purchasers?) Two handwritten itemized receipts for books sold by Seymour Treadwell to Dan Hyde, including a copy of Plutarch
Oversize 1		Unidentified undated
			Stock certificate for the Onon-Town Publishing Co., Inc. Broadside advertising a 25-volume set of "Standard English Works" plus bookcase, as a "Special Offer to Farmers"

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